The Middle East: The Biblical Background (prophetic eschatology)

LftLD

Where is all this going ultimately? It’s going towards the Second Coming of Jesus of course. And, as we believe in the Bible, we do believe that what happens in the Middle East is significant.  #Israel #middleeast #PEACE #prophecy #War   https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/articles/bible-teachings/the-middle-east-the-biblical-background-prophetic-eschatology/

Transcript

00:00If you know what's happening in the Middle East, you may know that that is a very serious situation.

00:04There could be a further attack. Hezbollah has said that they will not attack again today,

00:09but they haven't said they won't attack again.

00:12And Israel has taken out a large number of their rocket launches, and the situation is extremely tense.

00:19I'll go on and tell you a little bit more about it later on, and the background to it.

00:22So partly what I want to do today is to just, first of all, to give you a bit of biblical background,

00:27some of the prophecies which have taken place.

00:30Some of this will be fairly basic information, so if you come here regularly, you'll have heard it before.

00:35Then we'll look at what's happening at the present time,

00:38and in the end we go back to some other passages from the prophecies and ask the question, where is it going?

00:44Ultimately, it's going towards the second coming of Jesus, of course.

00:48And as we believe in the Bible, we do believe that what happens in the Middle East is significant.

00:53It's significant because of these four reasons.

00:58Israel was a scene of the Bible history, both the Old and the New Testament.

01:03Most of the story is played out in and around the land of Israel.

01:08Secondly, the history of Israel is pre-recorded in prophecy, and prophecies are being fulfilled today.

01:15The restoration and the recovery of Israel as a nation, also Israel's victories in wars so far,

01:22including the War of Independence in 1948, 1967, the Six-Day War, 1973, the Yom Kippur War.

01:29If you look at the background to those wars, one has to say that each one of them,

01:33there was some kind of supernatural event which took place which enabled Israel to have the victory,

01:38which tells us that God is involved in this situation.

01:42And thirdly, the scene of the last days, events, is going to take place there in the Middle East, in Israel,

01:47and the last war, which will happen before the return of Jesus Christ,

01:51will be fought over the status of Jerusalem and over Israel and the Middle East.

01:57And finally, the location of the Second Coming will be in Jerusalem,

02:02not in London, not in Moscow, not in any other city in the world, but in Jerusalem.

02:07And Jesus will rule according to the scripture in Zechariah and other scriptures from Jerusalem

02:13in the time we call the Millennium or the Messianic Age.

02:18So for these four reasons, you can say that what happens in Israel is significant.

02:23Obviously, it doesn't mean we're not concerned about all the other sufferings and wars in the world,

02:26in Sudan, in Congo, in other parts of the world,

02:29of the sufferings of people in Afghanistan because of the Taliban rule,

02:33and all of the terrible events taking place, they're all on the heart of God,

02:37we're all concerned about them.

02:38But when we come to this one about the Middle East,

02:40it has a special significance because of its fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

02:46Look at one or two prophecies which relate to it.

02:49Firstly, the prophecy which Jesus made before his death and resurrection.

02:55And he said, when you see, this is Luke 21 and verse 20,

02:59when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

03:05Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,

03:07let those who are in the midst of her depart.

03:09Let not those who are in the country enter her,

03:12for these are the days of vengeance,

03:13and all things which are written may be fulfilled.

03:17But woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days,

03:21for there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

03:24Therefore, they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations,

03:29and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

03:35Jesus' prophecy of the coming destruction of the temple in AD 70

03:39and the dispersion of the Jewish people into the nations,

03:43and the fact that Jerusalem is going to be ruled or trampled by Gentiles

03:48for a long period of time, all of which has happened.

03:51But just the last part of verse 24 says Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles

03:55until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

03:58The times of the Gentiles being fulfilled is actually the final event of the return of Jesus,

04:04but in the build-up to that you're going to see things happening

04:06which are relating to Jerusalem,

04:08which will imply that there will be a return of the Jewish people

04:11not just to the land of Israel, but also to the city of Jerusalem.

04:17Anybody seen that happening in the last few years?

04:20Yes, absolutely.

04:22This will be coupled with events taking place in the world,

04:25which are events of great distress,

04:27and lead up to the second coming of Jesus.

04:30Verse 25, carrying on from the previous scripture,

04:33there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars,

04:36and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity,

04:39the sea and the waves roaring,

04:41men's hearts fading them from fear,

04:43and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth

04:45for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

04:48Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

04:52Now when these things begin to happen,

04:54look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near.

04:58So Jesus goes on to say there's a connection between what's happening there in Jerusalem

05:03and the land of Israel,

05:06and a general state of distress in the world.

05:09He says it's going to be like the distress of nations with perplexity.

05:12I've said before, but with perplexity actually in Greek is apereia,

05:16which means there'll be a crisis with no way out.

05:19Look at the world today, you have a number of crises which have no way out,

05:22which are coming on the world.

05:24Politicians are trying to solve them,

05:26but we know that actually they have little or no chance

05:30of actually solving the big problems which are facing the human race

05:32because they're actually prophesied in the Bible.

05:35They're a result of sin and rebellion,

05:37and the human race, unless we repent and believe the gospel,

05:39is going away from God and therefore under the power of Satan,

05:43and Satan is driving the world in this direction

05:45towards a time of great tribulation,

05:47which Jesus says will happen before his second coming.

05:51He says when these things begin to happen,

05:53don't panic, but look up and lift up your heads

05:54because your redemption is drawing near.

05:56So if you're a Christian,

05:57when you see these things happening in the world,

05:59you shouldn't get into a state of fear and panic

06:01because you know that Jesus is coming.

06:04And if you're a Christian, he's coming for you,

06:05coming to take you to be with himself

06:07and to give you a glorious and a wonderful future.

06:11Praise the Lord.

06:15Carrying on.

06:16Then he spoke to them a parable.

06:17Look at the fig tree and all the trees.

06:18When they're already budding,

06:19you see and know for yourselves that summer is near.

06:22So you, when you see these things happening,

06:25know that the kingdom of God is near.

06:28Assuredly, I say to you,

06:29this generation will by no means pass away

06:31till all things take place.

06:33Heaven and earth will pass away,

06:34but my words will by no means pass away.

06:38Sign of the fig tree,

06:39the parable of the fig tree.

06:41The fig tree could mean, actually,

06:42that when you see all these things happening,

06:44which Jesus is speaking about,

06:46then that's a sign that he's coming again soon.

06:49And all the things which he said were going to happen

06:50in the last days are happening now,

06:52so it's a sign that he is coming again soon.

06:55But also the fig tree is used in the Bible

06:58as a symbol of the national life of Israel.

07:01The fig tree withering in the end of the Gospels

07:07meant about the withering of the national life of Israel,

07:12the dispersion of the Jewish people

07:13and the loss of sovereignty over the land.

07:17When you see that process being reversed,

07:19the Jewish people back in the land,

07:21back in the nation,

07:22then you're seeing the fulfillment of the fig tree blossoming.

07:26And you know that this is a sign that Jesus is coming.

07:31So, I'm going to go through this fairly quickly

07:33because probably some of you know this,

07:35most of you know this already,

07:36but just to remind you.

07:39This fulfills a lot of prophecies in the Old Testament.

07:42We speak about a worldwide restoration of the Jewish people.

07:46Having been scattered,

07:47they will be returned to the land.

07:49Not just coming back from one direction,

07:51from Babylon,

07:52as happened in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah,

07:55but now coming back from all nations.

07:58Isaiah chapter 43, verse 5,

08:01says,

08:01Fear not, for I am with you.

08:02I will bring your descendants from the east

08:04and gather you from the west.

08:06I will say to the north,

08:07give them up,

08:08and to the south,

08:09do not keep them back.

08:10Bring my sons from afar

08:11and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

08:15You're going to see a process

08:16of bringing Jewish people back

08:17from the four directions,

08:19north, south, east, and west,

08:20back to the land of Israel.

08:22That's a sign of the second coming of Jesus.

08:27Jeremiah chapter 31,

08:29it's a sign to the nations.

08:31Hear the word of the Lord,

08:31O nations,

08:32declare it in the hours afar off,

08:34and say,

08:35He who scattered Israel

08:36will gather him

08:36and keep him as a shepherd

08:38does his flock.

08:40So if you're in one of the nations

08:42and the isles are far off,

08:44as you are,

08:45because this is an island

08:47which is far off

08:47from the words of the prophets,

08:50you should pay note to this.

08:52God has scattered Israel literally.

08:54And some people say

08:55he's scattered Israel

08:56and he's gathered the church.

08:57Well, that doesn't make much sense

08:58with the prophecy here.

09:00The scattering was literal of Israel.

09:02The gathering will also be literal

09:03of Israel

09:04back into the land

09:06in the last days,

09:07a sign to the nations.

09:09And he will also keep them

09:10as a shepherd does his flock.

09:14Now the scripture in Ezekiel chapter 36

09:16tells you that the regathering of Israel

09:18will be in two stages.

09:19Firstly, it'll be physical,

09:21then spiritual.

09:25Ezekiel 36 verse 24,

09:27I will take you from among the nations,

09:29gather you out of all countries,

09:30and bring you into your own land.

09:33Then I will sprinkle clean water on you,

09:34and you should be clean.

09:36I will cleanse you from your filthiness

09:37and from your idols.

09:39I will give you a new heart

09:40and put a new spirit within you.

09:42I will take the heart of stone

09:43out of your flesh

09:44and give you a heart of flesh.

09:45I will put my spirit within you

09:47and cause you to walk in my statutes,

09:49and you will keep my judgments

09:50and do them.

09:51Then you should dwell in the land

09:52that I gave to your fathers.

09:53You should be my people,

09:55and I will be your God.

09:57There's a process there,

09:58if you can see it.

09:59First of all,

09:59God gathers them out of the countries

10:01and brings them into their own land.

10:03They're born of the flesh,

10:04if you like.

10:06Then he sprinkles clean water on,

10:07and they're born of the spirit.

10:09They're cleansed from their filthiness

10:10and through their idols.

10:12It implies that in the first stage

10:14of the regathering,

10:15Israel will still be

10:16in a state of rebellion against God

10:19and not be in a right relationship with God.

10:21So there'll be something wrong with Israel,

10:23which God wants to correct.

10:24I'll say a bit more about that later on.

10:26But finally,

10:28God will put his spirit within them

10:29and he'll cause them then

10:30to dwell in the land

10:30which I gave to their fathers

10:32to dwell in.

10:33Fathers are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

10:35and God's going to cleanse Israel

10:36and bring them back to the land.

10:38And ultimately,

10:39when the Messiah comes,

10:40he's going to cause them

10:41to live in the land

10:42in peace and safety.

10:45First of all,

10:46there's going to be a time of trouble.

10:48Jeremiah chapter 30, verse 4.

10:50These are the words

10:51that the Lord spoke

10:52concerning Israel and Judah.

10:53Thus says the Lord,

10:55we've heard a voice of trembling,

10:57of fear, and not of peace.

10:58Ask now and see

10:59whether a man is ever in labor with child.

11:02So why do I see every man

11:03with his hands on his loins

11:04like a woman in labor

11:05and all faces turn pale?

11:07Alas, for that day is great

11:09so that none is like it.

11:10And it is the time of Jacob's trouble,

11:12but he shall be saved out of it.

11:15If you look in context,

11:16that's actually after the prophet

11:17talks about a restoration

11:19to the land

11:20which God gave to the fathers,

11:22to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

11:23And he says,

11:24following that,

11:24there's going to be

11:25this time of trouble

11:26unlike any that has been before

11:28or will be again.

11:29Like in Matthew 24,

11:31Jesus also spoke about

11:32a time of trouble

11:32at the end of days

11:33unlike any that has been before

11:35or will be again.

11:36Time of the great tribulation

11:38which will lead up

11:38to the second coming of Jesus.

11:41And he says also

11:42that out of this time of trouble

11:43which will be painful

11:45but also will lead

11:47to Israel being saved out of it.

11:48He shall be saved out of it.

11:52And in the next few verses

11:54going on to verse 10,

11:55it says,

11:56Behold, I will save you from afar,

11:58your seed from the land

11:59of their captivity.

12:01Jacob shall return,

12:02have rest and be quiet

12:02and no one shall make him afraid.

12:04For I am with you,

12:05says the Lord,

12:06to save you,

12:06though I make a full end

12:07of all nations

12:08where I have scattered you,

12:09yet I will not make

12:10a complete end of you.

12:11So I will correct you in justice

12:13and will not let you go

12:14altogether unpunished.

12:15So there is a corrective process

12:18which is going on

12:19in this tribe of trouble.

12:21God's trying to correct something

12:22which Israel's got wrong

12:23and to bring them

12:25into a right relationship

12:26with him.

12:28If you look at the mainstream

12:29of Israel,

12:30both in the diaspora

12:32and in the land of Israel,

12:34there's one major issue

12:35which Israel has got wrong.

12:37That's the identity

12:38of the Messiah.

12:41Some are religious,

12:42some are not religious,

12:43but whether they're secular

12:45or orthodox,

12:47you'll find that

12:47the Jewish people

12:49who,

12:50unless they're Messianic Jews,

12:51agree that the Messiah

12:52is not Jesus,

12:54Yeshua.

12:55God says Messiah is Yeshua

12:56and Yeshua is the one

12:58who's going to come back again.

13:00So part of this process

13:01which is taking place

13:02in the last days

13:02is to bring Israel

13:03to recognize

13:04that actually Yeshua,

13:05Jesus,

13:05is the Messiah

13:06who has come

13:06and is coming again.

13:09Very important point then.

13:11Okay,

13:12I'm going through this quickly

13:13because I want to say

13:14a bit about

13:14what's actually happening now.

13:18According to the prophecies,

13:20the central point

13:21of the trouble

13:22in the last days

13:22is going to be

13:23the status of Jerusalem.

13:25Declarei chapter 12.

13:28Behold,

13:28I make Jerusalem

13:29a cup of drunkenness

13:30to all the surrounding peoples

13:31when they lay siege

13:32against Judah and Jerusalem.

13:34It shall happen in that day

13:35that I make Jerusalem

13:36a very heavy stone

13:37for all peoples,

13:38all who would heave it away

13:39will surely be cut in pieces,

13:41though all nations

13:42of the earth

13:43are gathered against it.

13:45In other words,

13:45something's going to be happening

13:46about the status

13:47of the city of Jerusalem.

13:48Who does it belong to?

13:50Does it belong to Israel,

13:51to Palestine?

13:52Should it be divided

13:53between the two?

13:55Should the UN take it over?

13:57Who should rule Jerusalem?

13:59And it says

13:59that this is going to be

14:00an issue

14:01not just for the people

14:03in the land

14:04and the surrounding lands,

14:05but even for the whole world.

14:07So all the nations

14:07of the earth

14:08are going to have

14:08something to say about it.

14:11Look at the agenda

14:11of the UN.

14:12They've got more resolutions

14:13on the status of Jerusalem

14:14and allied issues

14:15than any other issue

14:17in the world.

14:18UN equals all nations

14:20of the world.

14:23Going on in Zechariah 12,

14:24he says,

14:24I will pour on the house

14:25of David,

14:26on the inhabitants

14:26of Jerusalem,

14:27the spirit of grace

14:28and supplication,

14:30and they will look

14:31on me whom they pierced.

14:33Yes, they will mourn for him

14:34as one mourns

14:35for his only son

14:35and grieve for him

14:37as one grieves

14:38for a firstborn.

14:39Who's the one

14:40who's been pierced?

14:42Who's the one

14:42they're looking to?

14:43Who's the only son?

14:45Yeshua.

14:46So somehow,

14:46out of this time of crisis,

14:48they're going to be looking

14:48to someone

14:49who's going to save them

14:50who is Yeshua,

14:51Jesus,

14:52the Messiah.

14:54That's going to be

14:55the correction

14:56which God is going to make

14:57to bring Israel

14:58to salvation.

15:00And this concludes

15:01with Zechariah 14,

15:05where we read,

15:06Behold,

15:06the day of the Lord

15:07is coming.

15:08Your spoil will be divided

15:09in your midst.

15:09I will gather all nations

15:10to battle against Jerusalem.

15:12The city shall be taken,

15:13the house is rifled,

15:14the women ravished,

15:15half the city

15:16shall go into captivity,

15:17but the remnant

15:18of the people

15:18shall not be cut off

15:19from the city.

15:20Then the Lord

15:21will go forth

15:21and fight against

15:22those nations

15:23as he fights

15:23in the day of battle.

15:24And in that day,

15:25his feet will stand

15:26on the Mount of Olives

15:27which faces Jerusalem

15:28on the east.

15:30In other words,

15:31there's going to be

15:31a gathering of the nations

15:32against Jerusalem.

15:33There will be

15:33a temporary fall of Jerusalem

15:35and then the Lord

15:35will come in power

15:37to fight against

15:37those nations

15:38which are coming

15:39against Jerusalem.

15:42This passage,

15:43I think,

15:43in Zechariah

15:44is the same one

15:44as Armageddon

15:45in Revelation chapter 16

15:48through to 19.

15:49and speaks about

15:50the Messiah himself

15:50coming at the height

15:51of a battle

15:52over the status

15:53of Jerusalem.

15:55Zechariah goes on

15:56to say that

15:56then the Lord

15:57will be king

15:58over all the earth

15:59and his name

16:00will be won.

16:01So there will be

16:01the establishment

16:02of the messianic kingdom

16:03following the return

16:05of the Messiah

16:05over a battle

16:08over Jerusalem.

16:10Now,

16:10if you think about that

16:11from God's point of view

16:11and from Satan's

16:12point of view,

16:13can you see why

16:14Jerusalem and the

16:15situation in the Middle East

16:16is such a big deal

16:17because it's leading up

16:19to the event

16:20which is going to

16:21climax this history,

16:22this time of history

16:23which is the second

16:24coming of Jesus.

16:27Now,

16:28there are a few things

16:28which are going to

16:29happen first.

16:32There's one

16:33quite difficult

16:34and enigmatic

16:35scripture in the book

16:36of Daniel

16:36which says

16:38in chapter 9

16:39of Daniel

16:39verse 27,

16:40In other words,

17:04at some point

17:05in this process

17:06there's going to be

17:06one who will come

17:08and will make

17:08some kind of a

17:09peace agreement

17:09with Israel

17:10which will be

17:11for one week

17:12which is a seven

17:13year period

17:13which will be

17:14broken halfway

17:15through

17:15and will lead

17:15to the consummation

17:16which is the end

17:17of the day's age

17:18and the second

17:19coming of the Messiah.

17:22So,

17:22something you can

17:22watch out for

17:23in the coming days

17:23is some kind

17:24of a peace agreement

17:25some kind

17:25of peace settlement

17:26which will be

17:28a false peace

17:28which won't

17:29bring real peace.

17:32Also,

17:32sometime in the end

17:34times there's going

17:34to be the event

17:35which we know

17:36as the war of Gog

17:37and Magog

17:38in which a great

17:40power to the

17:40outermost parts

17:41of the north

17:41led by Gog

17:43of the land

17:44of Magog

17:45the prince of

17:46Rosh, Meshech

17:46and Tubal

17:47comes from the

17:49outermost parts

17:49of the north

17:50with allies

17:51from Persia

17:52to Gama

17:53and other countries.

17:55If you want

17:56to take a very

17:56literal approach

17:57it's most likely

17:58speaking of Russia

17:59though some have

18:00said it speaks

18:00of Turkey

18:01and it's allied

18:03certainly with Persia

18:04and other countries

18:05which come against

18:06Israel in the

18:07last days.

18:09In verse 7

18:10it says

18:11prepare yourself

18:11and be ready

18:12you and all

18:13your companies

18:13that are gathered

18:14about you

18:14and be a guard

18:16for them.

18:16After many days

18:17you'll be visited

18:18in the latter years

18:19you'll come

18:20into the land

18:20of those brought

18:21back from the sword

18:22and gathered

18:22from many people

18:23on the mountains

18:23of Israel

18:24which had long

18:25been desolate

18:26they were brought

18:27out of the nations

18:27now all of them

18:28dwell safely

18:29you will ascend

18:30coming like a storm

18:31covering the land

18:32like a cloud

18:33you and all your troops

18:34and many peoples

18:35with you.

18:37It goes on to

18:37describe this battle

18:38as they come

18:39and make a plan

18:40against the land

18:42of Israel

18:42come to take plunder

18:44other nations

18:45speak against them

18:46and God intervenes

18:48to destroy this army

18:49as it comes down

18:49on the mountains

18:50of Israel.

18:52It's located

18:53in the latter days

18:54after the people

18:55have been gathered

18:55back from the

18:56sword from the nations.

18:58Certainly nothing

18:59like Ezekiel 38

19:00has ever happened

19:01in history

19:01so it speaks

19:03about the latter days

19:04so most people

19:05assume it is

19:06something which

19:06is yet to come.

19:08Many rabbis

19:09today are saying

19:09that actually

19:10this is what is

19:11what's begun

19:12on October the 7th

19:14that we're on the way

19:15that this is part

19:16of the process

19:16which is leading

19:17to the war

19:18of Gog and Magog.

19:22Could be

19:23not necessary

19:23but certainly

19:24this is something

19:25which is going to happen

19:26sometime

19:26in the latter days.

19:28One of the interesting

19:29things which we'll look

19:29at in a moment

19:30is it speaks about

19:31Israel being

19:32in some kind

19:33of a security

19:33situation

19:34dwelling safely

19:35which again

19:36doesn't seem

19:37quite like

19:37what's happening

19:38at the present time.

19:41And all of this

19:42leads up ultimately

19:43to the war

19:44of Armageddon

19:45and the second

19:46coming of Jesus.

19:48Okay so that's

19:48a very brief run

19:49through.

19:49I hope you

19:50managed to get

19:51something of the

19:51picture from that.

Category

Transcript

Recommended