Dear friends and readers,
Peace and grace to all of you in this most uncertain time in world history.
The questions we must ask ourselves today are simple; Is war really in the offing and will it be based on Psalm 83? Will moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem be the spark that ignites the already dangerously out of control Middle East?
My thinking? Yes it will, but how long will it take for the REAL violence to ramp up? Ah, if we only knew for sure.
As always, I file the "no prophet" disclaimer. My calling is to analyze current events and compare them to what I see in the Word of God. But at no time do I ever use the "God told me so" rhetoric that seems to be alive and well with so many authors today. In this article, I am going to tell you what I think and then you decide for yourself.
We all know that the Middle East is a dry tinder box rife with threats, violence, extremism, hate and outright lies to try and change history. Of course you do know that it IS possible to change history don't you? No? Well, when history is no longer taught in school, then the general populace will believe whatever is fed to them "AS HISTORY" by whom ever is doing the speaking at the time.
EXAMPLE: Frequently when speaking to folks about the timing of the eventual rapture of the church, it is inconceivable to me that so many people (long time church goers) say exactly the same thing; "I thought I was a pre trib, post trib, and then a mid trib believer, but then I read an article by so and so. Then I read another article by old what's his name. Then I read an article by Joe the rag picker. Everyone disagrees and now I don't know what to believe"!
Seldom, if ever, do these same folks go back to the Bible itself and check what it says. It is the same with history. People tend to believe the last thing they heard, not what actually happened in the recorded pages of history. For example, the issue of who actually owns Jerusalem is clearly recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 24:24. King David PURCHASED what is now the Temple Mount area from a man named "ARAUNAN" for 50 Shekels of silver. He even got some oxen thrown in with the deal. King David was the second king of Israel, is the spiritual earthly descendant of the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ, and all that happened over 3000 years ago. Jerusalem has always belonged to the Jewish people and has always been Israel's capital city. PERIOD!
All false claims to the contrary, the so called Palestinian people did not even come into existence until Yasser Arafat decided to change history and declare it to be so. And factually speaking, Muhammed, the prophet of the Muslim people did not live and walk the earth until 570 A.D. That would be about 1,500 years after King David purchased the land. But now because of attempts to change history, somehow the Muslim Palestinian people "have always" owned Jerusalem? I don't think so. Let's get real here shall we.
5 U.S. Presidents had the opportunity to move the US Embassy but out of fear that the flaunted peace deal between Israel and the PLO might some how suffer, they demurred. Finally a US President had the "chutzpah"to put into law that which the US congress MADE INTO LAW 5 presidents back!
But according to lots of leaders worldwide, this president is acting with incompetence and failure. One such leader by the way would be the Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran. What a surprise. (sic) Is that not the very same Ayatollah who has sworn to wipe Israel off the map? What a shame the United Nations seems completely incapable of connecting the dots........!
Then the European Union's top diplomat claims that moving the US Embassy will undermine the peace efforts? Well maybe that guy failed to remember that Israel had offered SEVERAL TIMES to settle the deal with the Palestinians including giving to them all of the Gaza strip. Maybe he could try a little harder to remember that each and every time it was the Palestinian leadership who refused to settle, not Israel.
Then we have the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh declaring; "This move is an uncalculated gamble that will know no limits to the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim reaction". And further threats and hints of coming war from the leaders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and very many other Middle East countries.
The pot is boiling and the machines of war are once again ramping up. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and others in the region suddenly have their excuse. Do I think that war is coming? Yes and I personally doubt we will have to wait long for it to begin. Who knows which spark will ignite this particular forest fire. But ignite it it will. Have no doubt.
In reference to Psalm 83, the belief that this obvious war is yet future is admittedly somewhat of a speculation. Who knows, perhaps something like Psalm 83 already happened eons past (which some do speculate), but it does not mean that the same circumstances cannot once again play themselves out. An example is the prophesied war of Gog from the land of Magog in Ezekiel chapters 38-39. That will take place sometime after the rise of the antichrist of Daniel chapter 9. BUT it happens again in the book of Revelation in chapter 20 verses 7-10. Many people are confused about this but remember that two such wars 1000 years apart can be launched from the same geographic area but with different people involved. The first war of Gog from the land of Magog is an event brought about by God Himself. The Gog and Magog war in Revelation is clearly stated as being instigated by satan.
Anyway, yes there will be a war and I do think it is imminent , and it may well begin during the first half of 2018. Yes, I think that the chances are great that this will be the Psalm 83 war. To clarify that you may want to look up my article of February 26, 2017 entitled "PSALM 83, IS WAR IMMINENT"?. It is listed under the blog archives of www.lastdaysreview.blogspot.com
Finally, yes, I do believe the announcement that the U.S. Embassy will be moved and that the United States finally recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital could be the very spark that ignites the Middle East and provides sufficient run up of Biblical prophecy to launch such horrendous events that could eventually lead to the advent of the antichrist initiating a peace deal between Israel and her neighbors. A peace deal of 7 years duration. The time of Jacob's trouble also known as the 7 years of tribulation. When? I don't know and neither does anyone else. No date setting here. But come it will and the clock is counting down.
But first? THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. Come quickly Lord Jesus. I don't know when but we all need to be prepared.
God bless you all today
Remember that prayer works.
Pastor Rance.
