The assassination of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has brought the whole Middle-Eastern region much closer to a war between Iran and America and with Israel and their allies in the United Arab Emirates including Saudi Arabia. While the Iranian regime knows a full on frontal war with America or with Israel for that matter will have severe repercussions for Iran as a nation never the less they have now hit two American bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles two days ago and most likely they will try something on Israel as well.
God Himself is the God of history and He knows the beginning from the end and how everything will turn out in the end. As God Himself says; “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10) As the late Derek Prince once said; “God does what He wants, when He wants and in the way He wants and asks for no man’s permission” he then went on to say; “Can we make room for the sovereignty of God?” The late David Wilkerson also said at one time; “God still has everything under control!” And He does you know.
Having said this, the focus of scripture on the end-times is the nation of Israel. According to Daniel the prophet a future war between Israel and Iran will occur if I understand it in its prophetic context. After Israel has confronted Iran it will be confronted by Turkey and a huge islamic army because there is a principality over both the Iranian and Turkish regimes that are hell-bent on Israel’s destruction. (Daniel 10:13-14, 20) ** In the prophet Isaiah there are many prophecies concerning the judgement of spiritually backslidden Israel and also many promises about the spiritual restoration of Israel as a nation. Since 1948 Israel has been centre-stage in world affairs which is no accident but part of God’s prophetic plans for His ancient people.
In the midst of God’s judgements on His spiritually backslidden people the Word of God Himself, came to the prophet Isaiah and gave him words of encouragement and hope for Israel’s future. Let’s look at one of these prophecies. It is found in Isaiah 4:2-6 Now let’s look at this…
(Vs. 2) “In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honour of the survivors of Israel.”
A branch grows out from a tree and from the nation of Israel the beautiful clean and holy branch would be the Messiah our Lord Jesus who would die for the sins of His people as the perfect and sinless Passover Lamb of God. (Matthew 1:21) (John 1:29) (1 Corinthians 5:7) The branch is connected to the tree (Israel) not severed from it. As a result of this fruit-bearing branch the people of Israel will once again be spiritually grafted back into its own olive Tree being the Commonwealth of Israel after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. When this has happened “all Israel will be saved!” (Romans 11:25-27) It will be a surviving remnant in the last days that will be grafted back into their own Olive Tree spiritually and the root that supports them in that day will be the Messiah, the true vine and the source and sustainer of all spiritual fruitfulness produced by the spiritually nutritious sap of the Holy Spirit. It is the Messiah that will bring glory to Israel and the Jewish survivors will acknowledge Him, but let’s read on…
(Vs.3) “And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,”
In 70AD Jerusalem was decimated by the Romans and the Temple destroyed and multitudes of Jews who were not killed were taken into exile and Israel’s House was left to them spiritually desolate even as it is today even though Israel is once again a nation as foretold in the prophets. In 70AD there was a faithful remnant of Messianic believers who supernaturally escaped from the city and were kept safe by the LORD. This teaches us about the last siege of Jerusalem that is coming from Turkey, Iran, Libya and the Sudan and many other Islamic nations with them to attack Israel. (Ezekiel 38:1-6) Even though the city of Jerusalem will fall and half of the people taken into exile the other half will remain. (Zechariah 14:2)
Then after three and a half years the LORD will go out to fight those nations that have invaded Israel and sought to remove Jerusalem from its place. (Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-9) At that time a remnant kept safe by the LORD during the time of great tribulation (thlipsis) will be reunited with their Messiah and be rescued out of it when the Messiah comes back. (Jeremiah 30:1-10) (Zechariah 12:11-14; 14:3-5) Let’s continue…
(Vs. 4) “…when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.”
In that day when the remnant in Israel is saved, they will be washed clean from their sins by the atoning blood of the Messiah after being purified and made holy through the refining crucible of the LORD. (Zechariah 13:1, 8-9) (Malachi 3:3) These will co-reign with the Messiah from Jerusalem in His Messianic Kingdom. (Zechariah 14:9-21) (Isaiah 2:1-5) Now let’s read on…
(Vs.5-6) “Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.”
After the Lord Jesus has come back and has rescued Israel, raptured and resurrected the saints and destroyed all resistance to the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth He will set up His seat of power on Mt Zion in the City of David where He will receive the worship of the nations that have survived the judgements and the wrath of God. (Zechariah 14:16-21) (Micah 4:1-5) In that day the Lord Jesus will lead and guide His people in their governance of the nations just as He led and guided them when He was dwelling in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night during their wilderness journey after they had left Egypt and were heading for the Promised Land. In that day when the Messiah our Lord Jesus returns to reign the Lord Himself will shield Jerusalem and shelter it from adversity. In that day the Messiah “will rule the nations with a rod of iron!” (Isaiah 31:5) (Zechariah 12:8) In that day Jerusalem and its people will be secure and no one will make them afraid! (Micah 4:4)
In light of the militancy of the Iranian regime and Turkey’s expansionism concerning a revived Turkish Ottoman Empire, there is no doubt that according to God’s Word dark days are ahead for Israel, for the Church and for the nations and especially as we see Turkey and Iran’s increasing hostility towards Israel and America. In the end God will fully restore Israel spiritually and nationally after He has spiritually refined them. Out of the refining crucible will come forth a purified faithful remnant, cleansed, set apart to God, and totally committed to love and to serve their Messiah in His Messianic Kingdom.
As for Israel’s enemies the Psalmist says; “For You (Lord) have upheld my just cause; You sit on Your throne judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; You have erased their name forever and ever. The enemy has come to eternal ruin, and You have uprooted their cities; the very memory of them has vanished.” (Psalm 9:4-6)
As Zechariah wrote; “And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” (Zechariah 14:20-21)
Shalom to you all. Brother Raoul www.blowthetrumpet.com.au
** https://blowthetrumpet.com.au/the-prince-over-persia-daniel-chapter-10/
