Luke 21: 24-28
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, <1484>, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Job 37:13-14
13 He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy. 14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
In Luke 21 verse 25 Jesus describes a time when Jerusalem will be controlled by Gentile nations in a plural sense. After having done a word study on the word ethnos we know this implies specifically to foreign nations other than Israel. As we normally do we'll show this word study below.
01484:
1484 ethnos eth'-nos probably from 1486; a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually, by implication, pagan):--Gentile, heathen, nation, people. see GREEK for 1486
We have explored how the major players among the nations divided up God's chosen land. This has not and will not go without consequences for the nations of the world. In essence the United Nations acts as a collective for the world and has not had a rosy relationship with Israel over the years. In our last section of role reversals we explored Zechariah 12. Perhaps one of the most important passages of scripture that is telling to the future is found in Zechariah 12.
Zechariah 12:1-3
1 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. 2 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. 3 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.
As we can see Jerusalem has become the hottest piece of real estate on earth. The action which began all this started with the United Nations General Assembly resolution 181. This was also known as the The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine or United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) Future Government of Palestine was a resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 29 November 1947 by a vote of 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions. The resolution recommended the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the partition of the territory into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with the Jerusalem-Bethlehem area being under special international protection, administered by the United Nations. The resolution also contained a plan for an economic union between the proposed states, and a plan for the protection of religious and minority rights. The resolution sought to address the conflicting objectives and claims to the Mandate territory of two competing nationalist movements, Zionism (Jewish nationalism) and Arab nationalism, as well as to resolve the plight of Jews displaced as a result of the Holocaust. The resolution called for the withdrawal of British forces and termination of the Mandate by 1 August 1948, and establishment of the new independent states by 1 October 1948. A transitional period under United Nations auspices was to begin with the adoption of the resolution, and lasting until the establishment of the two states. However, war broke out and the partition plan was never implemented by the Security Council. Below we can have another look at the map of the suggested territory provisions. The passing of the UN resolution marked the start of the 1948 civil war in Palestine
Zechariah 12:5-10
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn
Notice the address to the governors of Judah and their fate. In the OT times this would be directed to the vast amounts of failures among the kings of Israel. It also has a more direct relationship to the times of Jesus' arrival on the planet. In the future tense of all this is a direct reference to the nations of the world that have chosen to get involved in the partition of God's land. The nations that chose to abstain or were absent would be the same as those who chose to vote against the resolution. This is how the vote turned out.
Of the permanent members of the Security Council, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union voted for the resolution while the Republic of China and United Kingdom abstained. The final vote was as follows:
In favor, (33 countries, 59%):
30 countries (54%) initially in favour: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Belorussian SSR, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Sweden, South Africa, Ukrainian SSR, United States of America, Soviet Union, Uruguay, Venezuela.
An additional 3 (5%) switched to in favor:
Haiti, Liberia, Philippines.
Against, (13 countries, 23%):
Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen.
Abstentions, (10 countries, 18%):
Argentina, Chile, Republic of China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia.
Absent, (1 countries, 0%):
Thailand
It should not come as a surprise that every nation going against the mandate with the exceptions of Greece and Cuba are either engaged with terrorism or are staunch supporters of it. Greece has had many problems with terrorism over the decades and Cuba isn't exactly what we could call an innocent lamb on the world scene. With the exception of Turkey and Greece either the U.S. or Israel is having some kind of tensions or warfare spread among these nations. We could probably state the western world in general has problems because most of Europe has also been attacked by or used in some way or another by terrorists to complete some of their goals. Thank God He has not gave up on us completely in the sense that many terrorists missions have been disrupted. Amen!
It tends to make one think what is the problem with Israel when looking at the layout of the middle east. Israel is barely visible. So one should ask the question what is the problem here. In another day we will explore the reasoning in detail. For now we'll just call it a spiritual war fueled by hatred. Although looking at the map we can get a better sense of the prophecies concerning a few of the enemies that will encompass Jerusalem . However these certainly are not all the nations involved. Please remember the United Nations as a collective worked out this situation.
Isaiah 29:1-8
1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
Everything forecast in this prophecy in the form of the Lord's visitation describes every natural disaster that we know of. This is all directed at Jerusalem and all that surround her. This is all indicative of the end time warnings Jesus left with us. It is also indicative of the mirror effect in prophecy. The things having been in the OT that happened in Israel becoming those things which would fall upon the Gentile nations of the earth for rejecting God, the treatment of the Hebrew people and dividing God's land.
Luke 21:10-13
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Jesus even gives His prophecy in that same order. Notice the phrase before all these events coming to the world that the apostles who are all Jewish shall be taken to meet their fates both in witness and in death. This was also a prophetic outcome for Jerusalem which we studied earlier and took place in 70AD.
Luke 21:20-22
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luke 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Isaiah received his message from God approximately 740BC. We have explored in previous studies how the prophecy flows throughout the scripture. It all lands in one ending being the fulfillment of Jesus and the kingdom being established. Amen!
Well some of you are probably wondering when were going to get to the root of this study. We'll start in that direction now. As mentioned in part I many wonderful studies and sermons have come about with many spiritual reasons concerning Katrina's destruction of the Gulf coast. Let's explore a few of these and bring some discussion into the links between Israel and the United States. Please allow a couple of things to be mentioned as we go into this part of the study. Personally there have been many of these catastrophic events witnessed by myself. In the profile section of the page it is mentioned that many wake up calls from the Lord were missed by myself. Among these are the largest volcanic explosions of the 20th century, a 7.9 earthquake, several typhoons the strength of Katrina, flooding, of course there were many casualties and a tornado touch down within a mile of my last residence in Tennessee. With the exception of the tornado all the other disasters were experienced during my military duty in the Philippines. This is not being relayed because of personal boasting. It is being relayed because even after all of these events yours truly refused to come back to the Lord until many personal level failures took place. It is also being mentioned because the pain and suffering caused by Katrina and other events we may look at have personally been experienced by myself. This is not to pretend that I can read into other people's experiences with these events. It is being stated because before someone becomes too critical of what we are about to cover it must be said I have been there on both sides of the fence of belief and unbelief. Please believe me you want to take the path of belief. My prayers go out to all people who have been afflicted with these types of afflictions.
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| Super Typhoon along the Philippines Coastline |
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| Glory of God Mount Pinatubo Philippines 12 June 1991 |
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| Glory of God 7.9 Earthquake July 17 1990 Baguio City Philippines |
Many fine Bible scholars have come under attacks from people who are very liberal about personal behaviors. This could more easily be read into as sinful behavior something we are all guilty of. It's just some people choose to follow God and change and some don't feel they need to. We have already explored a great deal of scriptures connecting God, nature and judgment in part 1. Some of these reasons we can list below
1. Abortion
Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Matthew 18:6
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:10
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
2. Violence and criminal activity
Matthew 19:16-19
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself
3. Honoring a gay pride parade approximately a month before the landfall
Mark 10:4-9
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Romans 1:25-28
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient <2520>
02520:
2520 katheko kath-ay'-ko from 2596 and 2240; to reach to, i.e. (neuter of present active participle, figuratively as adjective) becoming:-- convenient, fit. see GREEK for 2596 see GREEK for 2240
4. Some state that the drunken parades of people in the streets of Mardi Gras
1ST Peter 4:1-3
1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings <2970>, banquetings <4224>, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
02970:
2970 komos ko'-mos from 2749; a carousal (as if letting loose):--revelling, rioting. see GREEK for 2749
Just so we don't have a mix up of what's being said we'll use Webster's definition of revelling
REVEL: revel rebellion, disorder, feast, sport A feast with loose and noisy jollity; riotous festivity or merrymaking; a carousal.
04224:
4224 potos pot'-os from the alternate of 4095; a drinking-bout or carousal:--banqueting. see GREEK for 4095
CAROUSAL:A jovial feast or festival; a drunken revel; a carouse. Syn. -- Banquet; revel; orgie; carouse. See Feast.
2ND Peter 2:18-20
18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning
What is most disturbing about these photos is the fact these were the most clean of the groups that could have been used. It's easy enough to grasp what is being said in scripture and what is being done by people.
The truth of the matter is things like Katrina happen because of all the above plus a lot more. It's not necessarily an attack on the city of New Orleans to say these things. Although we may discover in our next part of this new look at Katrina some spiritual connections of the city to some old problems that were troubling the nation of Israel with God. Please don't get me wrong my sins are thrown into the mix of all this as well. Just imagine every act that violates the commandments of the Lord since the time of Jesus' 1st coming along with the treatment Jesus received being stored up as God looks on and plans His visitations. Imagine the only perfect person absent of sin Jesus who come into the world to heal, feed, teach us about the creator and how to demonstrate perfect love only to be beaten, spit upon, ridiculed and hammered to a piece of wood as a public billboard of execution in order to give us all a chance to turn ourselves around and have life. Now imagine every stroke of the hammer on Jesus' body being stored up for the great day of God's visit. Now finally just imagine all you need to do to escape all this wrath which is certainly going to come in greater intensity than we as a world have already felt is to embrace Jesus and His sacrifice to cleanse a terrible world before He came and every one of those sins that all of have committed after the fact.
Luke 23:34-43
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
John 10:7-10
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
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