What is Happening in the Middle East Today?

Fred R. Coulter—June 28, 2014

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What on earth is happening in the Middle East? After spending all that money to save the Middle East, we now have ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Guess who is funding it? Saudi Arabia and Turkey!

I don't know how many years ago I did it, but it's been at least five years or more where I gave a scenario of some of the things that will happen in the Middle East. I brought up the southern Islamic states and the northern Islamic states. Now they are working together. Their goal is to have an Islamic caliphate in Iraq.

I do not expect the Americans to intervene, except a little tokenism to make Obama feel like he's a hero. The reason is very clear; Saudi Arabia has told us hands off, because they don't want the Shiites lining up with Iran and be threatened with the Iranian military.

Turkey is Sunni. The southern gulf states are Sunni. Most of those along the coast are Sunni. So, it is Sunni against Shiite. Eventually it will be them against the world. It's interesting to see what is happening, to see how all of this is going to come together and with the pope and everything being out aggressively doing what he is doing. Maybe the first seal has been opened. Second seal will not take place until the beginning of the Tribulation. That has to be built up to that point. Just like the ecumenical movement and religions coming back together, it has to have a start.

Sidebar: As I was mentioning to Jim the other day, remember the sermon I gave when Digital Angel came out, the little rice chip that was inserted in you—The Mark of the Beast is Here. A lot of people got all excited. I said, 'Wait! Wait! wait! This is just the start.' As we have said through the years, they want full control of everybody who receives it, and they are working on the means and the methods to do so. They are now working on adding memory and taking away memory. They have done this with rats. I don't know the procedure how they do it, but they take away the memory. Then somehow they store it digitally. Then they put it back. Think of the control if they ever get that to human beings.

Daniel 11:40: "And at the time of the end, the King of the South shall push at him…." There needs to be a unified Muslim state, as we understand it, probably all associated together.

"…And the King of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and sweep through" (v 40).

Of the Fourteen Things in Prophecy we have covered in the past, there needs to be a King of the South. There needs to be a King of the North. Guess what Europe is looking at right now?

• America's power going down
• Russia moving in to the Ukraine
• Russia with a stranglehold on their natural gas and oil
• they have no unity in Europe

That's probably setting the stage for uniting Europe even closer together. So, somehow Europe has got to get organized.

The movie with Tom Cruise—Valkyrie—about those who tried to assassinate Hitler. It was really quite a high level thing that was going on with it. There were, in the history of WWII, 17 to 23 assassination attempts against Hitler. The German's have a ceremony now to celebrate those heroes of Germany who were against the Nazis and who tried to take down Hitler. I see Germany coming to the fore as a savior of Europe, rather than a conqueror of Europe. Try that with the blessing of the pope and the new leader.

They already have president of the EU. So they will have to do some things to make that stronger. We see formulating down in the Middle East and in the south, with the King of the South, the caliphate they want to establish in Iraq. That, I believe, will move over to Egypt, because that's always been the center of all of the Islamic things. We need to watch Europe start to come together. When these things happen, we need not get all excited that everything is coming to a close real soon, because too many things need to take place. So those two things have to take place.

Now let's look at something else. Let's look at the Jewish nation. The Jews are in more trouble than ever before. All the Muslims hate the Jews, with the exception of those who live in the area called Israel today, wrongly called so; that should be Judah, or Jewish Palestine. They love it there because they have freedom. They don't have to submit to the mullahs. They don't have to go to the madrasas. They don't have to cover their women with burlap sacks with two holes so they can see out.

However, Israel is sitting there looking at all of this going on. We don't know what is happening between the Jews and the Sunnis, because Saudi Arabia agreed that if the United States would not take down Iran that Saudi Arabia would give approval, not known to the world, that their jets could fly right along their border and come into Iran for bombing.

It's strange we don't hear anything from the Jews about this. Haven't heard a word. Something is going on we don't know anything about. So, we'll have to wait and see.

Psa. 83 shows the predicament that the Jews are in. After this we will look at the history and how these things have come about.

Psalm 83:1: "Keep not silent, O God; do not be quiet, and do not be still, O God, for lo, Your enemies are in an uproar… [sure sounds like the Middle East, total uproar all the time] …and those who hate You have lifted up their head" (vs 1-2). They hate any form of Christianity. What are the two favorite ways of getting rid of Christians?

1. beheading
2. crucifixion

What does it say in Rev. 20:4? Those who were beheaded because of their witness for Jesus!

Verse 3: "They take crafty counsel against Your people, and plot together against Your hidden ones." Your people are all twelve tribes of Israel.

• Are we all threatened by them?
• Are there Muslims in America?
• Are the Muslims in Europe?
• Are there Muslims in Britain?
• Yes!

In Britain they are very bold. Certain section of certain towns they have sign: Do Not Enter, Sharia Law is Enforced. Why did Britain allowed that? They signed their own suicidal death warrant!

Here's what they say, v 4: "They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation… [Isn't that what they say about the Jews in Palestine?] …so that the name Israel…'" That includes all twelve tribes, and all twelve tribes are affected but more particularly the Jews in the Middle East.

"'…may be remembered no more.' For with one heart they have plotted together; they have made a covenant against You—…. [notice the principal ones]: …The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites…" (vs 4-6)—Saudi Arabia and Turkey. They are the ones who are financing this Islamic state of Iraq and Syria.

"…of Moab, and the Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek… [Amalek is the most vicious of the sons of Esau] …the Philistines with the people of Tyre; and Assyria…" (vs 6-8). These are not the German Assyrians but the Syrians that are still in the Middle East, some of the most ruthless people around.

"…Assyria has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot. Selah" (v 8). Let's look where do these people come from, because the Middle East has always been a breeding ground of rebellion and hatred. Remember when God called Abraham out of the Ur of the Chaldees, it was given over to idolatry.

Sidebar: That whole area is called, where Babylon was, that is called Iraq today. Yet, when you read about the expunging of Babylon the Great, that's talking about the whole world system. So I don't know what the land of Iraq is going to be like in the Kingdom of God. Have no idea. Nevertheless, God's Kingdom is going to rule over all.

Whenever there is a rebellion against God, it is Satan inspired and there is always a leader. Something to always remember: God lets different men try their systems first. Just like with the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. He said, 'You go first.'

Jesus said, 'All who were ever before Me are thieves and robbers' (John 10). Were there false Messiahs before Him? Yes, there were, going clear back to:

Genesis 10:8: "And Cush begat Nimrod… [Nimrod was the first one to replace God] …He began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter against the LORD… [or in place of the Lord] …Therefore, it is said, 'Like Nimrod—the mighty hunter against the LORD'" (vs 8-9). That's why it's imperative that you read and understand the things in the book, The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop. Those things are fundamental.

Verse 10: "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar…. [that's what it was called before it became Babylon] …And out of that land he went forth to Assyria, and he built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth Ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, which is a great city" (vs 10-12). Then it lists all the other ones that came from that system.

What happened? That developed into the rebellion, Gen.11. So, God confused the tongues, scattered them abroad.

We're going to learn another principle. Things always get so bad, and they did, that God has to begin with one man; that was Abraham. We won't go through the covenant that we have here in Gen. 15; we've covered it many times.

In Gen. 16 is something that we can learn, a very good lesson. Because of assuming that God needs help in carrying out His promises, Sarai suggested to Abram, 'I have a lovely handmaid here, the Egyptian, Hagar.'

She didn't quite put it this way, but 'let's fulfill God's promise by you having a child with her.' Abraham listened to her. Do we still live with the problem today? Yes, we do!

Genesis 16:5: "And Sarai said to Abram, 'My wrong be upon you. I have given my maidservant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between me and you.' But Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her as it pleases you.' And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her presence. And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur" (vs 6-7).

Verse 8: "And he said, 'Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, where did you come from? And where will you go?' And she said, 'I flee from the presence of my mistress Sarai.' And the angel of the LORD said to her, 'Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said to her… [here's the message from God]: …'I will multiply your seed exceedingly, so that they shall not be numbered for multitude'" (vs 8-10)—and was given the name Ishmael.

• from Ishmael came 12 princes
• from Esau came 12 princes
• from Israel came 12 princes

You can read the genealogies.

Verse 11: "And the angel of the LORD said to her, 'Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael because the LORD has heard your affliction.'"

Notice the characteristics, because a lot of these things are not a matter of environment. They aren't necessarily a matter of training, although training can make it less intense or more intense, depending on the training. It is a matter of genetics!

Verse 12: "'And he will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him…. [next time you watch these riots in the Middle East, that's what you're looking at] …And he shall live in the presence of all his brothers.'" He wasn't scattered abroad. However, the Jews were scattered out because of their sins. Israel was scattered abroad and sent into Northwestern Europe and to the British Isles. But they would remain in the area.

Verse 13: "And she called the name of the LORD Who had spoken to her, You are a God of Seeing! For she said, 'Even here have I seen Him that sees me?'" And she named the well. Then she went back and bore Ishmael.

Now let's come to Jacob. These bring about the two principle enemies against the children of Israel.

1. one of them was the son of Abraham
2. the other one was the son of Jacob

This is why we need to follow along with the Bible and understand the history that is given to us. It tells us a lot of things we need to understand. A lot of things in history we are not going to comprehend unless we understand it. That's not to say that those of other nations are not cruel; they are! Look at the Mongols. Look at the hordes that came. They were punishment by the hand of God.

Sidebar: Stop and think about this: Now that America and Britain are going down and have less influence in the world, look at what the world is turning out to be. Just like it was before the Flood: hatred, war, killing. That's everything that Jesus said it would be as in Matt. 24, etc.

Genesis 25:20: "And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife because she was barren. And the LORD heard him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the sons struggled together within her. And she said, 'If it is well, why am I this way?' And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two kinds of people shall be separated from your belly. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people, the older shall serve the younger'" (vs 20-23).

Verse 24: "And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, twins were in her womb! And the first came out red, like a hairy garment all over…. [to this day I cannot even imagine that] …And they called his name Esau" (vs 24-25). Who's name later is Edom, Turkey today.

Verse 26: "And after that his brother came out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them." The boys grew. Esau was a skilled hunter and then came the time when Jacob bought the birthright. He didn't have to do it, because it was prophesied that he would receive it.

But again, 'let's help fulfill God's prophecies.' Have we gone through that? Yes! 'Brethren, hurry, because we're going to leave in 1972.' Remember that? Yes, indeed! No man is going to hurry along God's prophecies.

So, he sold his birthright. Despised it, for a bowl of soup. Now then, we come to Gen. 27, and, of course, here we have mother involved again—don't we? Yes, indeed! Let's see what happened.

Rebekah was expecting Isaac to bless Esau and she didn't want Esau blessed. She came to Jacob and said, 'Jacob, now I've got a plan.' What's that, mama? 'I'll fix up some stew just like Esau's stew and you go in to your father Isaac and you pretend that you are Esau.'

Jacob said, 'How am I going to do that? I don't have any hair on my body.' So, she took the skin of the kid goat that was killed, had him put it on the back of his neck and on the top of his hands, so this stayed with him all of his life and at this time Isaac was nearly blind.

Jacob came in and Isaac said, 'Who is this?' Jacob said, 'I'm your son Esau.' Sometimes God uses these things so everyone thinks it's just human scheming rather than the hand of God. But what was one of the downfalls of all the children of Israel? Deceitfulness! So, he did this. Jacob said, 'Here is your stew you wanted.' How did you get it so quickly? He says, 'Come here that I may feel you, my son.'

Genesis 27:21: "And Isaac said to Jacob, 'Come near, I pray you, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are truly my son Esau or not.'…. [he suspected something] …And Jacob went near to Isaac his father. And he felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.' And he did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. And he blessed him. And he said, 'Are you truly my son Esau?' And he said, 'I am.' And he said, 'Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, so that my soul may bless you.' And he brought it near to him, and he ate. And he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said to him, 'Come near now and kiss me, my son'" (vs 21-26). Double checking the third time.

Verse 27: "And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, 'See, the smell of my son is as the smell of the field which the LORD has blessed. And may God give you…'" (vs 27-28). This is a special covenant blessing that is only given once; you can't give it twice.

"'…of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let people serve you, and let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you'" (vs 28-29). Quite a blessing. This is expanded a little later by Jacob when he gives a blessing to Ephraim and Manasseh.

So, as soon as he got out the door, here comes in Esau. Isaac says, 'Who are you?' And he says, 'Your firstborn Esau.'

Verse 33: "Then Isaac trembled greatly, and said, 'Who then was the one who has hunted deer and bought it to me—and I have eaten it all before you came, and have blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed!'" Showing that he couldn't give that same blessing again.

Verse 34: "And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and said to his father, 'Bless me, even me also, O my father!' And he said, 'Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.' And Esau said, 'Is he not rightly called Jacob… [which means supplanter] …For he has supplanted me these two times—he took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.' And he said, 'Have you not reserved a blessing for me?' And Isaac answered and said to Esau, 'Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brethren I have given him for servants. And with grain and wine I have sustained him. And what shall I do now to you, my son?'" (vs 34-37).

Verse 38: "And Esau said to his father, 'Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.' And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, 'Behold, Your dwelling shall be far from the fatness of the earth and far from the dew of heaven from above. And you shall live by your sword and you serve your brother….'" (vs 38-40). How compatible is that with Ishmael? Very compatible! What is the symbol? Crossed swords!

"'…But it shall come to pass that when you shall have the dominion, you shall break his yoke from off your neck'" (v 40). Are we seeing that happen right now? I submit the evidence, I think, is quite vivid that we are! There is no way that the sons of Jacob—being Ephraim and Manasseh today—are going to dominate the Middle East again. It won't happen!

I think we can probably conclude very easily, with very little room for mistakes—speculation—that the yoke has been broken, that Esau and Ishmael have come out from under the dominance of the descendants of Jacob.

Notice what goes with this, v 41: "And Esau hated Jacob…" I wonder what stories that Hagar told Ishmael about how she was treated by Abraham and Sarah. Here we have these things, plus the genetics.

• live by the sword
• be against everyone

That's why you can't go in and say, 'All right, now we're going to have a democratic state. You can all vote.' I'll tell you one thing voting can never, never do: It can never change the genetics. It can never change the nature of a person, just because they vote.

Even someone with this kind of nature, properly trained and educated, can be modified to a very good degree. But fomented by education, by hatred, by coming against everyone: fighting, warring, looting. And look at the religion that they have developed. One of hatred, one of slaughter, one of oppression and one of such aggression that no one can reason with them.

You tie that together with Psa. 83 and I think you're going to see there is no way that is going to be turned back.

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Now let's look at some other Scriptures to get a little historical background here on some of these things. Remember that Amalek from Esau was absolutely one of the worst. Keep in mind what we read in Psa. 83 about all of those against Israel, but in particularly those in the Middle East against the Jews. But also those from the Middle East within the rest of the children of Israel. You've got to consider all of those things.

Exodus 17:8: "Then Amalek came and made war against Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose us out men, and go out to fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands…" (vs 8-12).

I imagine they got right there and he had one hand on the shoulder of one and one hand on the shoulder of the other.

"…And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua defeated  Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said to Moses, 'Write this as a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' And Moses built an altar and called the name of it The LORD My Banner. And he said, 'Because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation'" (vs 12-16).

Just to call to your remembrance: What happened every time the children of Israel sinned? God raised up enemies against them! Over and over again. A lot of people look at these things and what God commanded to be done. Many of them cannot understand why God commanded the utter slaughter of people—men, women and children—as He did, because they have no understanding of the second resurrection. So all of these horrendous problems that cannot be solved in this time God with the second resurrection will take of it. Remember what He said, He would have war from generation to generation.

1-Samuel 15:1: "And Samuel… [who was the priest and the judge of Israel] …said to Saul, 'The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of the LORD. "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for that which he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now, go and strike Amalek, and completely destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey'"'" (vs 1-3). Why? Because it's in the genes! That's why!

Verse 4: "And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah." That's a pretty good sized army.

Verse 5: "And Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. And Saul said to the Kenites, 'Go! Depart! Get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.' So, the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah, as you come to Shur, which is over across from Egypt" (vs 5-7).

With that many troops, this was a big operation and there were many descendants of Amalek. Notice, here is a classic case again, not following the instructions of God:

Verse 8: "And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive. And he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and lambs, and all that was good, and would not completely destroy them. But everything that was vile and feeble they completely destroyed. And the Word of the LORD came to Samuel saying, 'It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commandments.'…." (vs 8-11).

Think of this: How important is it to obey the voice of God in everything? Lots of times there are things that God has us do that we don't understand.

• Is God God?
• Does He know everything?
• Is God right and true and perfect? Yes, He is!

In dealing with carnal people and in dealing with Amalek especially, that had to be done. Look at what has happened in the Middle East already because that was not done during the Iraqi War. Look at it now, coming back with a vengeance.

Then you know the rest of the story. After Saul said, 'Don't blame me. It was the people.' Why did you listen to the voice of the people? Well, he did. Another good lesson: You never, never listen to anyone with any different advice that is contrary to what God has given, and you change what you are doing according to them.

Remember the prophet that was sent out to Jeroboam at the altar in Bethel? Yes, indeed! He said, 'You go, you don't eat and when you come back, you come back the same way. You're not to stop, you're not to eat, you're not to do anything. You go up there and you curse Jeroboam, you curse the altar.' Which he did.

Then here came a false prophet saying, 'I am a prophet of the Lord.' And said, 'God gave me a message.' So, you don't even do it if someone says, 'God gave me a message,' when you heard directly from God. You are not to do it. What happened to him? He died! Same way here. The people took it and they wanted to bring for a sacrifice (v 21).

Verse 22 is a key, a great lesson for us: "And Samuel said, 'Does the LORD have as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To hearken is better than the fat of rams.'"

Let's go back and just think about what happened with the covenant with Abraham. Why was Abraham blessed? Because Abraham believed and obeyed the voice of the Lord!

Verse 23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king!" Quite a lesson!

If today, in this time, we had national leaders who feared God, who obeyed His voice, who kept His commandments, would things be different? Yes, indeed!If we had not set up over us a stranger, would things be different? Yes! It would only be different for as long as a good leader continued. But remember all the sins of the people, as we have talked about with the waves of judgment of God.

Verse 24: "And Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I have disobeyed the commandment of the LORD and your word because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.'"

• Never fear people!
• Never turn back because of threats!

Will God protect you? Yes, indeed! Remember Jeremiah in the sewer? You can't get as close to death as that and still be saved. Did God honor His word in spite of the worst circumstances? Yes, He did! Let us not forget that.

Verse: 25: "'And now please pardon my sin and turn again with me so that I may worship the LORD.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD had rejected you from being king over Israel'" (vs 25-26). So, then Saul finally persuaded him for the sake of the people.

Let's look at another example because of sin. 1-Kings 11 is the account about Solomon; he had everything. Let's be honest with Solomon. Solomon was—in New Testament terminology—the greatest Laodicean in the history of the world, and he went against God. Maybe even worse than a Laodicean.

He had everything given to him. The whole of the twelve tribes of Israel. The plans to build the temple, all the gold, silver, copper, brass, iron. And means to get all the timbers. Everything to do. God appeared to him twice; then he sinned: 700 wives, 300 concubines. That's no good.

What happened? He ended up turning against God and worshiping false gods and offering offerings to them, the one who built the temple. Let's learn a real lesson right here. The #1 thing Satan likes to do is to get to a top leader and lead him astray. That's why there have been so many false prophets.

Look at the origin of Satan. He wanted to become God, to be worshiped. He wanted to take over the top spot, but was rejected and cast down. Where was Satan? Garden of Eden! What did he want to do? Take them away from God!

Because here was the first man and the first woman. 'If I can get them to sin, maybe I can destroy God's plan.' But he wasn't able to do it. God had to destroy the whole world with the Flood. After the Flood, God gave them a clean slate. But Satan wasn't removed. As we will find out when we get to the Day of Atonement, the reason for the two identical goats is because your own human mind cannot discern between the true God and the satanic god just by looking at things.

We need to revive our assessment of Satan; he is:

• much more smooth
• much more subtle
• much more cunning
• able to provide benefits for people

He doesn't tell you what the end of it is going to be, God does! That's why God says, 'Obey My voice.' You know what happened with Solomon. His sin was so evil that God split off the ten northern tribes of the house of Israel. Notice what God did:

1-Kings 11:11: "And the LORD said to Solomon, 'Since this has been done by you, and since you have not kept My covenant and My statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. But I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Only, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for David My servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen'" (vs 11-13).

Notice what happened. You go back and think of what has occurred to America and Britain after WWII. Yes, we were used to put away evil, but what has happened? We now have become as evil, or more evil, than the ones that we destroyed with the help of God.

Why do we have enemies rise up like this? Because God uses Esau, Ishmael, the Assyrians and the Babylonians to execute His vengeance,because people will not listen to God! Even a slight suggestion of doing what is right meets with great resistance. Try that with the crime, drugs, abortion, adultery, homosexuality, all of that. You tell people, 'You're doing wrong.' They won't believe you. But they don't like the troubles that come.

I remember when they were decorating the bank for Halloween. I just happened to casually mention to one of the clerks there. She told me about how it was all being decorated and everything. They had skeletons and they had spiders here and they had the spiders' web all strewn around there. I told her, after she said all that they were doing for it, didn't she do a good job. I said, 'What if that offends me?' Man, it was like a spring in her back. She said, 'That's just for fun.' Just a little, little thing. God raises up the enemy.

So, here's what He did, v 14: "And it came to pass the LORD stirred up an adversary against Solomon…" If God stirs up an enemy, how is that going to be stopped? With repentance only! That's why they are never, never going to stop the terrorists. They are never going to stop the jihadists. You can call it radical Muslimism. That is normal Muslimism. Not going to stop without repentance.

"…stirred up an adversary… [notice who it was] …Hadad the Edomite… [Isn't that interesting?] …He was of the king's seed in Edom" (v 14). And so forth. He ran on down to Egypt, came on back, and so forth. Then God took away the kingdom and gave it to Jeroboam.

Let's look at some of the things where we are today. Luke 21 is a little bit different setting that we have with the end-time. Let's bring it forward to our day. From that day down to this day we've had the history of the ups and downs of the Muslims, later the Catholics and the Muslims fighting over Jerusalem. Who is going to control what, and so forth. So all through the history you have had the King of the North coming against the King of the South.

Of all things, the wall that you see around Jerusalem looks very old; that's not the original wall. Guess who built that wall? Suleman the Muslim who conquered Jerusalem. Isn't that interesting? Let's look and see what Jesus says. We'll see this is a little different than we find in Matt. 24 and Mark 13.

Luke 21:5: "And while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and consecrated gifts…" Isn't it something? You look at a magnificent thing and you think it is permanently here!

Sidebar: There's a movie coming out that asks: What would the world be like without America—America, Imagine the World Without Her? {Also see book of the same title by Dinesh D'Souza}

You look at things and it looks so permanent. You're born into a system and you think that's always the way that things have been, even though you read history and understand about different people and their different things, and so forth. People just don't get it.

Can you imagine all of the youth today having to go back to the beginning in the 1900s, working on a farm, little or no electricity, just hearing about the telephone—no radios, no television, no hand-held devices, none of that—but today that's a common occurrence. So they think it's normal; they think it's natural. I guess they can conceive that these weren't here until recently, but that's what they grew up into.

Here it was in Jerusalem. Here is God's temple, adorned, beautiful, the service of God, the city of God Jerusalem. Here is the Son of God. What does He say? This is a good lesson of what sin does!

I need to give a sermon on it, how many warnings the Jews had that it was coming. They had 40 years, beginning with Jesus' ministry, down to the beginning of the Roman/Jewish wars in 66-1/2A.D. They had warnings that it was coming down. They had the warning that the temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar.

When God raises up an enemy against us, like He did Nebuchadnezzar against the children of Judah, what did God call Nebuchadnezzar? Nebuchadnezzar, My servant! If you don't think that offended a lot of Jews at that time. Think about what we could say today. God has raised up these jihadists as His servants because of our sins. There would be a lot of people who would say, 'You're nuts, you're crazy.' You better read the Bible. You better understand what God has said.

Here it is right here, all of this. Remember the disciples at that time had it in their mind, 'Jesus is going to set up His Kingdom here pretty quickly.' Jesus never told them it was going to be well over 2,000 years.

Jesus said, after they pointed it all out, v 6: "As for these things that you now see…" They were up on the Mt. of Olives looking down across the Kidron Valley, right directly into the temple. Here is all that white marble, shining and glistening, the temple is beautiful, everything.

"…the days will come in which there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down" (v 6). That is an outlandish statement—wouldn't you think?

You think someone would believe it if you told them, 'The day is going to come when New York City is going to sink into the Hudson River. 'Whoa to you who live in New York City! When the water stops and the food stops and the electricity stops, and you have 12-million people in the city and you've got 20-million rats living in the sewer and you can't collect the garbage and you can't get the water and you can't get the food, and everybody's lying, cheating, stealing, killing, guess what's going to happen? You are going to have a plague that is going to hit that you will have no place to stack the bodies.' Oh, you're a radical!

That's exactly the same degree as it is here. So, they were astonished, v 7: "And they asked Him, saying, 'Master, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign that these things are about to take place?'" He gives some of them. There are other ones that we get in the rest of the Bible, as well. We went through some that we did concerning the adversaries of ancient time and the adversaries today are the descendants of the ancient ones. Just like we are the descendants of the ancient ones of Israel.

For us in the Church, v 8: "And He said, 'Beware that you be not deceived…'" We live in a time when Satan's deceiving the whole world. And I ask in the series on Church at Home concerning that very thing: How many lies do you really believe? Have you really stopped to think about how many lies you really believe? A lot of people think, 'I don't believe any lies.' Oh, but, yes, you do, you lie to yourself. You kid yourself.

"'…for many shall come in My name, saying, "I am Christ"… [You couldn't have anything better. Be a Christian. Yes, indeed! Same thing down through time to this.] …and "The time has drawn near."…'" (v 8) That's what they said getting into the late 60sA.D. into 70A.D.

What was the one thing that did not happen when Titus came in, captured the city of Jerusalem, and came and looked at the temple. He came into Ft. Antonia which is higher than the temple. He stood on the wall of Ft. Antonia and looked down at the temple area and seeing all of the dead bodies and everything that was there. He said, 'God gave us this victory!'

Jerusalem was destroyed and everybody was greedy after the gold that was in the temple. They set it on fire and guess what happens when you set it on fire? The gold melts! Where does it go? It runs down into the cracks, into the rocks in the pavement! So guess what they did. They took up all the stones. They dug down. They wanted to get the gold. Do men go crazy after gold? and Does God inspire them to do it to fulfill His will, to tear down every last stone where the temple stood? Yes, indeed!

Therefore, after that when John was canonizing the New Testament had to put a parenthetical statement and we will come here to Mark 13. Let's see that parenthetical statement. I have explained it before.

Mark 13:14: "Now when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it should not stand…." This next phrase Jesus did not say. If you have a red-letter Bible that's incorrect. This was inserted when the New Testament was canonized because Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was destroyed, and there was no abomination to make desolate.

So he writes: "…(let the one who reads understand)…" (v 14). Which tells you an awful lot. It tells you that John and Andrew and Philip, who were doing the canonizing, knew what they were doing. John had seen the vision of the temple, but he knew that the temple had been destroyed in 70A.D. and there was no abomination of desolation so that was given for a future time. Meaning, there's got to be a future temple that will be built.

A lot of these prophecies start right back in the days of Christ and then the fulfillment of it is a type and anti-type and it comes right down to our day. Don't go after those who say, I am the Christ. The time has drawn near, therefore, do not go after them.

Luke 21:9: "And when you hear of wars and revolutions…" Did they hear of it then? Did the Jews revolt? Were there other wars? Yes, indeed! But for the end-time generation, everywhere in all the world, all of those in the Church of God are going to understand these things, because we can see them taking place today. It's like we know what's going on in the Middle East. If we lived when the nation was first founded, we wouldn't know what's going on over there.

"'…do not be terrified; for it is necessary that these things take place first, but the end will not come immediately.' Then He said to them, 'Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom'" (vs 9-10). What do we have? Wars everywhere today!

Verse 11: "There shall also be great earthquakes in different places, and famines and pestilences; and there shall be fearful sights and great signs from heaven." There were earthquakes in the 60sA.D. which caused Mt. Vesuvius to blow it's top and destroy Pompeii and the city of Herculaneum. Guess what they have discovered? That was part of the judgment of God against them because they were as perverse as Sodom and Gomorrah and it was preserved in volcanic ash.

Verse 12: "But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you and shall persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and bringing you before kings and governors, for My name's sake. But it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle, therefore, in your hearts not to premeditate what you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all those who are opposing you shall not be able to reply to nor resist" (vs 12-15). Then it goes on explaining more what will take place. These things will continue until v 24, the days of vengeance are fulfilled.

Then He spoke a parable about the tree. Do you see all these things taking place? Know that it is near!

Verse 32: "'Truly I say to you, there is no way that this generation… [the end-time generation] …shall pass away until all these things have taken place." We still don't know yet when that end-time generation is calculated by God.

How many times have those in the Church thought that we are in the end-time generation? I've thought that. I said we'll live to see the return of Christ. With everything going on in the world, all the prophecies that need to be fulfilled and take place to prepare the way, there is a lot of time left. It's going to be a very difficult time.

You can rest assured the day the dollar collapses—as I've warned how many times—everything in America and Britain is going to be changed overnight. Everything you have seen on television, the depravation, the fighting and the warring among people, is going to happen here.

Just like the ones in Jerusalem at that time, when it was destroyed in 70A.D., they thought it would not happen. The Jews thought that 'if we could get as many Jews in here for Passover,' which they did; they brought in 2-1/2-million pilgrims because they figured that at the temple of God if they were all keeping the Passover God would send the Messiah and rescue them. What did He do? He destroyed them!

Verse 32: "'…no way that this generation shall pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away'" (vs 32-33). And we can add: And every prophecy will be fulfilled to the 'nth' degree; not partially—completely.

• What do we do when we hear this?
• When we see this?
• When we see these things?
• What is our job to do?
• Get despaired? No!
• Get fearful? No!

There are going to be fearful things that take place, but remember Psa. 91 and claim all the promises.

• God will watch over us
• He will protect us
• He will be with us until whatever time He decides not to

Here is what we are to do, v 34: "Watch yourselves…" Every warning, everything that God has said, all that Christ has said, all that the apostles have said. As I mentioned in the sermon, To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required, God has given us so much. Each of us in our lives on an individual level have got to respond to God completely, in an age where it's 'cool' to be lukewarm. We've got to be hot like Jesus said.

Verse 34: "Watch yourselves, lest your hearts be preoccupied with high living and drinking and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly."

I was thinking about this last night. Yesterday afternoon I went over and I got the things for the Sabbath. Here's this store, one of millions in America; everything in it. I walked up to the deli counter and I said I'd like two pounds of this and two pounds of that, turkey and the turkey pastrami. They cut it up, put it in a bag, weighed it up and I go check it out and go home.

I thought: What would it be like if we had to grow the turkeys, take care of them, kill them, clean them, get rid of the feathers, pluck them. What would we do with no refrigerator? How long would that last? Look at what we have with the electricity and refrigeration today.

Just think how awful it's going to be instantly when the power goes off. Remember when we had the threat of atomic war: Here's the way you drive out of town, in the midst of hundreds of thousands of other cars, speeding out of the city to get away from an atomic bomb at a half mile an hour! 'Ain't' going to make it!

Remember those things. They show them every once in awhile what they did when the Cold War was going, the fear of atomic bomb, and everything like that. Here's how to evacuate. How far are you going to go?

Verse 35: "For as a snare it shall come upon all those who dwell on the face of the earth…. [worldwide event] …Watch therefore, and pray at all times that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things…" (vs 35-36). Either:

1. you die ahead of time, because God is still harvesting His Church

or

2. if you're one of the few to go to a place of safety you may be there

or

3. that you give your life in martyrdom

—either one of the three ways.

"…that you may accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (v 36). Come before Christ at the resurrection. That's what we are to keep in mind. That's how we are to do it.

• we need to look at the news
• we need to look at the history behind it
• we need to understand what's going on

What we see and what we understand is just an overview. Because we are not down into the nitty-gritty of the details of it, but we can see the things that are taking place.

• do not despair
• do not be fearful
• be wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove
• work like an ant
• prepare for difficulties
• ask for God's blessing (Psa. 91)

That's where we are with prophecy today! Where will it be in another year? Tune in later!

Scriptural References:

• Daniel 11:40
• Psalm 83:1-8
• Genesis 10:8-12
• Genesis 16:5-13
• Genesis 25:20-26
• Genesis 27:21-29, 33-41
• Exodus 17:8-16
• 1-Samuel 15:1-11, 22-26
• 1-Kings 11:11-14
• Luke 21:5-8
• Mark 13:14
• Luke 21:9-15, 32-36

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Revelation 20:4
• John 10
• Genesis 11; 15
• Matthew 24
• 1 Samuel 15:21
• Mark 13
• Psalm 91

Also referenced:

Sermons:

• The Mark of the Beast is Here
• Fourteen Things in Prophecy
• To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required

Books:

• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
• America, Imagine the World Without Her? by Dinesh D'Souza (amazon.com) {also a movie}

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 7-11-14
Formatted: bo—7-13-14

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