October 2018: Lift Up Your Heads

Current events unfolding in the world can be frightening if viewed without a firm belief in the truth of God’s word and His sovereignty. Christianity is under serious attack throughout the world and many Christians are dying for their faith. In the West, the culture itself is becoming more anti-Christian and openly hostile toward people espousing biblical values. In the past few days one presidential candidate was ridiculed by the media for daring to say that it’s not inconceivable that Bible-believing preachers could even be charged with the crime of “hate speech” for merely preaching the gospel.

1.  Many have asked me if I think the present events unfolding in the world are a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. While we can only conclude that after something has taken place, I do think it is fair to say that the Bible is clear on what will happen in the days preceding the return of Jesus.
2. The Bible says in many places that Israel would be expelled from her land and scattered to the four corners of the earth. This happened following two disastrous revolts against the Romans in the first and second centuries AD.
3. The Bible also predicts that Israel would be re-gathered from their dispersion at the End of Days and restored to the exact same land from which they were dispersed.There are also prophecies (Zechariah 14:2 being the best example) that in the end, all the nations of the world would turn against Israel.
4. But perhaps the key prophecies are found in Ezekiel. There it is predicted that Israel would be gathered back to her own land in unbelief (chapters 36 and 37), and would then be invaded by a vast army consisting of a confederacy of nations, including present-day Iran and, according to many scholars, the present day nations of Russia and Turkey. In desperation Israel calls out to God (chapters 38-39). It is at this time that God removes the spiritual hardening that has come across the heart of Israel and Jews around the world recognize Jesus as their true Messiah. (Romans 11, Zechariah 12:10)

The pieces of the prophetic puzzle are already in place. Russia and Iran are present in Syria with both air and land forces. As recent as last week, Russia announced that it would be giving Syria the very latest and most capable Russian anti-aircraft missiles, making Israeli flights over Syria next to impossible. Israel has been able to keep the Iranian offensive missile buildup in Syria in check by destroying those missiles as soon as they arrive in Syria from Iran. The latest Russian moves mean that Iran will now be able to establish an offensive missile capability in Syria that will cause massive destruction in Israel in the event of war.

What does all of this mean for us? It means that the Bible is true. It means that God is faithful, and will fulfill His promises. It also means that we can take some of the last word Jesus spoke to heart

But when these things begin to happen, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28)

Alfred A. Sawyer