While I was thinking this week about the events of this war with Iran and with Hezbollah, I received two other messages from friends that also referred to what I was thinking.  So, with the Holy Spirit’s help, I bring you this now, trusting that whatever is in fact from God would be heard and taken into account. 

There are two passages from the NT in Matthew that come to mind:
Mt 24:36-51 – learning the parable of the fig tree and it’s relevance to this generation; understanding the times, and being faithful in our service for the Lord, and prepared for His return

Mt 25:1-46 – the 10 virgins all slept spiritually – unaware and unalert:  5 woke up prepared, 5 woke up unprepared; prepared for WHAT?:  the return of the Bridegroom.  Continue doing good and showing mercy to others, and especially for Jewish people and believers in the face of evil.

It is written in Rom 8 that the whole creation groans for the revelation of the sons/children of God, which will be fulfilled in the first resurrection of the believers at the Lord’s coming.  What are most of us groaning for?  Generally speaking, for our personal comfort and safety.  “Where your treasure is, there will also be your heart.” (Mt 6:19-21) THIS IS A MATTER OF HEART PRIORITIES, ISSUES OF THE HEART. (Pr 4:23)  “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.” 

As we hear more and more of wars and rumors of war, and more people thinking and talking about the world becoming less safe and secure and free – and the Lord’s words to us are, “let your hearts not be troubled” — are we looking to our Lord Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus Christ, or are we just hoping and praying that this war will stop and that our lives would return to a sense of “normalcy”?  As the Lord and His apostles have spoken and written about the “end of the age, and the end of the world as we know it”, are we asking for God’s grace to remain faithful to Him and to His cross till the end, and praying ,“Come, Lord Jesus”, until we finish; or, are we hoping that it will “not be in my lifetime”, like King Hezekiah was glad to hear (2Kgs 20); or, “we don’t need to worry because I will be raptured away and not be here when the real evil breaks out”?  If that is what I believe, then the Scriptures what we read from Matthew about being prepared individually and corporately are basically irrelevant, and I/we do not need to hear them.

This is certainly true for those who hold to some form or other of “replacement theology”, which effectively rules out the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign with His saints from Jerusalem, Israel, for 1000 years, and Israel is the head nation.  In other words, the second coming of Jesus is only a sentence on paper, but not really relevant to filling the Earth with YHVH’s glory as the waters cover the sea.  Both preterists, who think that the second coming came with the destruction of the second Temple in 70AD, and dominionists, who think that the global national church will rule over the nations, have replaced God’s Word and redemptive plan by leaning on their own understanding.  The United States has been an exceptional country and experiment, but it is not an exception to the end of world empires, who have relied on their superior armies and weapons of war:  might makes right, and survival of the fittest.  The Son of the God says that the meek shall inherit the Earth.

The Jewish people expected the Messiah in the first century to overthrow the heavy yoke of Roman rule and oppression in Israel, even while they themselves were living in their sins.  (Think what it would be like if God had left the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden after sin came into the world.)  So, today, as the end nears, many Christians think that they are going to overthrow the “bad people” in the world and rule “righteously” while they, too, are living in their sins.  The Word of God confounds both of these erroneous expectations! 

I referred in my last video to Shia and Sunni Islam, and to the Mahdi / the 12^th Imam of the Shia branch as being their messiah, but for us he is the Antichrist.  The Mahdi is a counterfeit Messiah replacing and opposing the true Messiah, who is Yeshua/Jesus, the Son of the Living God.  The name of Yeshua/Jesus/Yasua in Islam is Isa, but this is another Jesus, who did not die, and therefore did not rise up from death and the grave.  The Shias believe that their mahdi will bring in the Islamic version of peace, after they have created havoc in the world, which they are presently attempting to do in this war.

Jesus does tell us that there will be chaos from evil lawlessness before He returns, BUT that we are to do good to people and preach the gospel, so that anyone who repents and believes it can escape GOD’s wrath that is coming.  This is the Day of YHVH/the LORD.  We are not to create the chaos!  It’s bad enough that we participate in the confusion! 

YHVH God’s covenant is only with Israel, not with any other nation. (Amos 3:2)  His promises and covenantal obligations are “Israel first” with respect to the Gentile nations.  Israel is His first born son. (Ex 4:22)  Other nations may claim a covenant with God, but He did not make it with them as He did with the descendants of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob/Israel, and regarding the promised land of Canaan/Israel as their inheritance and everlasting possession.  His promises to save His collective chosen people is unconditional, but salvation for the individual and nation is dependent upon their repentance and faith in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

“Today” is still the day of salvation; and “this year” is still the year of the LORD. (Is 49:8; 2Cor 6:1-2; Is 61:1-2; Lk 4:16-21)  We are told to work while it is day, for the night is coming when no one can work. (Jn 9:4-5)  We are to do good to people; to evangelize; to care for the widows and orphans and needy; to visit the sick and the prisoners with concern for their souls.  The day of evil (the darkness of night) will come which will make it much more difficult to do those good and merciful works.

I personally believe that it was right for the US and Israel to have preemptively attacked Iran, since Iran has always and consistently stated its intent to bring the death of both those countries – and so to the entire Judeo-Christian civilization — and continues to build up an arsenal of destruction to use whenever it would choose.  It does not abide by any reasonable “international law”, yet accuses both Israel and America for acting first to prevent them from choosing its time and manner.  If either Israel or the US were to wait until after Iran decided to attack, neither the US nor Israel may have had the capability to strike back sufficiently:  maybe the US and Israel have underestimated the enemy; or, maybe they would have gotten hit in an unprotected area that was overlooked or assumed “out of harm’s way”.  Despite agreeing that the war is right under the circumstances, I am not convinced that the outcome will be as “good” in a way that many are hoping, perhaps even shocking.  But it will serve God’s purposes towards His righteous judgments, which begin in His own household. The God of Israel is the Almighty God of Armies!   

Are our hearts aligned with His, or are we more mindful of the things of men?  Have mercy on us, O Lord, for your holy and righteous Name’s sake!