davidbowerkingwood

The Church is Gone, Now it’s up to Israel!

Israel has some tough times ahead; in the seven remaining years promised to them in the Book of Daniel they will be charged with:

²⁴ “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Rosh Hashanah is a time for introspection, repentance, and seeking forgiveness which would fit in nicely with God’s second step in Israel’s restoration:

“²⁵ “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. ²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

What If?

What if God has chosen this Rosh Hashanah to begin the spiritual restoration of Israel as described Ezekiel 36:25 – 37:28?

“²⁵ “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. ²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

God has been in the process of fulfilling Ezekiel 36:24 and Ezekiel 37:1-14 since 1948.We know how God loves the number 7 and it has now been 77 years. I can definitely see how students of Bible prophecy would connect those two dots!

What Prophecies Await Fulfillment?

There are three major prophecies awaiting fulfillment after the Rapture of the Church:

1. The Battle of Psalms 83
2. The Battle of Gog and Magog
3. Signing of the Covenant Agreement Between Israel and the Antichrist which signals the beginning of the Tribulation

I’m of the opinion 1. and 2. will both take place before 3. although this is speculation on my part.

By Way of Summary

Should this be a reasonable analysis of coming events, then the next thing to happen would be the Rapture on the 16th or 17th of September. The Rapture will create world-wide chaos and potentially serve as the catalyst for the Battle of Psalms 83 which could follow fairly soon after.

The obvious divine intervention in Israels victory over the invading forces could provide a time of peace for Israel as referenced in Ezekiel 38:11; this encourages the response described in that chapter.

At some point after that, I believe Israel will sign the agreement with the Antichrist and the last seven years will be activated. While this is only my effort to connect the dots, it has a ring of plausibility to it.

What About 2 Thessalonians 2?

Some have suggested the Antichrist must be publicly identified before the Rapture can take place based on 2 Thessalonians 1:3.

2 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. ² Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. ³ Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. ⁴ He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? ⁶ And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. ⁷ For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. ⁸ Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

⁹ This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. ¹⁰ He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. ¹¹ So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. ¹² Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

While it is possible the Antichrist is already a public leader whose name is well known to the world; his identification as the Antichrist must remain secret until the Holy Spirit’s restraining ministry is withdrawn at the Rapture of the church.

One thing is sure, however, we don’t have long to wait! If this is valid speculation, then I’ll not be writing any more; if this line of speculation is wrong then we can consider other options.