WILL THE UNITED STATES ABANDON ISRAEL? IS PROPHECY HAPPENING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES?

Bible prophecy is very clear, in the last days, Israel will stand alone.  Just a few years ago, it was unfathomable that the United States would abandon Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, yet the rhetoric coming from the current administration seems to suggest just such a scenario.   Weeks ago, President Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if Israel did not accept the peace deal offered by the U. S., Israel could find itself standing alone in the international community.  Friday, peace talks broke down between Israel and the Palestinians.  Secretary of State John Kerry announced, on Friday, that the peace talks have failed.  What does this mean for the relationship between Israel and the United States?  Will the president make good on his threat to abandon Israel in it's struggle for it's very existence?

Other questions must be asked, questions that at the moment have no solid answers.  Syria is a known threat to Israel, and the rebels fighting in Syria are not friendly toward Israel either, what will that scenario hold in store for Israel if the U. S. turns its back?  Can a flare up between these two neighboring countries lead to the total annihilation of Damascus, the capitol of Syria?  I believe it can.  In the past, when Israel has come under attack, the U. S. has called for restraint on the part of Israel, concerning retaliation.  If the U. S. steps back from Israel, will Israel feel the need for a strong response if attacked?   We know that Israel destroys Damascus at some future point, as the prophets Amos and Jeremiah both foretold it.

Iran continually maintains a threatening posture towards Israel, could a retaliatory strike on Damascus entice Iran and it's allies(namely Russia) to make a move against Israel leading to the Gog and Magog war prophesied in the Bible?  Could this failed attack on Israel lead to the fated treaty that will be signed between Israel and it's enemies, a peace treaty brokered by the man the Bible refers to as the Anti-Christ?  If so, the signing of this treaty will signal the final 7 years of life as we know it, on earth.

Many questions remain unanswered, many pieces need to fall into place, but the are some things that we do know for sure.  We know that at some point in the future, Israel will stand alone in the world. We know that at some point in the future, Israel will retaliate against an attack from Syria and destroy Damascus utterly and completely.  We know that at some point in the future Israel will be attacked by a coalition of nations led by Iran and Russia, an attack that Israel will survive due to supernatural intervention from God.  We know that at some point in the future, the Anti-Christ will broker a peace deal between Israel and it's enemies in the Middle East, marking the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel known as the Seven Year Tribulation.  We know that at some point in the future, Jesus Christ will return, rescue Israel, set up a kingdom in Jerusalem and reign for a thousand years.  We know all these things because the Bible tells us they will happen.

I believe, for a number of reasons, we are living in the days leading up to these events and we will see many of these events take place soon.  If you have not read my blog post A NEW POPE, A METEOR AND A REALLY GOOD BOOK... I encourage you to take a look.  If you are a regular reader of my blogs you will see that I am fairly convinced that Pope Francis is set to fulfill the role of the False Prophet foretold of in the book of Revelation.  In the aforementioned blog, you will find a link to a Youtube video featuring Rabbi Gary Cahn as he discusses his book the HARBINGER.(I strongly urge you to get this book and read it).  Also of interest is the upcoming Blood Moons, this year and next year.  A number of Bible Prophecy experts believe these Blood Moon occurrences, two this year and two next year, all four coinciding with major Jewish Feasts, are a signal of the immanent return of Christ for the Church.(here is a link to an interesting site regarding the Blood Moons and prophecy:
 http://www.bloodmoonprophecy.com/?gclid=CKbXmuvMyb0CFWEV7AodURMAHw  )
Much of the turmoil in the Middle East seems to be positioning prophetic events towards fulfillment.

What does all this mean for the believer in Christ?  The Bible tells us that no man knows the hour of Christ's return, but we are told to watch for signs of the times and that we should be able to discern the season of Christ's return.  It may well be that Christ could tarry another 100 years or more, though I highly doubt it. As always, we should sense the urgency of the Great Commission.  We ought to be living out our faith, pursuing holiness, learning our Bibles and preparing for our call Home.  We must remember that neither our entertainment, nor our leisure, nor the acceptance of our peers  is worth one lost soul.  It is time for the Church to wake up, clean it's own house and start loving people into the kingdom.

A New View of The Book of Psalms

I have been taking a course on the Book of Psalms and have been given an entirely new outlook on this portion of scripture. My Bible reading program consists of reading through the Bible in order, alternating between the OT and the NT books.  Naturally, I have more favorite parts of scripture and less favorite portions, but I read everything so as to continue in the full counsel of God.  Each time I come to the book of Psalms, I tend to pay a little less attention than I would in say a book like Hebrews.

I am ashamed to admit that I have missed so much and I am excited to say that now I cannot get enough of the Psalms.  One of the points my professor brought out is that Jesus spent a great deal of time praying during His earthly ministry, the Psalms are what He prayed.  As I re-read this amazing book, I realize that my professor is right!  In fact, that insight is only the beginning of the things I am seeing in a new way.  What I never realized before was how prophetic the Psalms are. I always knew that they were prophetic pointing to the first coming of Israel's Messiah(who can deny that Psalm 22 is a perfect description of the crucifixion?) but now, I am seeing incredible prophecies pointing to the tribulation period, the ant-christ, the second coming of Christ, the battle of Armageddon and the 1000 year reign of Jesus in Jerusalem where He will redeem Israel unto Himself.

I have been studying the Bible almost my entire adult life and I feel as excited as I did when I first began understanding His word and discovering it's truths.  I encourage you to check out the Psalms and think about what is being said and what they may pertain to.  For instance, Psalms 10 - 14 seem to describe conditions on earth prior to the flood and what was going on in the heart of Noah.  Psalm 18 seems to describe Israel during the coming earthly reign of Messiah, especially check out vv. 43-50.

One of my favorite Psalms of all, 22, gives a graphic description of the death of Christ in vv. 1-18.  What I never noticed before, is that the rest of the Psalm seems to deal with the resurrection - vv. 19-24, the church - vv. 25-26,and the 1000 year reign of Christ - vv. 27-28.  Psalm 32 seems to deal with the church and   the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

I encourage you to check out the passages above and see if you agree.  I have only put a fraction of the exciting new insights I have gained from a part of scripture I have read and re-read numerous times.  I now view the Psalms in totally new light, I see it as a song book of praise for the nation of Israel, I see it as a sneak peek into the prayer life of our Lord, I see it as a book of comfort and encouragement for the tribulation saints(who I believe will be mostly Jewish) and a book of praise for the inhabitants of earth during the earthly reign of the King of Kings.

Check it out and feel free to share your insights.

Check back for a new blog coming soon dealing with an explanation to Psalm 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of Elohim and the sky proclaims His handiwork.   

Please feel free to comment and share your insights on any of my blogs, just click the word comments below.

Thanks for reading and God bless!