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You are in Our Journal - What in the World 2008 2007 | 2008 Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug| Sept
What in the World is Happening
- July 2008
A series of articles by Brian Papworth,
our PWMI Representative in New Zealand.
One of the present day wonders in the fulfillment of
prophecy is the return of the Jewish people to their homeland, as yet in
unbelief, to the land God promised them, as prophesied in Ezekiel 37 and
many other places in the Old Testament. In spite of the threat of
surrounding Arab nations, hostile to their presence, they have survived
all the world can say and do, and which appears generally hostile to their
very existence. As war clouds seem to be gathering once again for the
nation, we know from the Bible they will survive. How will God see them
through? What does the Bible say will happen over the coming months and
years?
God said He would gather them from the countries to which
they have been scattered and bring them back [Ezek 34:11-16]. The Bible
also says: "this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they
ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you become the possession
of the rest of the nations and the object of people's malicious talk and
slander" [Ezek 36:3]. Yet the Lord will protect them and they
will survive until the Lord returns as their Messiah.
In an uncertain time which could be during or even before
the 7 years of the Tribulation period. Armies, led by Northern nations,
Magog [Russia] and its allies, as listed in the Scriptures, will attack
Jerusalem. [Ezek 38:1-16]. At first the nations of Europe and moderate
Arab nations will be spectators and question what is happening [Ezek
38:13]. Some even think that this battle may be before the Antichrist is
known and it will be the catalyst which reveals him as a great leader. God
will intervene to support the Jewish people and at the end of the battle
only one-sixth of the attacking armies will remain [Ezek 39:2 KJV]. The
results of this battle with the loss of most of the Arab, Syrian, Iranian
and Russian armies will alter the political and military balance of power,
making a way open for the Antichrist to set up his plan for ruling, the
whole world.
At the present time in which we live, there is now nothing
to be fulfilled before the Lord calls His people, the Church, home to meet
Him in the clouds. It is after the Rapture, as this act is referred to, we
see the major fulfillment of prophecy [1 Thess 1:10]. We are told it is at
this point in history the Antichrist or Beast [Dan 8:23] [Dan 11:36-39]
[Rev 13 1-10] will be revealed [2 Thess 2:1-4]. The Antichrist will do
well at first negotiating a peace treaty between Israel and the
surrounding peoples. The Antichrist will rule the world dividing it into
10 [Dan 2:41-43], helped by the leader of the world wide compromised
united faith religion, based from Rome [Rev 13: 11-18]. There will be
generally a false peace in the world [Rev 6:2] and things will look good
for 3½ years. The Jews will be relatively happy with the peace treaty at
first, until the Antichrist makes himself out to be God and sets himself
up in the Temple at Jerusalem [John 5:43-44] [Rev 13: 13-15]. However the
faithful Jews will oppose him and many will be killed [Dan 8:24] Any
Christian converts will also be killed [Rev 6:9-11]. At about this time
God will seal 144,000 of the Jewish race to act as missionaries [Rev
7:2-8]. These will take the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world with
many turning to believe in Christ. [Rev7:9-17]. In the second half of the
Tribulation period two witnesses will be appointed by God. They will have
supernatural powers [Rev 11:3-6]. The Beast will need to eliminate them,
which he does [Rev 11:7-13]. They are raised from the dead and taken into
Heaven, as the world looks on. [Rev 11:9-10]. Do we see world wide
television news prophesied nearly 2000 years before it was even thought
of?
The faithful Jews of the time will oppose the erection of
the statue of the Antichrist, which speaks and does all manner of
wonderful things [Rev 13:14-17]. At this time Satan realizes his time is
coming to an end, and he must destroy the remnant of the Israeli people.
They escape into the desert [possibly the city of Petra] [Rev 11:6] [Rev
12:14-17], and are protected by God until the time for the Lord to return
is due.
The world is then the subject of the final struggles of
Satan and the wrath of God. Terrible earthquakes and the breakdown of law
and order, starvation, and the death of many millions of people. The last
three years of the Tribulation are marked by a series of wars as many
nations rebel against the Antichrist, who has overstepped himself, driven
and indwelt by the Devil, in his tyrannical reign of terror and
subjection. We find in Revelation 16 the final battle, as the armies of
the world including those of the East assemble against Jerusalem. Every
living thing in the sea dies; the Sun increases its intensity, maybe
something to do with global warming, or maybe due to the disasters
occurring. The armies are gathered [Rev 16: 14-16]. The armies suffer a
terrible fate through natural disasters, Gods judgment, disease and
fighting each other. The Eastern armies begin attacking the Western armies
at Armageddon. [Rev 19: 17-19]. Into this battle Christ comes to rescue
His people Israel [Zech 12:8-9] [Ezek 14: 2-5] [Rev 19: 19-21], with the
Lords heavenly armies. The Beast and Satan and all their supporters are
captured and bound [Rev 19:20]. Christ will return to the Mount of Olives.
The Jews will realize they have rejected their true Messiah all these
years [Ezek 12:10-14] and all Israel will be saved [Ezek 13:1]. And Jesus
will reign, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen! So let it be Lord.
Yours in His Service
Brian D Papworth
Representative for the Prophetic Witness Movement International
for New Zealand, Australia & the South Pacific
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