Israel, Prophecy, and the End of the World As We Know It

Its the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine!  I've been singing that REM song since I first saw all the talk about tomorrow being the end of the world.

Before I go any further, you must know...there isn't much humor in today's post, so if that is what you are looking for, don't bother reading.  It is very religious, and I will be getting up on my soap box.  But it is my two cents worth, and something I am deeply, deeply passionate about.

So, supposedly, Christ will return and the earth will be destroyed at 10:00 tomorrow morning.  Let me just say that I do not believe for one second that any man is able, nor will ever be able, to predict the return of our Messiah.  Matthew 24:36 says "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  The angels don't know when He will return.  The Son Himself...the one returning...does not even know!  ONLY FATHER GOD KNOWS.  So what in the world makes a mere human think he is so special as to be told the specific date and time?  Please.  Matthew 7:15 warns us, "Be careful of false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves."  This man, Harold Camping, is a false prophet, who is seeking nothing more than his 15 minutes of fame.  I also find it interesting that he also predicted the world would in September of 1994, and, they are creating a "fund" for their followers, just in case Jesus does not come back.  Remember that...I'll come back to that point shortly!


This false prophet has caused a greater awareness.  "What if tonight is the last night I'll be alive?"  I know personally, I've been thinking about how we can never take a single day for granted.  Am I where I need to be with in my walk with God?  Am I doing all I can, every single day, to serve Him, and show other's his love?  When I get to the pearly gates, whether it is on Saturday or when I am 90, I want to be able to tell God that I served Him to the best of my ability.  That I obeyed His commands.  That I loved my family, my friends, and yes, even my enemies.  No man knows the hour or the day, therefore, we should live every single moment in a close walk with our Savior.  I firmly believe this is just one of the many reasons God does not tell people when the Messiah's return will be.  I'm reminded of the story my husband tells about when he and his brother were younger.  Their mom would tell them to clean the house and do their chores while she was away at work.  Although they had all day to get these things finished, they would wait until she was on her way home from work, and rush to get everything done before she got there.  If we knew when the Messiah would be returning, we would live our lives wasting time, then rush around at the last minute to "make peace" with Him.

I've also heard that some of this false prophet's followers have neglected to pay their bills, pay their mortgage, and have even overdrawn their bank accounts.  Their thinking is "Why bother?!  I'm not going to be here to get in trouble."  REALLY?!  That is horrible stewardship, and I believe another reason God does not explicitly tell us when the Messiah will be returning.  Camping has two fund set up; one to help "those left behind", and the other for his followers "just in case."  Now, I don't know about you, but he certainly doesn't seem too sure of himself if he has to have a contingency plan to bail out those of his followers who neglected to take care of their worldly affairs.

I'm not saying the Messiah will not return tomorrow, but I am not putting my faith in this man's predictions.  My hope is in the Lord.  It could be tomorrow, it could be in the next 15 minutes, and it could be in 50 years. Instead of listening to a human being tell us he has divine revelation that specifically goes against the Word of God, we should turn instead to the Word of God, which says in Matthew 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."  I've never seen a thief leave a note letting the homeowner know when he would be there.


Having said all that....
I believe that God has not completely left us in the dark concerning when our Messiah will return.  The Bible is chock full of prophecies, most of which have come to pass exactly as stated.  The only ones that have not, yet, are some of the ones concerning the end of times...thought many of those have already come to pass.

Here is a very brief run-down of a few key prophecies I think really stand out, especially today:

• Isaiah 66:8 - Has any nation in history become a nation in just one day?  Only one.  It happened on May 14th, 1948, when the Children of Israel were gathered into their own nation.  
• Zechariah 12:2-3  Jerusalem will be a troubled place.  (Ummhorrible as it looks, it is all apart of God's plans, and He remains in control.
• Ezekiel 13:10 Everyone wants peace in the Middles East.  In fact, that is why Obama is calling for this...to try to create peace.  The only peace that will be created will be a like a flimsy, whitewashed wall.
• Zechariah 14:1-2 Nations will turn against Israel.  What?  What did that just say?!  The nations will turn against Israel?  I see that happening before my very eyes. 

ALL of these prophesies are concerning Israel, so imagine my astonishment this morning when I turned on the news and saw what our nation's president had said.  I think a great many people in our nation stood with their jaws on the floor in shock when Obama stated that Israel should return Gaza, the Golan Heights, and even the area surrounding Jerusalem.  He even goes so far as to say that "we" are encouraging this because of our friendship with Israel, that the "status quo" cannot continue.


Wrong. On so many, many levels.


That land was given to the Jews a very long time ago.  And by very long time ago, I mean way back in Genesis (yes, the same Genesis in which creation was discussed!)  Here a few of the Bible verses which state this (and these are just the few I remembered off the top of my head)  Genesis 12:1-7, Genesis 13:14-16, Genesis 15:18, Joshua 1:1-11, Joshua 21:43-45.


 Obama is the first president in our nation's history to turn his back against the Israel.  Its is not "friendship". He is asking Jewish families to move.  To leave their homes, and everything else they have worked for.  That is not friendship.  It actually reminds me of the scene from Fiddler on the Roof, when all the families are being uprooted and being forced to move.  It reminds me of when the Nazis forced Jewish families to "relocate" to concentration camps.

Take a look again at Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  In other words, everyone on earth receives blessings in some way from Israel.  To those who bless Israel, the blessing will be returned.  To those who curse Israel, curses will be returned.  I don't know about you, but in no way do I want to be associated with the cursing of Israel.  Obama is leading people to believe that our country wants Israel to give their God-given land to the Palestinians, and under the guise of "friendship" no less.  

Mr. Obama, I am saying this as respectfully as possible.  You are walking on a very thin sheet of ice.  I do not think you realize the implications of what you are suggesting.  I do not think you have even begun to think this through completely.  This is not friendship.  You do not speak for me, Mr. President, and I do not believe you speak for most Americans.  I stand with Israel.

HERE is an interesting article I just stumbled across.  Please take a look.  Then pray.  Pray for our nation's leaders.  Pray for Israel.  But I take comfort in that regardless of what happens, my God is in control.