What is Going on in Israel?

It is so good to have you with us today as we worship the Lord together. And today's gonna be a little different than what I had planned or what Tim and I had planned or what anybody had planned today as we think about our prayer time in praying for the nation of Israel. You know, there are a lot of things going through my mind and I thought about changing my sermon. I said, no, I won't change my sermon. I'll just say a little bit of prayer time about it. Well, that went 50 minutes. So it'll be a while before we get on our knees, but I wanna be able to share some things with you that I think that are very important for you to understand as you begin to grapple with what is happening in Israel today.

This is not political. This is completely and totally biblical. And so what you're going to hear today, you'll probably will not hear in most churches around the world. Because we wanna show you what the Bible says concerning what's happening in Israel.

People will give you many reasons as to why and what's going on and that kind of stuff. But as I shared in the first service this morning, I just want you to understand that what is happening in Israel today has always happened in Israel.

It's not new to today. It might be new to you or to me, or that's because of social media and how much information we are able to receive at our fingertips. But what is happening in Israel today has always happened in Israel. And I'm gonna show you that as we look at the scriptures this morning.

But you need to understand that there'll be many people who will tell you that, hey, you know what? This is the fulfillment of Matthew 24, verse number six, where there will be wars and rumors of wars. And the answer to that is, no, it's not. Why? Well, simply because there's always been wars and rumors of wars. And so for Christ to say that in Matthew chapter 26, which was in conjunction with the Olivet Discourse, which Christ would take his men up on the Mount of Olives and begin to share with him the things that were gonna happen at the end.

What is the end of the age and what's that going to look like? And so Christ would inform them in terms of what was gonna happen at the end of the age. And so he says that one of the characteristics is that there's gonna be wars and rumors of wars. But the problem with that is that Matthew 24 parallels Revelation chapter six. And in Revelation chapter six, you have the four horsemen of the apocalypse. And you have the white horse who comes first, then you have the red horse, the black horse, and the pale horse.

And of course, the white horse is the man of peace because that's the Antichrist who comes and brings peace to Israel. Signs a covenant treaty with Israel and makes peace with them. And then comes the red horse, and that is the horse of war, assassinations, death. That's the black horse, or black horse is famine, and the pale horse is death. So if you parallel Revelation chapter six alongside of Matthew 24, there's a unique parallel between the two because they're one and the same speaking about the tribulational period.

So in Matthew chapter 24, there are so many things that take place that did not happen in 70 AD because there'll be some people who tell you, well, this was fulfilled in 70 AD. All those people are wrong. Just mark it down. They're all wrong. Why? Because in 70 AD, there weren't earthquakes and famines, and there wasn't wars and rumors of wars. And also, there wasn't a, what was it? A nation rising against nation, as it says in Matthew 24. There are so many things that happen in the tribulation that happen in the future that did not take place in 70 AD.

But for those who don't believe in the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth, they'll tell you that everything that took place in Matthew 24 happened in 70 AD. They're wrong. I don't care what book you read. They're wrong. You say, well, that sounds pretty arrogant. Well, if you study the book of Revelation and you take the scriptures literally, you begin to realize what exactly is going to happen. Why? Because in Luke's account in Luke 21, which is a parallel account to Matthew 24, Luke's account is of the Olivet Discourse in Luke 21.

Matthew's is in Matthew chapter 24. He tells us that there will be trouble in Jerusalem. There'll be turmoil in Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled. So you can ask yourself the question, what are the times of the Gentiles? When do they begin? When will they end? That's very important to realize. So let me tell you, the times of the Gentiles began in Daniel chapter one, verses one to three.

They began with Nebuchadnezzar in the destruction of Jerusalem and taking Israel captive into Babylonian captivity. It will end when the Messiah returns. That is the times of the Gentiles. By definition, the times of the Gentiles are the times where there is no king of Israel on the throne in Jerusalem ruling over their people, Israel. That's the times of the Gentiles. It's the times where the sovereignty of God is seen clearly why man reigns supreme in Jerusalem. In other words, as long as the Gentiles reign supreme in Jerusalem, there'll be no king on the throne of Israel.

That is the times of the Gentiles. And so the simple question is, who is in charge of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? Not Israel, the Palestinians. They're in charge of the Temple Mount, the most sacred place in all the earth in Jerusalem. Why is that? How is that? How does that fit into what is happening in Israel today? So we are in the times of the Gentiles. They have not yet been fulfilled. They will be when the Messiah returns because when the Messiah returns, Israel will have a king on the throne in Jerusalem.

So what is this time and what is happening in Israel? Well, let me share with you several verses today.

And I have a lot of verses to cover with you. And so bear with me. I have a lot of things in my mind. I thought about changing my sermon yesterday. I thought, no, I'm not gonna do that. But then my prayer time became my sermon because I have so many verses in my head that I wanna share with you to help you understand what is happening in Israel. Remember in 1 Chronicles 12, the men of Issachar. They were men of understanding the times. So they would be able to tell Israel what they should do. We need to understand the times so we can begin to understand what Israel should be doing.

We should be able to understand what we should be doing, but we need to understand the times. But please note this, note this, that the events of today do not interpret scripture. Scripture interprets the events of today. The problem with people today is that the end of the world's coming. Jesus is right around the corner. This is the end times. And that's, they get all up in arms about this. They have all this stuff about prophecy and all that kind of stuff. Relax, take a deep breath. They had this with the war in Ukraine.

What was happening with Russia coming against Ukraine? This is the end times, Ezekiel 38. It wasn't Ezekiel 38. It's not Ezekiel 38. That happens during the tribulation when Messiah is on the throne, not Messiah, but the anti-Messiah is on the throne in Israel. But people get all up in arms. Just take a deep breath, relax, keep your finger in the text, and you'll be okay. That's so important. And so my job as your pastor is to help you understand how to keep your finger in the text so you know exactly what's happening as it relates to the future of Israel and what God has in store.

So let me say this. What has happened in Israel has always happened in Israel. Let me show you. If you got your Bible, turn with me to Deuteronomy 25.

Deuteronomy 25, verse number 17. Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt. How he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary and he did not fear God. Question is, who is Amalek and what did Amalek do? He attacked all those in the rear. Who are in the rear? The children, the wives, and the elderly. They attacked the weak. They attacked those in the back. See, what happens in Israel today has always happened to Israel.

Therefore it shall come about when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies in the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. You must not forget. Don't forget. You must blot out the memory of Amalek. In other words, you must rid Amalek of any possession in the promised land. Israel did not do that. In fact, Israel was at war with Amalek for years. When you go through the book of Judges, they're always at war with Amalek.

And so when you come to 1 Samuel chapter 30, David, king of Israel, has this to say. Verse number one.

Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire.

And they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken hostage. What happens in Israel today has always happened in Israel. Then David and the people who were with him looked at their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam, the Jezreelites, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself, and the Lord is God. The people were embittered. Why? Because God told Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, I want you to remember what Amalek did to you on your journey out of Egypt, and I want you to destroy them, blot them out. Every man, every woman, every child, everything. Why? Because if you don't wipe out the children, the children will grow up and become men, and they will come against you.

You must wipe out the memory of Amalek forever. They did not do that. If Saul would have done it, way back in 1 Samuel chapter 15, David would not have had to have faced it in 1 Samuel chapter 30. But Saul didn't. Remember Samuel came to Saul and said, you got to go kill the Amalekites, and he got to get rid of King Agag, because he was the king of the Amalekites. So Samuel went to war with them, but he didn't kill everyone. In fact, he kept some of the livestock. He was supposed to kill all the sheep, all the livestock, everything.

He didn't do that. Because he thought that some of the sheep he could offer for sacrifice to the Lord, and Samuel said, wait a minute, you can't do that because it's better to obey God than it is to offer sacrifices. You see, Saul, partial obedience. It's still disobedience. And therefore, you're wrong. And then there was a king, King Agag. Samuel was furious. Why'd you kill the king? So Samuel went to Agag, took his sword, and sliced him and diced him into tiny pieces. Why? Because God said, wipe them out.

Kill them all. But Saul didn't do that. Israel didn't do that. Remember when they were in battle? In Exodus chapter 17, when Moses was on top of the mountain, and Aaron and Hur had to hold up his arms so that he could hold the staff above his head. And when the staff was above his head, Joshua down in the valley was winning the battle. But when the staff began to be lowered, Amalek would rise up and begin to win the battle. So Aaron and Hur would come alongside of him and hold up his arms, and they would beseech the Lord in prayer, and God would do great things.

In the book of Exodus 17 chapter, the 14th verse, it says this. Then the Lord said to Moses, write this in a book as a memorial, and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. I'm gonna blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and named it the Lord is my banner. He said, the Lord has sworn the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation. He said, okay, who is Amalek? Turn in your Bible to the book of Malachi.

Malachi's the last book in the Old Testament. Had a friend of mine who used to always call it the book of Malachi, because he was the Italian prophet in the Old Testament. But it's Malachi. In Malachi chapter one, listen to the words of the Lord. The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi, I have loved you, says the Lord, but you say, how have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, declares the Lord? Yet I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. What a statement. Do you know that that statement was never said to Jacob or Esau in the book of Genesis?

But God makes it very clear that he loves Jacob and hates Esau. Well, why is that? Stay with me and I'll tell you why. He says, and I have made the mountains a desolation, his mountains a desolation, and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness. Though Edom says we have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins. Thus says the Lord of hosts, they may build, but I will tear down. And men will call them the wicked territory. And the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.

So the Lord is at war with Amalek from generation to generation. He's told Israel to blot out the memory of Amalek forever. He says that Edom, Esau, he is indignant forever. That's a long time, right? Not for a while, it's forever. So when the eternal God says that he's indignant against Esau forever, that's forever.

Turn me to book three. It could be Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 35. Moreover, the word of the Lord, verse number one came to me saying, son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, the prophecy against it, and say to it, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you, Mount Seir.

Why is God against the mountain range? What does that mean? It says, and I would stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolation and a waste. I will lay waste your cities and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Wow. But what is it about Mount Seir that God wants to desolate? Why? He tells you, read on, verse five. Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of the punishment of the end.

Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will give you over to bloodshed and bloodshed will pursue you since you have not hated bloodshed. Therefore, bloodshed will pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns. And I will fill its mountains with its slain on your hills and your valleys and all your ravines, those slain by the sword will fall. I will make you an everlasting desolation and your cities will not be inhabited.

Then you will know that I am the Lord. Wow. So Esau, he has indignation forever. Amalek, he wants to wipe the memory of them from the face of the earth. And Mount Seir, well, he is committing them to everlasting desolation. Who is Amalek? Who is Edom? Who is Mount Seir? So he says in verse number 10, because you have said these two nations and these two lands will be mine and we will possess them. Although the Lord was there. God said, you know what I'm gonna do to you? I'm gonna destroy you. You wanna know why?

Because you think there are two nations and there's one. And you wanna make those two yours. You think there are two lands and there's only one. And you wanna take those two lands and make them yours. You cannot do that because it is my land and not yours. But that's what you wanna do. And so he says this. Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your envy, which you showed because of your hatred against them. So I will make myself known among them when I judge you.

Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all your revilings, which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, they are laid desolate. They are given to us for food. And you have spoken arrogantly against me and have multiplied your words against me. I have heard it. Thus says the Lord God, as all the earth rejoices, I will make you a desolation as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate. So I will do to you, you will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it.

Then they will know that I am the Lord. You reviled me. When you said there are two lands and they're mine, you reviled me. When you said there are two nations and they are mine, you reviled me. You spoke against me because I told Abraham way back that those who bless you, I will bless, and those who curse you, I will curse. Why? Because if they bless you, they bless me. If they curse you, they curse me. And by coming and saying that this land is my land and not your land, and we're gonna make it our land, you reviled against me.

Therefore, he says, Mount Seir, there he says, O Edom, I will make you a desolation. I will destroy you. Because you cannot come against me. And when you come against my people, Israel, you come against me. And that does not fly with the divine eternal God of the universe. Very, very important. So why is there all this hatred for Israel? Why is there so much animosity against Israel? Why do people rise up and support the Palestinians? Why do people go all up in arms because Israel is going in and doing, by the way, what should have been done way back in the book of Joshua.

But it wasn't. It should have been done by King Saul, but it wasn't. Israel should have accomplished this a long time ago. So what is Israel doing when they go into the Gaza Strip and they begin to destroy Hamas? Hamas, by the way, means violence. They're only doing what God commended them to do centuries ago. They're just a little late at doing it. If Saul would have done it, they wouldn't be in this predicament today. If Israel would have done it, they wouldn't be in this predicament today. But they didn't do it.

So what has happened in Israel today has always happened in Israel. Why is there so much hatred for Israel? Well, turn back with me, if you would, to Genesis chapter 25. Isaac, the great typology of the Old Testament, on Genesis chapter 22, on Mount Moriah of the crucified Messiah, the promised seed of Abraham, is married to Rebekah. And like his mother, Sarah, Rebekah was barren. And so Isaac, like any loving father, loving husband would do, would beseech the Lord on behalf of his wife. And so it says, these words, in Genesis chapter 25, verse 21, Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was barren.

And the Lord answered him. And Rebekah, his wife, conceived. But the children struggled together within her. Isaac prayed for a son that the son's name would continue, that the name of the seed would continue and there'd be a line of continuity. And God blessed Rebekah with a son, but she doubly blessed her with two sons. And they struggled in the womb. So it says, if it is so, why then am I this way? So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb. Remember what Ezekiel said?

You have said, there are two nations and they are mine, but they are not. There are two nations that are in your womb and two peoples will be separated from your body. And one people will be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger. Well, you know the story. She has two sons, one named Esau, one named Jacob. Esau was the firstborn. Jacob literally on the heels of the firstborn came out after Esau. Old Testament custom says that the firstborn is the progenitor. He is the one who has the birthright and the blessing.

But God said to Rebekah, I'm gonna reverse that. I'm gonna change that. The older will serve the younger and be stronger. And so God says, I'm gonna change things.

Why? This is called sovereign selection. It happens when God saves a person. It's God's choice. God does it. God's in charge. He's in charge of everything. Well, they were born and Esau was a man of the flesh. He loved the things of the flesh. As the boys grew up, Esau was hungry one day and he was so famished that Isaac came to him, or not Isaac, but Jacob came to him and said, you know what? I will give you my food if you give me your birthright. So Esau said, great deal. Birthright is yours. Give me the food.

Why? Because Esau was a man of the flesh. He was a carnal man. Esau was the one who prized the things of the world more than the blessing of God. So when you hear the phrase, Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated. Why? Esau didn't prize the favor of God, the blessing of God. He prized the things of the world. Also, Esau was the one who married Canaanite women, became immoral and idolatrous. So what God says, Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated.

God hates all those who do iniquity. He hates those who are committed to immorality and idolatry. And he hates those who are committed to the things of the world more than the blessing of God. Esau is that representation of the people of the world. And so, you know the story, the conniving efforts of Rebekah and Jacob to get Isaac to bless him instead of bless Esau. So he dressed up like Esau, put hair all over him, made the stew, brought it into his father. His father couldn't see very well. And he blessed Jacob and not Esau.

Esau lost the birthright. Esau lost the blessing. It was all Jacob's. Esau was not a happy camper, as you can imagine. So the Bible says these words in the book of Genesis, the 26th chapter.

Genesis chapter 26. I thought that was what I wanted to do. I lost my train of thought here. Hold on a second.

Told you I have all these verses in my mind. Genesis 27. I'm sorry. Verse number 41. So Esau bore grudge against Jacob because the blessing with which his father had blessed him. Esau said to himself, the days of mourning for my father are near. Then I will kill my brother Jacob. That statement right there tells you everything you need to know about what's happening in Israel. I will kill my brother Jacob. The Bible says in Genesis chapter 36.

So Esau lived in the hill country of Seir, Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. These then are the records of the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. If you keep on reading, you realize that the grandson of Esau, the Edomite, is Amalek, the father of the Amalekites. Because the Amalekites are descendants of Esau, the Edomite. And God says, I will wipe Amalek from the face of the earth for what they did to my people, Israel.

He tells Israel to blot out the memory of the name, but they did not. They did not. And so King Agag became the king of the Amalekites. He was an Agite. And he led the nation of the Amalekites against Israel. Saul was supposed to kill him and his armies. He did not. And so as the story goes, you begin to realize that what happens is that Israel is heeded by all those who are the descendants of Esau, the Edomites. And they were always saying in the back of their mind, I will kill Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel.

Why? Simply because God changed his name. Israel means God will strive with you. Israel needs to understand that God will strive with them. And that's why Jacob was touched on his thigh. So he would limp for the rest of his life, realizing that he needed the Lord. And that limp was a constant reminder that he needed to depend upon the Lord for everything. So when Jacob's name was changed to Israel, he was reminded that God would strive for him. And that would be the mantra for Israel to this day.

God will strive for us. That's why it's so important that they put their faith and trust in the Messiah of Israel and learn to believe in the Lord God of Israel. And so that's what happened. And so people have come against the people group of the Edomites, the Amalekites, and the Agites have come against Israel from the very beginning. Oh, by the way, when you come to the book of Esther, you have a man named Haman. Haman's father was an Agite. Esther 3, verse number one, a descendant of Esau.

And Haman, of course, wanted to destroy the Jews. Mordecai would not bow down to Haman when he came to the city. Mordecai was furious. So he went to the king and said, he won't bow to me. King says, what are you gonna do? I wanna kill him. I wanna kill all the Jews. King said, okay, have at it. Why? Because he wants to exterminate the Jewish nation. Satan has always tried to exterminate the Jewish people. Why? Because they're God's people. There's great hatred for Israel because of Satan. And they don't even know it.

But that's why they hate Israel so badly. And they come against Israel. And so from the very beginning of time, from the very beginning of the temptation in Genesis chapter three, to the very end, until Jesus comes back again, there's a concerted effort to destroy Israel. So Haman, in his efforts to destroy Israel, his plan backfired, and he was hung in the gallows instead of Mordecai. Oh, by the way, the great, great grandson of Haman, Herod the Great, who was king in Israel when Jesus was born.

And what did Herod wanna do? Herod wanted to destroy all the children two years and younger because there was another king that would rival his kingship. And the magi came in and said, who was born king of the Jews? He said, wait a minute, there can't be another king here. I'm the king. I'm gonna get rid of everybody two years and younger to make sure I slaughter everyone. Herod was an Idumean. What is an Idumean? An Idumean are that group of people that would flee Mount Seir, where Petra is, where the Edomites housed themselves, when the Nabateans came in and destroyed them in 350 BC, and they fled to southern Jordan, and they became the Idumeans.

King Herod is a descendant of Esau, the Edomites, a great hatred for the Jewish people. So when you read in Revelation chapter 12, that the dragon was over the place where the child was born, right? Went to destroy and devour the child. Herod was used by Satan to devour the child, but he could not succeed. There is a severe hatred for Israel that's always been in place since the birth of Israel, way back with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. And will continue until the Messiah comes again. So what you have today is a Palestinian people that are all the descendants of Esau, who completely hate and want to destroy all of Israel.

You remember the name Yasser Arafat? A descendant of Esau, who wants to destroy all of Israel. And so what you have going on in Israel today is what has always happened in Israel. We just have more information today than we've ever had before. But the end of the story is a great ending. So turn me to the book of Revelation, the 12th chapter. Oh, before you do that, turn me to Obadiah. Obadiah, for no other reason, just to figure out where it is in the Bible. The book of Obadiah. Story about the prophecy of the destruction of Edom, the Edomites, the descendants of Esau.

Which would happen 300 years later after the prophecy. And it happened when the Nabataeans came in and destroyed the city of Petra, and they fled to Idumea. In 105 AD, Rome would come in and destroy the Nabataeans. The Bible says in verse number one, the vision of Obadiah, thus says the Lord God concerning Edom, which means by the way, red, we have heard a report from the Lord and an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, arise and let us go against her for battle.

Behold, I will make you small among the nations. You are greatly despised. The arrogance of your heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rock. Petra is called the rose red city of the rock. Why? Because the stone there is a rose colored red. Edom's name means red. And the Edomites fled to Mount Seir, it's in the mountain range of Mount Seir. And so he says, you've hid yourselves in the cleft of the rock and your arrogance of your heart has deceived you thinking you cannot be defeated.

Now, if you've been to Petra, you realize that the seat that leads in is about a mile long. Some of it sometimes is about as wide as my arms, a little bit longer than this, about seven to eight feet. Some of it's bigger than that on the way in, but it's a very secluded place. The cliffs are 500 to 600 feet high. So trying to get into Petra would be almost impossible. It was an impregnable city. But the Nabataeans were able to conquer the Edomites. But because of their arrogance, they believed that they could not be defeated.

In the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, who will bring me down to earth? Though you build high like the eagle, though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord. It's historical as well as prophetical, the book of Obadiah. Yes, they were brought down. Yes, they were destroyed. Yes, they were scattered. But they still exist today. Listen to verse number 10. Because of your violence to your brother Jacob, your violence to your brother Jacob, the sons of Esau hate the descendants of Jacob, the sons of Israel.

They hate them. Because of your violence toward your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and you will be cut off forever, forever. Look what it says in verse number 18. Verse 15 begins the day of the Lord, the day in which the Lord intervenes during the tribulational period. Verse number 18, then the house of Jacob will be afire and the house of Joseph aflame. But the house of Esau will be a stubble and they will set them on fire and consume them so that there will be no survivor in the house of Esau for the Lord has spoken.

The Lord says, you will be destroyed. You will be scattered. And they were. But prophetically, they will be destroyed forever. Because God said so. But there's good news. Turn now to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12 is that one chapter in the Bible that gives you the history of Israel. From verse one all the way down to verse number 17. In short, it's a summation of Israel. When you come to Revelation chapter 11, the seven trumpet sounds, there are gonna be seven bowls that flow out of seven trumpets and they happen in succession.

So what the Spirit of God does is go back in time to fill in the blanks that all that has taken place up to that point. That's why Revelation 12 is there. That's why Revelation 13, about the rise of the Antichrist is there. To show you how he rises to power before he goes on further to the Revelation 16 with the bowl judgments that are poured out. In Revelation chapter 12, verse number 13, it says, and when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, the dragon of Satan. Say, wait a minute.

When was the dragon thrown down to the earth? I thought he was thrown down way back before Genesis chapter three. Please understand, he was thrown down morally, not geographically. Why? Because, read the book of Job. Satan has to be in heaven. He is accused of the brethren day and night, Revelation 12, verse number 10. That's where he has to be to accuse the brethren in heaven. And he has access to the throne because he has to be able to be accountable to the Lord God of Israel. That's why in Job, he has to go to present himself before the throne of God because he's accountable to God.

Satan can't just do what he wants to do. He has to get permission. I mean, how powerful can you be if you have to get permission? Think about it that way. He has to ask God if he can do something. He just can't go out and do it. He has to ask for permission. So now he's thrown out geographically. Why is he thrown out geographically? Because the church, when the church goes to heaven, you can't accuse the brethren anymore. So his job is over. No longer is there any need for him to be there. So he's cast down to the earth.

He persecutes the woman. Whose woman? Israel. Who gave birth to the child, the male child. Who's the male child? Messiah. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, Israel, that she could fly into the wilderness, to her place where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent. Wow. What are the great wings of an eagle? An airplane? I don't know. Why would anybody tell us? But where do they go? There's a place prepared for Israel. There's a place prepared for Israel.

And they go to the wilderness. But John never tells us what the wilderness is. He never explains to us where the wilderness is or what the wilderness is. That's because he knows already. And so does every Jew. And if you're a master of the Old Testament, you realize that the wilderness is always Edom and Moab. Always. So wherever the place is that's prepared for Israel, it's in Edom. It's in the wilderness. And God will nourish her there for a time, times and half a time, for three and a half years.

That's the latter half of the Tribulation. From the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. Most believe that's an army that comes after Israel. But there's an earthquake. It opens up the earth and the army is swallowed. So the dragon who was Satan was enraged with the woman.

It went off to make war with the rest of her children who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. We can't kill Israel. He stopped. So he goes out to everybody else who loves Jesus, who keeps the commandments of God. Those are other people who are not Jewish or Gentiles who are committed to Christ and give their life to Christ during the Tribulation. Because the 144,000 who witnessed and because the angel flies around in heaven and because the two witnesses, one like Enoch and one like Elijah.

So they give their life to Christ. And so he goes after them to persecute them. What's the good news? Where do they flee? Some believe it's Petra. Because it's a 25 square mile facility that could house thousands of Jewish people. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But it's somewhere in that vicinity. So here's the interesting thing. When Jesus returns after the battle of the great war of God, which I'll talk to you about in a second.

When he returns, there's a judgment. It's called the Sheep Goat Judgment. It's recorded in Matthew 25. Christ talks about it in conjunction with the Olivet Discourse. Telling about his men in Matthew 24 about his return. The Son of Man coming in all of his glory and all of his splendor. And after his coming, there's going to be a judgment on the earth. It's called the Sheep Goat Judgment. He places the sheep on his right, the goats on his left. And where does it happen? It happens in the Valley of Decision, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the Kidron Valley.

It's the valley that separates the Mount of Olives from the city of Jerusalem. In that valley, the Valley of Decision, the Lord makes the decision on the sheep and the goats. And in Matthew 25, he says to the sheep, when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. And when I was in prison, you visited me. And the sheep will say to him, Lord, when were you hungry and we fed you? When were you thirsty and we gave you something to drink?

When were you naked and we clothed you? And pray tell, when were you in prison and we visited you? And Christ responds with these words. When you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it as unto me. Who is that? That's Israel. When you did it unto my people, the least of these, my brethren, you did it as unto me. And everybody told Mount Seir, who is Edom, the sons of Esau, who is Amalek, Agag, Haman, and everyone else who's come against Israel. He says, you say there are two nations, there are two lands and they're yours, they're not, they're mine.

And you came against my people and you reviled my people, you reviled me. So he says in Matthew 25, when you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it as unto me. My people, Israel. Who did it for Israel? Where did Israel flee? To Edom, where the Edomites ruled and reigned. The sons of Esau. I firmly believe that at the end, at the end, the hatred for Jacob will subside. And the Edomites will rise up. They will reach out to Israel to feed them when they're hungry, to clothe them when they're naked, to give them something to drink when they are thirsty, because when they're in prison, they are visited by the descendants of Edom.

Because I firmly believe that while God will destroy the nation, there are people of the nation that will be saved. There will be people that will give their lives to the Messiah, because God can save anybody at any time, anywhere. And I believe that the sheep are the Edomites, mostly. They're Gentiles as well, but they're mostly Edomites, the sons of Esau who are left and do something to take care of God's people, Israel. And God saves them and they enter into the kingdom with the nation of Israel itself.

Now, turn with me in your Bible to Isaiah 63. And we'll close with this one. Isaiah chapter 63. Why do I believe that Israel is in the wilderness, is Edom? Because that's what it says in the Old Testament. But you have to understand about the return of the Messiah. There's gonna be a great war of God against God, organized and orchestrated by the Antichrist, by Satan himself. You read about it in Revelation chapter 16, that the armies of the East gathered together in a place called Armageddon or Megiddo, Valley of Megiddo.

That's where they gather. Please understand this. There is no battle of Armageddon. The Bible never says that. It only says they gather together in the Valley of Megiddo. It never says that there's a battle there. Very important to understand that. But listen carefully. Why do the kings of the East have to wait for the great river Euphrates to dry up before they can cross over to come to the Valley of Megiddo? Why can't they just fly? Why can't they take a helicopter? Why can't they take a boat? Why do they have to wait for the great river Euphrates to dry up for them to get there?

Because they're walking on a horseback. Why? Because all modern technology will be destroyed by then. That's why. There are no planes, no tanks to drive across. How do we know that? See, we think there's gonna be a third world war.

It's gonna be a nuclear war. No, there's not. There's not gonna be a nuclear war. Why? It's not in the Bible anywhere. A nuclear war would destroy the whole world, right? There's not gonna be a nuclear war. There's gonna be a great war of God that's gonna take place, right? But it can only happen when the kings of the East gather together, the kings from the rising of the sun, the kings of China and all those areas east of the Euphrates, but it has to dry up for them to get there because they're on foot.

They're on the horseback. They gather together in the Valley of Megiddo and they make their way down to where Israel is. In the wilderness. Because if Satan believes he can destroy Israel, there's no reason for the Messiah to come back. Why? The times of the Gentiles are the times in which the Gentiles rule in Jerusalem and there's no king on Israel's throne. Well, if he destroys all of Israel, there's no reason for the king to come back because there's nobody to rule. So he'll seek to destroy all of Israel, but he can't because God protects them.

And so it says in verse one of chapter 63, Isaiah has a vision. Who is this who comes from Edom? Edom? With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah. What is that? Bozrah is the ancient capital of Edom, 25 miles from Petra. Bozrah was known for the dine of colors. And so Isaiah sees this person coming with the colors of Bozrah, the one who is majestic as apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Well, why is your apparel red? And your garments like the one who treads in the winepress.

I have trodden the wine trough alone. And from the peoples there was no man with me. I also trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath. And their lifeblood was sprinkled on my garments. And I stained all my raiment for the day of vengeance was in my heart and my year of redemption has come. Messiah returns. When the Messiah returns, he returns to Bozrah. It's a battle of Bozrah, not the battle of Armageddon. The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 14 that the blood will flow for 200 miles up to the horse's bridle.

Do you know how far it is from the valley of Megiddo to Bozrah? 198 miles. So, the blood will flow for 200 miles. The Bible says 1600 stadia, which is 200 miles.

And so what happens then is that the Messiah returns. His garments are stained because the battle has already begun. He's tread the winepress alone. So when Isaiah sees him, he's coming from Bozrah. He's not coming from the valley of Megiddo. He's coming from the valley of Armageddon. He's coming from Bozrah. His garments are already stained red with blood because the battle's already, basically, it's over. He speaks the word and it's done. He treads the winepress alone. So when the king returns, he returns to Edom because that's where Israel will be because that's where they would have fled to.

And therefore, when the king returns, he comes to set up his kingdom and to rule and reign forever and ever. What has happened in Israel today is nothing new to Israel. It's always happened to Israel and will continue until the times of the Gentiles is over. But in the meantime, God is still their protector. God is still their provider. He is still the Messiah. One day, according to Zechariah chapter 13, all Israel will be saved. Does that mean that every Jew will be saved? No, because he will purge out two-thirds of them.

They will die and a third will remain during the tribulation. And that third who remains is the all of Revelation 11 when it says all Israel will be saved.

All who remain will be saved. They will look on him whom they have pierced. They will mourn for him like an only child and they will be cleansed. That time is coming. For Israel, for the world, but for us, it's important for us to realize that what has happened in Israel today is all designed and planned by the almighty God of the universe who has it all under control, who's working out the counsel of his will in his own way. We sit back, what do we do? We pray for the peace of Jerusalem because in praying for the peace of Jerusalem, we're praying for the prince of peace to come.

That's our prayer time this morning. So if you're able, join me in your knees as we approach the throne of grace. Take a moment and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Lord God, we thank you for this day. I pray, Father, that the things that we shared this morning would help us understand more of what's going on. So many verses, so much history. Forgive me, Lord, if I didn't do it clear enough. Just trying to present to your people the truth of your word and the future that you have in control. Pray, Father, that we would be a people who pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that we would just reach out and ask for you to come again and bring the peace that is the true peace.

We're not talking about a treaty. We're not talking about the covenant they signed with the Antichrist. That's going to be nothing but disastrous for them. We're talking about true peace because they embraced Christ as their Messiah. So we pray for the salvation of Jewish people, salvation of Edomites, the Palestinians, those who have violently come against Israel. Those people need to know the Lord. We can come against them and speak against them, but, Lord, you take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

So we ask that you would save those whom you will. And that the gospel would be preached so many will believe that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus' name, amen.