2 Cor. 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
The Greek word “devices” in the above scripture can be interpreted as “purpose.” From the words of Jesus, we understand Satan to be our enemy, and his purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy by any means necessary. So, let me share some vital information with you about this foe.
Throughout the Bible, various words are used to describe the character and actions of Satan. Some of these names are Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), Corrupter (2 Cor.11:3), Dragon (Rev.12:3), Enemy (Matt. 13:39), Liar (John 8:44), Murderer (John 8:44), Oppressor (Acts 10:38), Roaring Lion (1 Peter 5:8), Tempter (Matt.4:3), Thief (John 10:10), Wicked One (Matt.13:19; 1 John 5:18), Wolf (John 10:12).
After reading this list, believers should not feel warm, cozy, or comfortable but realize this being is not one to be trusted. This list should make believers attentive, vigilant, sober, and armed for battle.
To aid you in this process, here are some other relevant facts about Satan:
1. Satan is a created being. He is not omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time. Many people say Satan visited them, but they are mistaken. Satan has a command post, and his kingdom workers (angels and demons) come to him to give updates on people, places, events, and to receive orders. These angels and demons do his dirty work.
2. Satan is not omniscient. He cannot read your mind. He only knows what comes out of your mouth. Our words give the devil ammunition to use against us. So, learn to be quiet. Watch over your words. Your words have power, not only with God but with your enemy. I strongly suggest praying in your prayer language during difficult times because only God understands what you are saying (1 Cor. 14:2). This is a powerful tool that God has given to believers that is underutilized.
3. Satan is not omnipotent. His power is limited. He can only do what God allows. Some things are allowed to happen because of our disobedience; others things happen to build our faith and other things happen because it rains on the just as well as the unjust.
I can only imagine, though Satan has great intellectual ability and deceived his followers to believe he is as powerful as God, he must feel overwhelmed at times trying to manage the world, trying to keep believers in check, and trying to become the supreme ruler of the universe.
4. Satan’s activities are overt and covert. The overt actions can be recognized easily; however, the covert needs prayer and revelation to be detected.
5. Satan is given more credit for bad things happening to believers than he deserves. Many negatives things that happen in our lives are because of our carnality and the decisions that we have made.
Finally, as believers, we have a responsibility to be victorious over Satan and his kingdom; for we are God’s battle ax and weapons of war. To accomplish this goal, we must:
1. Be in right relationship with God.
2. Know how Satan operates (motives and methods).
3. Remember, Satan is a defeated foe.
4. Utilize the warfare tools God has provided for us.
A description of Lucifer whose name means Bright Star can be found in Ezekiel 28. In verses 1-10 of this chapter, Ezekiel describes the Prince of Tyrus, who became arrogant because of his military prowess, commercial prosperity, and intellectual ability. These assets became his downfall when he declared himself to be a god. Like Herod in Acts 12 and Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, God judged him for his lofty thoughts, and his life ended in shame, disgrace, and defeat. Many commentaries likened the behavior of Lucifer to this prince.
Commentaries also believe verses 11-19 describe the outward appearance and character of Lucifer who was created by God, called a cherub, and whose assignment was to cover/guard the throne of God. Lucifer was clothed in a nine jewel-bespangled robe. He had a musical voice superior to all the other created beings, and he was perfect until he became corrupted in his thoughts and actions.
Further details of the events that led to the fall can be found in Isaiah 14:12-14. Enamored by his countenance, wisdom, and capabilities, Lucifer became infatuated with himself resulting in the Spirit of Pride possessing his very being, and causing him to make five erroneous “I will” attempts.
First, he wanted to move out of his assigned place/territory and ascend into heaven.
Secondly, he wanted to change his position and elevate himself above the other celestial beings. He wanted to be their boss.
Thirdly, he wanted to redirect God’s plan and purpose for his life. He wanted to rule over the universe.
Fourthly, he overestimated is potential in thinking he could rise above the glory and majesty of God.
Fifth and final, he became delusional in his thinking and thought he could be like God. He was not omnipotent, nor omnipresent or omniscient. He was a deceived created being.
Consequently, these actions caused him to be cast out of heaven and unfortunately as recorded in Revelation12:4 he took one-third of the angels with him. With the fall came a name change from Lucifer to Satan which means Adversary.
Job 1 shows us that presently, Satan still is permitted access to God. However, Revelation 12:7-10 tells us during the tribulation he will be restricted to earth. Revelation 20 shares he will be placed in a bottomless pit during the millennium reign of Jesus and after his release from the pit and final conquest against God he will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.
As I thought of the fall of Lucifer and the Spirit of Pride, I realized how subtly this spirit creeps into the lives of believers. Discontentment is bred from feelings of inferiority or superior, which both originate from the Spirit of Pride. Inferiority makes us dissatisfied with ourselves and makes us desire to be like someone else rather than be the best you that God has ordained us to be. Discontentment with our present situation can also cause us to be envious or jealous of others. Superiority makes us arrogant, lofty, and thinking since we are better than everyone; we should be in charge. Also, the Spirit of Pride opens the door to other spirits that are displeasing to God and causes chaos in our lives.
Finally, throughout the Bible, those that exhibited a Spirit of Pride were humbled and some even destroyed. So I close repeating the sayings of Peter, “Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.” This is my confession and prayer for you and me.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Daniel 4:3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
Colossians 1:16 -17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
From reading the Bible we realize that God created two realms: spiritual and natural. There are beings that reside in each of these realms. We are quite aware of the natural realm in which we live. We can see and communicate with these beings, which we call humans. However, the spiritual realm is unseen to most of us, and the majority of us humans do not communicate with the beings that exist in that realm.
No one knows when the beginning was; however, the bible states that it was God who created in the beginning. Scientists believe that the earth is billions of years old. Taking this information into account, we realize that prehistoric man and animals lived on earth before the creation of Adam and Eve. The bible does not give any information on God’s interaction with prehistoric beings; so, we do not know how, or if the two realms were in operation, and what the relationship between them was. Prehistoric times leave me with many questions, and maybe when I see Jesus, I will ask Him.
What we do understand from the scriptures is all the created beings were godly and worked in their place of assignment until the fall of Lucifer. (My next blog will be on Lucifer fall.) When he fell, there was a division in the spiritual realm. Thus, for your information, I am going to divide the spirit realm into two sections: godly and ungodly. I will also give a few scriptures that you can examine about the beings in this realm. If you want to do more research, you can find additional scriptures in a concordance.
GODLY SPIRITS
Angels (Daniel 8:16, 10:13; Luke 10:26; Hebrews 1:7, 13 -14; Genesis 28:12, 32:1; Revelation 5:11 – 12, 12: 7; Psalms 34:7, 91:11, 148:2, 103:20; 1 Kings 19:5; Matthew 4:11, 24:31, 25:31, 28:2; Luke 1:13 & 30, 2:10; Acts 8:26, 10:7, 12:7, 27:23)
Watchers (Daniel 4:13, 17, & 23)
Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2 – 7)
Cherubs (Genesis 3:24; Exodus 25:18)
Zoe (Revelation 4:6 – 9)
Horses (2 Kings 2:11 – 12)
Spirits (Proverbs 16:19; Psalms 51:10; 34:18; Zechariah 12:10; 1 Peter 4:14; Romans 8:2, 9 & 15; John 15:26; Isaiah 4:4, 11:2, 28:6; 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18; Daniel 5:12; Nehemiah 9:20)
UNGODLY SPIRITS
Lucifer/Satan (Ezekiel 28:11 – 19; Isaiah 14:12 – 17)
Fallen angels (Revelation 12:4; 9:11&14; Jude 1:6; Daniel 10:13 & 20
Demonic locust (Revelation 9:1-10)
Demonic horsemen (Revelation 9:16-19)
Demons (Mark 5:9, 16:17; Acts 8:7, 16:16; 1Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15, 11:8; Isaiah 19:14, 61:3; Proverbs 16:18, 17:22; Numbers 5:14; 1 John 4:3; Ephesians 2:2; Luke 13:11; 1 Samuel 1:15, 28:3; Matthew 12:22; Mark 9:25; Judges 9:23.)
God is a God of structure and order. He has a hierarchal system which is noted in the following scriptures: Colossians 1:16-17; Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 1:20 – 21. Satan is known to counterfeit the things of God; therefore, his kingdom is probably similar to God’s kingdom. The following scriptures also give a glimpse into Satan’s system: Daniel 10:13 & 20; Ephesians 6:12.
I am saddened to report that there are believers that do not realize Satan and his kingdom is real and busy. I hope the above information will assist you in understanding the reality of with whom we are contending and knowing we have help to be overcomers.
As I stated in my introduction blog of this series, there will be some work for you to do to get the most out of this series. I pray you will ask God to open up your heart and mind to receive; for we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.
I have been impressed in my spirit to do a blog series on “Spiritual Warfare” I plan to share information on this subject that I have gathered, studied, and taught in the past.
One of the scriptures that I confess often is found in 2 Corinthians 2:11. It states, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Satan uses our ignorance concerning the Word to get a foothold in our lives. This ignorance allows his goal to steal, kill, and destroy to be easily achieved.
God desires us to be overcomers. He has given us His Word, which provides instructions on how to deal with our spiritual enemies, and He has given us powerful weapons to utilize in this warfare. Failure is our choice. Success is attainable; however, it will take work.
Some things I write will be informational; other items will be for your application. I do not know if you have been praying about this topic or asking God for warfare strategies. Prayerfully, this series will answer some of your questions and aid you in your Christian walk.
Some of the topics I will share are:
- The fall of Lucifer
- Transference of spirits
- Warfare weapons
- Two Realms
- Binding and loosing
- Occults practices
- Witchcraft
- Casting down imaginations
- How to keep your deliverance
- Works of the flesh
Finally, I pray you will follow this blog series and be richly blessed and edified by it.
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
I am guilty; I am guilty, help me, God. This is my response to my thoughts about writing this blog.
I am one of those persons who grew up in a godly household. I accepted Christ as my Savior in my childhood, and 56 years later, I can thank God I have not strayed. As the saying goes, “All I know is holiness.” However, I realize there are many areas of failure in my life because of unbelief.
God inspired men to write the Bible so that humans would have a divine plan by which to live. It contains answers and instructions. Also, it includes many promises that belong to believers. Some of these are conditional, meaning we have to meet the condition (follow the instructions) as stated in the promise. But for some reasons, believers think we can pick and choose the promises and also commandments to which we will adhere. We expect God to cater to our actions forgetting that the scripture says, “He changes not.” I am required to eat the whole loaf. When I read books, I can decide what I will follow; however, the bible does not give me that option. My actions are displaying I don’t believe when I respond negatively to the Word or show opposition to what the Word reveals. My mind wants to believe God’s grace will allow me to do things my way. I choose not to remember there are consequences for disobedience.
The Message Bible quotes the words of Jesus as stated in the above scripture as, “You’re off base on two accounts: you don’t know your Bibles, and you don’t know how God works. These same words ring true today. I must continuously remind myself that I serve an Omniscient God. My mind cannot comprehend His ways or thoughts; therefore, I should not think my ways are justifiable or acceptable to Him.
In this particular perplexing age that we are living in, we need to be guided by a higher power, namely GOD. We need to cast down the vain imaginations that make us think we have a better way, bring in every ungodly rebellious thought and surrender them to God. After all, is said and done, I realize if I read, study, believe and obey the scriptures, my life would be significantly improved. How about you?
Psalms 95:2a Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving……
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
I Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
The prayer of thanksgiving is a prayer of appreciation or an expression of gratitude to God for who He is and for what He has done. The prayer of petition and intercession is asking God for something on behalf of others or yourself.
I often find myself petitioning and interceding for things God has already provided. The reason for these actions is I neglected to search the scriptures to locate the provisions God had already given me, or I know what the scriptures state, but I have become rote in asking for certain provisions. If a parent gives his child a dollar than that child does not need to ask for it; however, the response should be one of thanks. I do not need to ask for what has already been given.
In Psalms 95, I am instructed to come into the presence of God with thanksgiving. And though many times I may be burdened down from the storms of life, want to complain and have a pity party, I can come giving thanks because I realize God is in control of everything, and I am victorious with Him. Thus, I am putting Philippians 4:6 and I Thessalonians 5:18 into practice.
Also, when I start my prayers with thanksgiving, it reminds me of the things for which I have already prayed. Therefore, I am not asking for the same thing daily; but rather, since I believe that I have received (Mark 11:24) I will be thanking God for the manifestation of the request that I have previously prayed. If I do this, I think a significant part of my communication with God will become more of thanks and consequently, blessings. For a parent who receives continued thanks from their child is more apt to bless them. How about you trying to incorporate more of the prayer of thanksgiving in your life and see how God responds to you?
Israel was in Egypt for 430 years. When they went down into Egypt, they were numbered at seventy. When they left, they numbered six hundred thousand men plus women and children. They entered Egypt, as free men they escaped as slaves. Also, during their tenure in Egypt they were governed under the customs, rules, and laws of that land.
The journey from Egypt to the promise land took approximately eleven days. However, examining the scriptures in Exodus 12 when Israel made their exit from Egypt and the actual time that God was ready for them to enter into the promise land in Numbers 10 & 13, reveals two years had passed. Why the delay? God never planned to bring Israel into the promise land without first giving them structure, instructions, and laws that would prepare them for success in Canaan. God knew left up to their own devices; every man would do what is right in their own eyes. Thus, Israel’s life in Canaan would be filled with chaos and mayhem.
God’s plan for Israel was to be a theocracy; a nation under His rule. Therefore before He brought them into the promise land, He gave them His divine laws. The Ten Commandments formed the constitutional framework for the wide variety of laws they received. God left nothing to their imagination. He gave laws on: worship, idolatry, paganism, false spiritualism, blasphemy, dedication, tithing, conquest, Sabbath observance, special feast days, sacrifices, offerings, office of the priest, the sabbatical year, the year of jubilee, purification, persons excluded from the congregation, the Nazirite vow, vows of dedication, separation, governmental laws concerning kings, rulers, judicial system, crimes against persons, crimes against property, restitution for loss, seduction, injuries, damages, masters, servants, credit, interest, contracts, agreements, weights, measures, inheritance, marriage, divorce, sexual violations, dress for genders, health regulations, dietary regulations, benevolence, duties of respect, support, treatment of animals, preparation for battles, rules of siege, camp regulations, soldier’s exemption, obedience, duty of promulgate, blessings, and disobedience.
Unfortunately, after receiving these laws and marching orders to go into the promise land, Israel added another thirty-nine years due to their unbelief.
What is this information saying to us? First, before we receive the promise there may be a time of preparation which will aide in our future success. God has always been a God of order and structure. He does not do things haphazardly, and He desires believers to follow His pattern. Therefore, when we receive a promise, before we take off running, it would be wise if we would take time to discover and master the tools needed for our continual success in our promise land.
Secondly, the continued delay may be hinged on our disbelief. Pray that our vision, emotion, thoughts, and actions line-up with the things God have in store for us. Hence, at the appointed time thoroughly equipped, we will move into our promise.
Have you ever been in a state of depression, feeling hopeless and helpless? Have you ever been in a period of your life when everything was falling apart, and you could not see the light at the end of the tunnel? Then after much crying and prayer you receive a word from the Lord saying, “This is your season,” “Things are going to turn in your favor,” or “Change is coming.” You became excited and began to expect an immediate change only to experience things getting worse. If you are the average person, you go back to God with many questions about why things are not going the way you thought they would. Well, this is not a new situation. It happens in the lives of people all the time. Let’s examine what happened to the Israelites in the book of Exodus and God’s response to why things got worse.
To do this, we must first start with Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob. In his teenage years, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. He was taken from Canaan to Egypt where he became a steward in the house of Potiphar, and after several years he ended up in jail because of a lie told to Potiphar by his wife. In jail, he interpreted the dream of two of Pharaoh’s servants which eventually aided in his release from prison, and elevation to the second-in-command in Egypt, after interpreting the dream of Pharaoh concerning seven years of famine in Egypt. Ten of his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain when the famine hit Canaan . Joseph tested them, eventually revealed his identity to them, and invited them and their father Jacob to move to Egypt, where he would provide for them and their family.
Jacob and his family went to Egypt during year two of the famine in Egypt and the surrounding nations. The Israelites ended up staying 430 years. While Joseph was alive, he provided for them everything they needed to live comfortably. Pharaoh gave them the country of Goshen in which they resided, and he employed them in the care of his livestock. Their numbers grew from 70 to over 600,000 men plus women and children. They became satisfied and complacent. They forgot that they were supposed to be in Canaan the “LAND OF PROMISE.” Therefore, God had to intervene to get them back to their rightful place, and he did this by allowing the reigning Pharaoh who did not know Joseph to feel threatened by their magnitude. Thus, it caused him to place them in slavery, which made the Israelites cry for the reason of their severe bondage, and which opened the door for God to send them a deliverer.
The deliverer was their kinsmen named Moses, who had been away from Egypt for 40 years. God told him that he was sending him to Pharaoh to tell Pharaoh to let Israel go so they might worship Him in the wilderness. He told him he would send ten plagues to Egypt and harden Pharaoh’s heart, causing him to refuse to let the children go. After the final plague that results in the death of the firstborn son of all Egyptians and their cattle, Pharaoh would willingly let the Israelites leave.
God also told Moses to meet with the elders of Israel with his brother Aaron and inform them,
“I AM hath sent me unto you. The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”(Exodus 3:14, 16-17)
Moses followed God’s instructions and met with the elders and Pharaoh; however, the meeting with Pharaoh did not go as the Israelites expected. They thought Pharaoh would respond positively to the words of Moses; instead, he became angry, and increased the daily workload of Israelites, and beat the Israelite foremen when the work quota was not met. The unhappy foremen met with Moses and expressed their displeasure, blaming him for their present predicament. What they thought would get better had gotten worse.
Moses took this problem to God in prayer and said, “Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23)
God answered Moses with the following words, “Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.” (Exodus 6:1-8)
These words of encouragement and promise from God should have comforted the Israelites, but the Bible says they would not listen to Moses due to their anguish of spirit, and the cruel bondage for which they were suffering. Their actions did not deter God’s faithfulness to them; He did what He said, which allowed the Israelites to witness God’s remarkable feats.
Here are a few things believers can learn from the above events:
1. Eventually problems will arise when you are not in your place.
2. Things happen in your life to get you back to where God has ordained
3. Opposition comes to keep you immobile and bond when it is time for you to leave.
4. Pain will make you cry unto God for relief.
5. When things appear to be getting worse, pray, and ask God why.
6. Misery can cloud and dampen your perspective.
7. Hold on to what God said about you and not what man is doing to you.
8. The “I will” of God changes not.
9. God has a reason for hardening people’s heart toward you.
10. MOST IMPORTANTLY, things getting worse can be designed by God to render judgment to those who offended Him and you.
Finally, the good news is God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and destroyed their enemy in the process. So, fellow believers take courage. Like the Israelites, God thoughts toward you are good and not evil to give you an expected end. We must endure some pain for God to receive glory.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Recently the above scripture which I have read numerous times took on an additional meaning for me. I realized just before the rapture takes place; there is going to be a worldwide sound. Most sounds that we hear are localized, but there is going to be a sound coming forth that will be heard all over the world at the same time.
On the day of the rapture, which only our Father God knows, Jesus will descend from heaven with a shout. I can just imagine it will be a shout of victory and jubilation for finally He will be reunited with His church for eternity.
Accompanied with His shout will be the voice of the archangel. The Bible informs us of one mighty warring archangel named Michael, who is seen as a guardian of Israel. Since the scriptures do not say, I can only speculate that Michael is announcing, “It is time” as he and a host of angels accompany Jesus through the heavens to our atmosphere.
Also accompanying Jesus is the trump of God. The Bible first mentions this trump in the book of Exodus; when Israel is told at the sounding of the trump to gather at the foot of Mount Sinai where they will hear God speak to Moses. The trump sounded so long and loud; the people became fearful. The scripture states this as follows:
EXODUS 19: 13b – 19 When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
In Numbers 10, Moses is instructed to make two trumpets for Israel. The purpose of the trumpets, as cited in that chapter, is for the calling of the assembly and the journeying of the camp. Again, I can only imagine when this trump of God that is with Jesus sounds it is a signal to believers. It is calling us to assemble as we get ready for our journey.
I can not tell whether unbelievers will hear the worldwide shout, the voice, or the sound. If they do, they will probably become fearful as Israel did at Mount Sinai. I, however, am getting excited just thinking about it, and I end with this question for you. Will you be ready to meet the Lord in the air when the worldwide sound occurs?
God sent Abraham into a land which He promised to give to him and his descendants. Abraham’s grandson Jacob and his children left this land during a time of famine and went into Egypt. There they became comfortable and complacent, because of the royal treatment they were receiving. When new leadership took over the government, they began to persecute the Israelites because they questioned their allegiance to them. It was this persecution that caused Israel to cry unto God for deliverance. God’s response was to send them a deliverer named Moses. The Bible in Exodus 3:9 -10 says the following about that event,
“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
The news report on today has reported a significant ground war is escalating in Israel. The reason for this war is the occupation of the promise land. It appears for Israel just like they had to fight to take over the land under the leadership of Joshua, and continue to fight to hold on to this land throughout the ages, the fight continues. On today, many Israelites are praying to Jehovah to intervene on their behalf.
As believers, like the children of Issachar who understood the signs of the times, we realize that there must be a need for the Israelites to make a peace covenant with the Antichrist. These wars within their land will motivate them to do so. Their desire to have peace and build their temple will inspire them. The stage is being set. Let us not only pray for them, but be watchful for the return of the Lord draws nigh.
For more information about end-time events read my other blog series on the Book of Revelation.
The Teacher's Pick 