Israel, the Dragon, and a Sword
Tony Schachle
Israel, the Dragon and a Sword • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsBiblical prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes. What we see taking place in the Middle East right now is just another confirmation that we are getting closer and closer to the final fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. God has promised in His Word to protect, preserve, and save a remnant from Israel. Israel will not be wiped off the face of the earth, but ultimately the demonic powers of darkness will be destroyed by the sword of the Lord! Isaiah 27:1 gives us a summary of what is going to take place in the ends times. In this message we are going to deal with “Israel, the Dragon, and a Sword.”
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Biblical prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes. What we see taking place in the Middle East right now is just another confirmation that we are getting closer and closer to the final fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. The terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas and the sick, demented, twisted violence that they unleashed was demonic. Israel is not just fighting Hamas, or Hezbollah, or even Iran. Israel is in the middle of spiritual war. Just look how Israel’s response to the attacks by Hamas has ignited a firestorm of anti-semitism and demonstrations across the world, including the US, calling for the complete annihilation of Israel as a nation and death to all the Jews. But God has promised in His Word to protect, preserve, and save a remnant from Israel. Israel will not be wiped off the face of the earth, but ultimately the demonic powers of darkness will be destroyed by the sword of the Lord! Isaiah 27:1 gives us a summary of what is going to take place in the ends times. In this message we are going to deal with “Israel, the Dragon, and a Sword.”
SCRIPTURE
SCRIPTURE
1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword Shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, Even leviathan that crooked serpent; And he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
Israel
Israel is God’s Chosen People
A Special Treasure
6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
The Apple of God’s Eye
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.
The Place Where God Chose to Put His Name Forever
7 He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;
God is Not Done With Israel
God Can Graft Them Back in Again
24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
Israel Will Be Saved
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
Everlasting Salvation
17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever.
Everlasting Covenant
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
Biblical Prophecy Centers Around Israel
The Rebirth of a Nation
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.
May 14, 1948
The Tribulation centers around Israel
The church is not mentioned from Chapter 4 to Chapter 19.
It is called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.
It is about the redemption and restoration of Israel.
War of Gog of Magog (Ezekiel 38-39)
Gog of Magog
1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.
Magog is Russia
Gog is the leader of Russia
Gog’s Allies
4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.
Persia is Iran. Could also include Iraq, Syria, and the “stans” like Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.
Cush or Ethiopia is the area south of Egypt. Today it includes Ethiopia and Sudan.
Put or Lybia is the area west of Egypt.
Gomer is Turkey.
Beth Togarmah is also part of Turkey.
Preparation for War
8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.
9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”
How Gog is Enticed
10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:
11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—
12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’
The King of the North
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?
15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.
16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”
17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?
God’s Judgment on Gog
God’s Fury
18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face.
19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,
20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’
God Calls for a Sword
21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.
God’s Judgment Upon Gog
22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’
SUMMARY POINTS
God is not done with Israel.
Just like God won’t give up on Israel, He won’t give up on you!
Just like God fulfills His promises to Israel, He will fulfill His promises to us!
We are living in the last days.
The signs of the times are all around us.
God’s Word is being fulfilled in our lifetime!
I’m not saying that the current war in the Middle East will lead to the Ezekiel 38-39 war or that it could usher in the Tribulation, but I’m saying it could.
When you start to see nations like Iran (Persia), Turkey, Syria, and others getting directly involved in this war, get ready.
When you see Russia, the king from the North, come down and get directly involved in war with Israel, get ready.
God is in total control.
Current events should not cause us to fear.
They should move us to action!
Look up, our redemption is drawing nigh!
The Dragon
Three Terms
Leviathan
livyāṯān
sea monster
chaos creature
Serpent
nâchâsh
a snake or serpent
Dragon
tannîyn
serpent, dragon, sea monster, jackal, whale
The Meaning of Chaos in the Bible
In the Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
without form = tôhûw, to'-hoo = wildernenss
void = bôhûw, bo'-hoo = emptiness, nothingness
Creation
21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
sea creatures = tannîyn, tan-neen'
God originally created them “very good,” but something happened.
The Serpent in the Garden
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
serpent = nâchâsh, naw-khawsh'
This serpent represents Satan, a fallen angel.
From this point in the Bible, we see the leviathan, the nachash, the tanniyn, and the places where they live (the sea, the wilderness, and darkness) representing disorder, chaos, rebellion against God, and those intent on destroying God’s created order and His plan of redemption.
The Ancient War
Where it All Began
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
How Satan Has Tried to Stop God’s Plans
Genesis 6
Tower of Babel
Pharaoh of Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
Herod in Jesus’ Day
Satan, the Great Dragon
Satan is Intent on Destroying Israel
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
But Satan Will Not Succeed!
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
SUMMARY POINTS
Satan is the embodiment of the Chaos Creature
He committed the first rebellion against God.
He is behind every form of rebellion.
He is continually trying to bring chaos into God’s created order.
He’ll be behind all rebellion until the final one and Jesus finally puts and end to him and his kingdom.
There is a spiritual battle going on right now!
Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are demonic.
Some of protesters that are calling for Israel’s annihilation act like demonic zombies.
Satan is increasing his attack because he knows his time is short.
Satan should know that he can’t destroy Israel, but it won’t stop him from trying.
Satan should know that he can’t destroy the church, but it won’t stop him from trying.
Satan should know that he can’t destroy your faith in God, but it won’t stop him from trying.
That’s why we’ve got to be focused on our relationship with God in these last days.
Our church attendance should be increasing, not decreasing.
Our devotion and prayer time should be increasing, not decreasing.
Our worship should be increasing, not decreasing.
Our faith should be increasing, not decreasing.
A Sword
Three Terms to Describe the Lord’s Sword
Sore (Severe)
Great
Strong
Two Important Phrases
“In that day”
“The Lord…will slay the dragon that is in the sea”
The Second Coming of Christ
Israel Will Flee Into the Wilderness
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
The Dragon Will Persecute Israel
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
God Has Promised to Come to Israel’s Aid
1 Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, The world and all things that come forth from it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
3 Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.
5 “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness.”
8 For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
Jesus Will Fulfill this Prophecy at His Second Coming
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Jesus Establishes His Millineal Kingdom
Satan is bound for 1,000 years
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
After 1,000 years Satan is Destroyed
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The Eternal Kingdom
All Things New
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
There will be no more wilderness where the serpent dwells. He is going to create a new heaven and a new earth.
There will be no more sea where the leviathan dwells.
There will be no more dragon.
There will be no more chaos.
There will be no more darkness. Jesus is going to be the light of that city.
23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
There will be nothing to fear.
25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
There will be no more sin there.
27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The Great Invitation
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
SUMMARY POINTS
Jesus is coming back King of kings and Lord of lords!
Jesus is going to destroy the antichrist system with the sword of His mouth.
Jesus is going to save a remnant in Israel!
Jesus is going to put an end to Satan’s reign on earth!
Jesus is going to make all things new!
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