Global Anti-Semitism: The Final Sign of the Ten Signs Christ Gave in Matthew 24 Sign # 10
March 29, 2012
By: John Barnett
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Satan the Dragon has a fixation on destroying the people of the Name (Rev. 15).
"God has written history, and put on paper that He is going to save a remnant of Israel at their final and most desperate hour" (Zechariah 12-14).
Satan can read. He knows the written down parts of the plan, and for the past 2600 years since that plan and other parts were revealed, he has intensified his efforts to thwart God.
Satan wants toThwart God’s Plan
Have you ever wondered what Satan’s priorities are, his obsession that he works on like a workaholic, day and night? The most powerful, dangerous, and intelligent being in the Universe, next to God, has quite a focused attack plan. Think back to what Satan has been doing.
• In Eden’s outer garden, he got the first son born on earth Cain, to kill his brother Seth, who was a true servant of God.
• In Noah’s day, he got a group of demons to interfere with humanity and corrupt the race so that only 8 humans were left who loved and swerved the Lord.
• In Genesis 11, when God finally let His plan be seen by His choice of Abraham to be the Father of His Chosen People of Destiny, the Jews—Satan went into high gear.
God revealed the people He has chosen to be the human vehicle through which His Word, His Son, His Church, and finally His End of Days would unfold through. And so Satan had a target.
Anti-Semitism is as old as Genesis 11 when God called Abram over 4,000 years ago. Hatred of Jews is the heart of Satan, and all who share that hatred are doing Satan’s plan.
So, as soon as possible after Genesis 11 (by chapter 16), Satan discouraged Abram, and incited him into fathering an heir God hadn’t chosen, named Ishmael. Then Satan went on to try to corrupt Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob.
By Exodus 1, while the chosen people of God were in Egypt, Satan tried to get the male children killed to stop the line of promise, when he couldn’t and God powerfully delivered them, Satan got them so enslaved to immorality and idolatry that God was ready to destroy all of them but Moses (Exodus 32-34).
From Exodus 12 though I Samuel 8, and over the next 400 years from Joshua through Samuel were years of idols and evils that Satan sent to corrupt the Chosen People of Destiny.
From I Samuel 9 to the end of II Chronicle, covering the next 400 years from Saul to the Captivity, Satan made sure these were years of growing apostasy and finally God was so fed up with Israel He allowed them to be massacred and enslaved, and exiled from His land.
From the Exile years in the book of Esther, we see how in the next century the Satan almost got them exterminated by Haman in Persia. Then 400 years later, the Romans did a number on them in AD 70. Fast forward through 1900 years of persecution, slavery, oppression, and pogroms and we find Hitler rounding up the Chosen People of Promise to do his Final Solution on them.
Actually none of those pogroms, holocausts, and massacres were the ideas of Haman, Roman Emperors, Hitler, or Muslim terrorists. All those murderous, extinction desires flow from the most evil one of all. Satan wants to disrupt God’s plan. He knows that God’s plan is centered on the Chosen Jewish people of Promise. If Satan can destroy them, he has won.
God’s plan is to bring back His Chosen People of Promise the Jews into the Land He gave them, and to see them come to faith, and then deliver them from the whole world under Satan’s sway, seeking to finally destroy them all.
There is no other explanation for the intense hatred and enmity that has smoldered for century after century against the Jewish people—than that it is prompted by the Devil. And that is exactly what God's Word explains to us clearly.
As we open to Matthew 24 we are in the midst of Christ's promises and predictions about the end of the world. Jesus gave to His disciples a bird’s eye view of Earth as He returns.
In that Divine Map of how the conclusion of human history will unfold, we can discern several clear:
Signs of the End of Days
We are on the tenth and final sign. Today we begin looking at Satan, Anti-Semitism, and the Miracle of Israel. But before we do, let’s review what Jesus explained to His disciples. First Jesus frames the world at the end of Days through the prophets that have already written an immense amount of prophetic road maps. From these we see at the end of days a world increasingly characterized by:
#1: The Sign of Global Travel (Daniel 12:4 many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”)
# 2: The Sign of a Global Explosion of Information (Daniel 12:4b many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”)
#3: The Sign of Global Disaster Awareness (Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
#4: The Sign of Global Communication (Revelation 11:9-10 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.)
#5: The Sign of Global Commerce: Digitalized Money, Global Tracking and Positioning (Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.)
#6: The Sign of Global Apostasy, Demonism, and Hatred of Christianity (I Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron)
#7:The Sign of Global Pestilences (Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.) If your translation does not have “pestilence” look in Luke 21:11 the parallel account, and you will see it there. Today we see on the horizon the world Jesus described in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6.
#8: The Sign of Global Evangelism (Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come). Today, portions or the entire Bible have been translated into over 2,300 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world's population.
#9: The Sign of Weapons of Mass Destruction. (Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.)
Consider that when Jesus made this prediction the armaments of His day were swords and spears. But today, with nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, it is possible to wipe out all flesh on planet earth.
The Sign of Global Increasing Warfare Around the Globe: Many wars would erupt.
Matthew 24:7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. "
According to Project Ploughshares , at the end of 2008 there were 30 armed conflicts involving 26 of Earth’s 192 nations in the world today.
Mark 13:7-8 "But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.[a] These are the beginnings of sorrows."
The Sign of Global Weaponry Addiction: A global arms race would occur. Never in history have so many nations stockpiled armaments. In 2006 alone the world’s combined military spending was $1.3 trillion dollars with the top four being the USA $540B, NATO $268B, China $122B, and Russia $70B.
Joel 3:9-14 "Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. "
Revelation 16:14 "For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and[a] of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."
But now, the final sign and the staggering implications it has to us who read about this sign every day in the news. As I explain what God has told us, it should send a prophetic shiver up your spine. Everything God said would happen is happening right now.
Today’s news sounds like the prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, or Zechariah wrote it. And the headlines each day sound like the Apostle John is reading them from Patmos.
These are sure wonderful days to live and proclaim that we know the God who is in control, and shaping the world’s events as we head towards the End of days. Now we begin, as Jesus finally said that the end of days would be a time that is most characterized as:
Sign #10 is a time when the world’s entire attention will begin to revolve around Israel, the Nation made up of God’s Chosen People of Destiny:
• First we see this Sign in the Global Hatred of the Nation of Israel and of the Jewish People: Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Who would think that by 2009 there would even be a single Jew left to be hated except for the Divine Hand protecting them all these centuries? No nation or ethnic group has ever been hunted more, persecuted more, exiled more, tracked down and exterminated—like the Jewish peoples have for 2,600 years.
As Ezekiel described it (Ezk. 35:5), there is an ancient hatred (old as the Devil) against the Chosen People of Destiny called the Jews. But still they remain a distinct people group, and the focus of an undying hatred by huge parts of the global community. The rise of anti-Semitism worldwide anticipated by Moses and the other Hebrew prophets over 3,500 years ago.
• Second, we see this Sign in the Global Return of the Wandering Jews to the Promised Land: Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
God promised over 26 centuries ago that at the end of the world--Jews would begin to re-gather in Israel; and they HAVE come back, from over 100 different nations around the world. Israel has more different languages spoken within it’s tiny area than any other nation on earth! Look back at Matthew 24 and notice the “orientation” of this text. When Jesus comes back He saw the Jews there and near a temple dedicated to God.
Before we look at all the promises that God would re-gather His Jewish people back to His Land—notice that Jesus spoke of the Jewish people at the end of the world as—already there living in Israel and with a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem!
God promised over 26 centuries ago that at the end of the world--Jews would begin to re-gather in Israel.
• Jeremiah 31:7-10" For thus says the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. 9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’"
• Ezekiel 37:21-22 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again."
• Ezekiel 38:8 "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."
Since 1948 the world has witnessed the call of God deep within the hearts of 5.4 million Jews who have done everything they could to get to the Promised Land. And more arrive each day!
Satan the Dragon has a fixation on destroying the people of the Name (Rev. 15).
God has written history, and put on paper that He is going to save a remnant of Israel at their final and most desperate hour (Zechariah 12-14).
Satan can read. He knows the written down parts of the plan, and for the past 2600 years since that plan and other parts were revealed, he has intensified his efforts to thwart God.
Satan wants to Thwart God’s Plan
Actually none of those pogroms, holocausts, and massacres were the ideas of Haman, Roman Emperors, Hitler, or Muslim terrorists. All those murderous, extinction desires flow from the most evil one of all. Satan wants to disrupt God’s plan. He knows that God’s plan is centered on the Chosen Jewish people of Promise. If Satan can destroy them, he has won.
God’s plan is to bring back His Chosen People of Promise the Jews into the Land He gave them, and to see them come to faith, and then deliver them from the whole world under Satan’s sway, seeking to finally destroy them all. And that is exactly what God's Word explains to us clearly.
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