FROM IRAQ
TO ARMAGEDDON T HE FINAL S HOWDOWN A PPROACHES
FROM IRAQ
TO ARMAGEDDON T HE FINAL S HOWDOWN A PPROACHES
K EITH I NTRATER
© Copyright 2003—Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some Bible publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules. Destiny Image ® Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Speaking to the Purposes of God for This Generation and for the Generations to Come” ISBN 0-7684-2186-1 (formerly published as 1-56043-041-9) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 09 08 07 06 05 For Worldwide Distribution Printed in the U.S.A. This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. To place a book order, call toll-free: 1-800-722-6774. For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Or reach us on the Internet:
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CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20
The Signs of the Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Central Figure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hebrew Prophets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peace in the Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Seed of Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intifada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Remnant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The World Trade Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terrorism and Propaganda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Throne of David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Of Trumpets and Tribulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spiritual Warfare in the Endtimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O Columbia, O Palestine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zionism and Israeli Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Qur’an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Road to Armageddon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heaven and Hell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Double Shout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note from the Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 17 27 37 47 57 69 79 89 99 111 123 133 145 157 169 181 191 203 215 217 219
7
CHAPTER 1
T HE SIGNS
OF THE
TIMES
The times are urgent. The end of the age is upon us. The pressure is mounting. There are crises all around us and all over the world. It seems like the world just can’t take it anymore. And yet this is just the beginning of the conflicts and difficulties. Matthew 24:6-8 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. The entire world looks as if it is going through birth pangs. Even the earth itself is groaning as if in labor. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Despite the difficulties of the times we live in, Yeshua (Jesus) tells us not to be afraid. Everything that is happening is part of a plan, which ultimately has a good ending. He likens these tribulations to the birth pangs of a woman in labor (see Jn. 16:21). Despite the horrible pains of giving birth, a woman is overjoyed at the prospect of the new child coming into the world. As soon as that child is born, she forgets the difficulty of her labor. The Sandwich So what is the great new thing that we are to look forward to?
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FR O M I R A Q
TO
A RMAGEDDON
The Bible begins and ends with a beautiful picture of paradise. In the beginning we have the Garden of Eden (see Gen. 1–3). At the end we see a picture of paradise restored, the “heavenly Jerusalem,” with Heaven and earth living in perfect harmony (see Rev. 20–22). So the story of the Bible as a whole is somewhat like a sandwich. The piece of bread at the beginning and at the end is a beautiful time of peace and prosperity. There will be such happiness that no one will even shed a tear from sorrow. Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Unfortunately, most of the story between those two pictures of paradise is filled with sorrow and sin. The meat between the two pieces of bread is bitter and tough. Human history is filled with conflict and pain, not only between men and men, but also between men and God. That Great and Terrible Day The conflicts of human history are building up toward one final conflict. That conflict is a great war. That war is sometimes referred to as Armageddon, the battle of Gog and Magog, or the Apocalypse. The tribulations and conflicts of our time will increase steadily in their intensity until that final clash. It is during the great end-times war that the Messiah will come. Yeshua will intervene, stop the war, bring judgment to the wicked, and establish the period of Messianic peace upon the earth. The second coming of Yeshua is the focal point of all the prophecies of the endtimes. It is the main event. Because of the war and because of the judgment, this event is referred to by the Hebrew prophets as: Joel 2:31 KJV “the great and terrible day of the Lord [YHVH].” In terms of biblical history, the period of time in which we now live may be seen as a plain between two mountain peaks. The mountain peak behind us is the crucifixion of Yeshua, and the mountain peak in front of us is the Second Coming. With each day that passes, we come closer to that second peak—closer to that great and terrible day of YHVH, the day of the coming of Messiah.
TH E SI G N S
OF THE
TI M E S
9
At the cross, Yeshua came as the sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world. At the Second Coming, He will appear as a roaring lion to punish those who have rebelled against God. At Mount Calvary Yeshua offered us grace. When He returns to the Mount of Olives, He will execute justice. The Double Anointing The primary text that Yeshua used to preach from while He was here on the earth was Isaiah 61. This is a passage that speaks of preaching the good news of God’s grace. Isaiah 61:1-2a The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord… It is interesting to note that in the first century when Yeshua preached, He ended His text in the middle of verse 2. The second half of the verse continues: Isaiah 61:2b …and the day of vengeance of our God. The preaching of the gospel has a twofold anointing. Yeshua concentrated on the aspects of forgiveness and healing in the first century because, according to the plan of God, it was the time for Him to be crucified to offer atonement and salvation to man. (This came as a surprise to the Jewish people of the first century, including His own disciples, since they were expecting the Messiah to come as a conquering king.) However, as we approach the Second Coming, the second half of the Isaiah 61 passage becomes more urgent. The gospel needs to be preached in the light of the Second Coming. There is a powerful prophetic anointing that comes with the second half of the message, just as much as that which comes with the first. Yeshua is anointed as both the suffering servant and the conquering king. The Timing The dispensation of time in which we now live, where the gospel is being preached around the world, occurs roughly at the same time as the great exile of the Jewish people to all the nations of the world. One generation
10
FR O M I R A Q
TO
A RMAGEDDON
after the crucifixion of Yeshua, Jewish people were sent into exile (A.D. 70). Now that we are in the generation preceding the Second Coming, the Jewish people are being regathered to their land. This is not a coincidence. As we look at the rest of Isaiah 61, we will see that the passage deals primarily with the restoration of Israel as a nation. Yes, the passage deals with executing judgment, establishing justice, and bringing joy to the earth. However, those elements are given in the context of the restoration of Israel. Isaiah 61:3-7 To console those who mourn in Zion… They shall rebuild the old ruins…and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks… You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles… Therefore in their land they shall possess double. The restoration of Israel is the overall context of Isaiah chapters 60–62. When Yeshua was raised from the dead, His disciples expected Him to bring the restoration of Israel immediately, and then through that restoration to bring peace to the rest of the world. Before He ascended into Heaven, He taught them for 40 days about the Kingdom of God. They responded: Acts 1:6 Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Yeshua replied that it was not the time for the restoration of Israel. There would be a long period first in which the gospel would be preached to all the nations of the world, and then would come the time for the establishment of the Messianic kingdom on earth. The establishment of the Messianic kingdom on earth takes place at the end of the preaching of the gospel all over the world. Acts 1:7-8 It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
TH E SI G N S
OF THE
TI M E S
11
Since the Messianic kingdom on earth is connected with the restoration of Israel, and since the Messianic kingdom comes at the end of the gospel era, it is logical that the nation of Israel be restored at the time when the gospel era approaches its end. Yeshua’s disciples missed the fact that the gentile nations are to take part in establishing the Messianic kingdom on the earth. The message of salvation was to come from the Jews to the nations (see Jn. 4:22), but then the believers in every nation were to rise up and take part in establishing the kingdom. Establishing the kingdom on earth would mean bringing Jesus back. Since Jesus (Yeshua) was to come back to the nation of Israel, obviously the nation of Israel would have to be restored as part of the process leading up to the Second Coming. The Two Prerequisites There are two great prerequisites for the second coming of Yeshua. The first is world evangelism: Matthew 24:14 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. The Kingdom of God is for all people. Before the kingdom can come to earth, the gospel invitation must be offered to every person. This is why world evangelism must be a priority for all of us. We need to share the gospel everywhere. We need to pray for everyone to be saved. And we need to give money toward evangelistic and apostolic missions. The second prerequisite has to do more specifically with revival in Israel. Yeshua turned to His own Jewish brethren who were rejecting Him in the first century and said: Matthew 23:37-39 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
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FR O M I R A Q
TO
A RMAGEDDON
Here Yeshua predicted the destruction of the temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people when He said, “Your house is left to you desolate.” The Gospel and the Dispersion When Yeshua said that He wished to “gather” the Jewish people to Him, He was referring to personal salvation through faith, and to regathering the exiles to Israel from the four corners of the earth. Had the Jewish religious leaders accepted Yeshua, there would have been no need for the two-thousand-year exile. Had the Jewish people as a nation taken it upon themselves to fulfill their priestly calling by presenting the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations, there would have been no need for the exile. Someone once said, if you don’t take Acts 1:8—to go out to spread the gospel around the world; you get Acts 8:1—in which the early believers in Jerusalem were scattered throughout the regions because of persecution. Either way, whether through cooperation or constraint, the purposes of God will be fulfilled. The Jewish people were dispersed in exile in a parallel manner to which the gospel was spread around the world. As the Jews were exiled, so were the first-century Messianic apostles and evangelists dispersed with them. While the nation as a whole was being punished, the Messianic remnant brought blessing and salvation to the Gentiles. So the gospel went with the Jews, and the Jews went with the gospel. For the past two thousand years, most of the Jewish people have lived in exile in “Christian” nations, first in Europe, then in America. At first this exile allowed for the gospel to come to the Gentiles. Later it was designed by God as an opportunity for Christians to bring the gospel back to the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism and the Exile Therefore, anti-Semitism and persecution of the Jews at the hands of so-called Christian nations was the exact opposite of the purpose of God. In fact, it makes Him angry. Here is God’s evaluation of anti-Semitism and the exile: Zechariah 1:14-15 I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped—but with an evil intent.
TH E SI G N S
OF THE
TI M E S
13
The King James translates that last phrase as “they helped forward the affliction.” The Hebrew is azru l’ra’ah, which means “they helped for evil.” The exile of the Jewish people was a punishment from God for our sins and for rejecting Yeshua (see Lk. 19:44). However, the ill treatment of the Jews at the hands of the Gentiles during the exile added extra punishment that was contrary to the will of God. How Much More Their Restoration Amazingly, God used His punishment on the Jewish people to bring the message of salvation to the gentile nations. In return, His plan was that they would bring the gospel back to the Jews, and then together, the international church and the restored remnant of Israel would give birth to the Messianic kingdom on the earth. Romans 11:11-12, 15 Through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? The gospel of salvation is a universal message of forgiveness available to every human being. It has no connection to time, place, or ethnic origin. That’s why there was no hindrance to the spread of the gospel when Israel was dispersed as a nation. On the contrary, it even helped to some degree, by removing political or cultural stumbling blocks. However, there is more to come. When Yeshua returns, He will bring the resurrection of the dead and peace on earth. When He returns, He will have to return to a specific place and at a specific time. The Messianic kingdom will have a real society with real people. In that context, the restoration of the nation of Israel has significance. Yeshua was crucified as “King of the Jews” (Jn. 19:19). He was ridiculed on the cross for being “The King of Israel” (Mk. 15:32). Yeshua has not yet fulfilled His calling as the King of the Jews. In the message of universal forgiveness, the role of the nation of Israel has less importance. However, in the message of the Messianic kingdom—with the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the era of peace on earth, the nation of Israel does have an important role to play.
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FR O M I R A Q
TO
A RMAGEDDON
Yeshua was crucified as the King of Israel, and He will return to conquer as the King of Israel. Yeshua said that He would not come back until the Jews in Israel were ready to receive Him (see Mt. 23:39). But they cannot receive Him if they are not there. Before there can be a revival in Israel, there must be people in Israel. Before the spiritual kingdom can be restored to Israel, the physical nation of Israel must be brought back into existence. Jewish Believers in Yeshua Over the past hundred years God has been bringing the Jewish people back to the land. More recently there has been the spread of faith in Yeshua among Jewish people both in Israel and around the world. Again, the timing is not a coincidence. World evangelism and the restoration of Israel are part of the process that leads up to the Second Coming. The link between world evangelism and the restoration of Israel are the Jewish people who have become believers in Yeshua. I can remember thinking, in the late 1970s when I came to faith in Yeshua, that I must be the only Jewish person in the world who believes in Jesus. Many of us who were part of those first waves of Jewish people coming to know the Lord felt the same way. Without knowing it, we were fulfilling prophecies from the New Testament that were written almost two thousand years before we were born. Luke 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Here Yeshua again prophesied of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people. Yet this was also part of His prophecies about the endtimes, which predicted that Jerusalem would one day come back into the hands of the Jews. After the destruction of Israel as a nation, the gospel was to go forth to the gentile nations. As the time of the gospel to the Gentiles would start to come to an end, the Jewish people would be regathered to Israel and the city of Jerusalem recaptured. At that time, Jewish people would start to believe in Yeshua again. Paul stated: Romans 11:25b-26a Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
TH E SI G N S
OF THE
TI M E S
15
And so all Israel will be saved. If we compare Yeshua’s words in Luke 21 with Paul’s words in Romans 11, we find that at the time of the “fullness of the Gentiles” these three events would coincide: Jerusalem would be recaptured by the Jews; Jewish people would begin to believe in Yeshua again; and the spread of the gospel to the nations would come into its final stages. Jerusalem was recaptured in 1967. Since that time, true to the prophecies, Jewish people, independently and spontaneously, both in Israel and around the world, have started believing in Yeshua. Since that time as well, there has been an expansion of world evangelism and a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Double Invitation Those two great prerequisites—world evangelism and revival in Israel—should be deep burdens upon our hearts. They should be powerful sources of motivation for us as we seek to serve the Lord. Both world evangelism and revival in Israel will bring us to the second coming of Yeshua. Even though Yeshua is a conquering king, He is still a gentleman. He will only come back when He is invited. The invitation for Him to return is two-sided: It comes from both the international Church and the remnant of Israel. Revelation 22:20b Even so, come [Maranatha], Lord Jesus! The international community of faith, made up of the remnant of true believers in every nation, will cry out, “Maranatha!” Matthew 23:39 You shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord [Baruch haba b’shem adonai]!” The restored remnant of Jewish believers in Yeshua in the endtimes will cry out, “Baruch HaBa.” At this dual invitation Yeshua will return. Just as there was cooperation in the negative between the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman military leaders to crucify Yeshua, so will there be a positive cooperation between Jewish and gentile believers to invite Yeshua back. God’s Clock Yeshua told us that we should try to understand the timing of spiritual events. He said we should know how to “discern the signs of the times”
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A RMAGEDDON
(Mt. 16:3). The fact that Israel has become a nation and that Jewish people are already starting to believe in Yeshua is a sign that we are getting close to the Second Coming. Matthew 24:32 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. The fig tree is the symbol of the nation of Israel. The summer is the end of the age. The word “summer” in Hebrew is the same root as the word for “end.” There is a play on words here that Yeshua is repeating from Amos 8:2. The leaves on the fig tree are the beginning of the spiritual restoration of Israel. And those leaves have already started to blossom. This is a sign— a kind of clock from God—to let us know that the time of the kingdom really is at hand.