Recognizing Satan's Temptation - Satan's attacks against Israel
(Excerpt from lecture V)
Introduction:
- Satan’s attacks on Israel will continue and multiply during the last seven years, until Jesus comes back
- the very last three years of the battle will take place in Armageddon (Rev 16:16). These battles will be between many nations and cities, the goal of which to gather everyone together to a place called Armageddon in war in the combat for Jerusalem.
- the Battles of Armageddon, will be another so-called World War, a War not just between the east and the west, not of just between Republicans and Capitalists, nor between Israelites and non-Israelites, but it would be a War between the army of Satan – humans who have fallen to Satan’s power – and the disciples of Jesus Christ. The battles will not only be political, economical, military, and religious, but will also be the final spiritual battles of the hour. Finally, the Battles of Armageddon will end at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The armies of heaven are to be led by angels and by mighty men (Rev. 19:11-21) who enter in the war of Jerusalem, and would be able to defeat the army of Satan. Then it will establish reign on earth.
Key Points:
- The first proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ
- Satan's trickery: dividing up Jerusalem
- How the Israelites were deceived, brought into confusion, and betrayed
- The return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Battles of Armageddon in Jerusalem
- Roles and duties of the Gentiles
- Matt 23:37-39, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gates her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
- the name of the Lord Jesus Christ was first proclaimed in Luke 19:38, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of he Lord!" This was especially used by the Israelites at that time to welcome their king Messiah, something culturally meaningful to the people. Before the Lord went on the cross, people greeted him using this when seeing him entering Jerusalem on his donkey. They bestowed the same respect onto Jesus as they would to the King Messiah.
- This was a prophetic message: Israel will repent and invite the Lord Jesus Christ as their king, and Jesus will come back as the King of Israel. Jesus had said, "Until then you will say...", 'you' meaning those who will become part of the Israelite government in the future
- Jesus does not want to forcefully convert the Israelite government. He wishes that his people come to him voluntarily and worship him as the Lord of their life, the King Messiah
- Satan has always wanted to cause destruction, proving false of Jesus' prophecy
How this was done? Satan’s destruction comes in one of the following ways:
- Deceiving the Israelites, making them believe that anti-Christ is in fact the real Messiah, and mislead them into believing the marks of the beast instead
- to kill the people of Israel. As a result, the people cannot come to Jesus, which also accords to Satan’s plan on many powerful politicians, through them, Satan will destroy the Israelite nation
- to mock and irritate people in Israel, so that their hearts will be covered by hatred and hence antagonize Jesus Christ
Satan strategizes to finalize his plan during the last three years of time, first in which to cause divisions among Jerusalem.
Part II: Dividing up Jerusalem
- Amos 7:17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: “‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan[c] country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
The first attestation to this was the capture of Judah
Then confirmed a second time by the coming of the war in Jerusalem
- Zechariah 13:7-9 “...two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold....’”
It's a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. In 2001, the world population of Israelites was 13,250,000. There were only about 6,000,000 people living in the country at that time. From the time when the division of Jerusalem started until the return of the Lord Jesus, the attacks of Satan has caused many to lose their lives.
- Zechariah: 14:1-15
- Zch 14:1-2 describe the ways in which Jerusalem was divided during the last three and a half years
"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city."
- Zch 14: 3-15 describe the fights taking place in Jerusalem - the Battles of Armageddon, or known as the final battle of victory of the Lord Jesus
- Zch 14:1-2 "the city shall be taken": eluding to a hard battle leading to Israel’s defeat
"half of the city shall go forth into captivity": eluding to those 3,000,000 taken captive and imprisoned in concentration camps
- An insulting defeat: "houses rifled", "women ravished"
- Half of Jerusalem is now Pakistan, the other half remaining is what today Israel
- Before the return of the Lord Jesus, the capture of the Israelite nation and the imprisonment of its people were described in various scriptures in the Bible. Jesus will come to their salvation Himself, hence it is prophesized that the people of Israel will be held into concentration camps when the world approaches its final days.
Is 11:11-16, 27:12-13; 42:6-24; 49:5-25; 61:1-2
Jer. 30:3-24;31:1-23;
Ezekiel 20:33–44; 39:25-29;
Hosea 11:10-11; Amos 9:8-15; Joel 3:1-2;
Zephaniah 3:19-20; Zechariah 9:10-14
So what caused the division of Jerusalem?
Please see the vision of Sadu (on our website)
- war: could have been triggered within Israel, or within other Arabic countries, Jerusalem could fall into defeat
- will the referendum of the United Nations cause divisions in Jerusalem and fuel the confederation of Pakistan. At last, the eastern part of Jerusalem became capital of Pakistan
- Israel was betrayed by the United States. The United Nations passed a bill to allow the division in Jerusalem. A treaty was signed to seal the agreement between Israel and its anti-Christ counterparts
- God will be casting out judgment onto countries that participated in the referendum in favour of the division of Jerusalem
Why has God allowed something like that happen to Jerusalem?
The incident is very much similar to the rest of sufferings experienced by the nation, e.g. Joseph being sold to Egypt, the destruction of the Tabernacle, and Jesus being nailed on the cross. At the end of the days, these events have three representations:
- Cleanse the land of Israel and bring people to repent
- Israel, as one of the leading countries in support of homosexuality
- Its government openly supporting abortion
- Its young people committing fornication, turning away from God, and worshipping idols, as they forsake the teachings of God, also the God of their ancestors
- Remove pride in the people of Israel; they have brought all the glory onto themselves in the war they fought in Eastern Europe. They were confident in their wisdom, invention of technological instruments which they thought made them ever more competent than God
- Excite people of Israel to come to God. As we saw in the book of Judges, only in times of predicament and distress, the people of Israel were willing to come before God for help.
- Bring to trial those countries that voted in favour of the division of Jerusalem. Their participation as part of the referendum of the United Nations will cause them to face trial at the end days of judgement. America, for example, was once an ally of Israel, and they held an important position in voting. In the very beginning, they were too, against the division of Jerusalem. The last moment came, and they have betrayed Israel and betray God, who also was the God Lord of their ancestor, proving America to be the Great Whore, and will receive judgment by the seven bowls held by the seven angels. (Rev 17:1)
Part III: How the people of Israel were deceived, brought to confusion, and were betrayed
- The Treaty of Peace were signed on conditions
- - Treaty was signed before the war to avoid its breakout, it was agreed that compensations must be made at the end of the war
- - The people in Israel were misled (forced in other cases) by the government to sign in agreement with the Anti-Christ, in exchange for temporary peace and the permission to rebuild the Tabernacle (Isa. 28:14-18; Dan.9:27; 11:45; Zech. 11:16; Ezek. 38:8-12, 14; 39:26; Jn. 5:43; Lk. 19:11-28; 1 Thes. 5:3).
- - Hence, the reconstruction of the Tabernacle was most likely to have taken place after the war that divided up Jerusalem, contrary to the belief of most, it was near the end of the last of the three years and a half when that was done instead of at the beginning of that period. Moreover, shortly after rebuilding has finished, the party of the Anti-Christ revoked the Treaty, renowned itself to be God and denied Christ Lord
- - This Treaty was considered a signed covenant between Satan
Isaiah 28:14-28 Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place." So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through."
Isaiah 28:14-28 – The Treaty of Death
- First confirmation in BC 721, alliance between northern Israel and Egypt to counter Assyrian
- Confirmed a second time by the agreement signed with anti-Christ counterparts
- The party of the anti-Christ building up its tents in Jerusalem (Dan 11:45), bringing countries to wage war against God (Israel) during the last three years and a half of time
Part IV: The return of Jesus Christ, the Battles of Armageddon in Jerusalem
- Scriptures in the Bible on the Battles of Armageddon:
- Defining “Armageddon”
- All nations: does not mean all people (Zech 14:16)
- There are three reasons behind why nations were brought to wage war against God
- God might bring judgment upon nations Joel 3:2,12，Zech 12:3, Zeph 3:8
- Satan will try to cause confusion among people of all nations and have them wage war against Israel
- Humans will enter war led by their own desire, anger, and jealousy
Psalm 2:1-12; 45:3-5; 46:1-11; 50:2-7, 15; 97:1-12; 98:1-9; 110:5-6; 149:6-9;
Is: 2:4; 9:1-6; 11:4-5; 13:4-13; 27:12; 29:5-8; 30:25-26; 31:4-9; 33:2-13;34:1-7; 42:13-15; 59:16-21; 63:1-6;
Jer 4:19-28; 25:29-33; 51; Eze 20:33-34;
38-39; Dan 7:9-11, 26; 9:27; Joel 2:1-10,3:1-2, 9-17; 3:3-16; Zeph 3:8; Zech 12:1-11; 14:3-5, 12-15; Mal 4:1-3; Rev 14:17-20; 16:12-17; 19:17-21
Eze 35:11 11 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.
- The war of Jerusalem has decided for the Battles of Armageddon, also the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing along with Him the angels of Heaven and disciples to war. This will all be happening on Earth, and happen to people who are Anti-Christians (Rev 19)
- The judgment of God upon on all nations, is known as “the day”, “the day of the Lord”, “the great and dreadful day”
- The war would not just be within hours, but it will follow a progression: Jesus will appear in the heaven, and descend, to bring to trial Satan and his followers, as these will happen in sequence of one another:
- Jesus first appearing in heaven, churches will rise (Matt 24:30-31, Rev 1:7)
- The Son of Man will send out his angels and might men, and they will enter Edom (the region of Jordan) into the gates of Egypt, and cast vindication on Satan and his followers ( Is 63, Hab 3, Rev 19:11-21), but show mercy to Israel
- Jesus will come into Jerusalem, then the Mount of Olives will be split in two (Rev 19:11-21; Zech 14:1-9), they will defeat those who are Anti-Christs, then the Lord God will reign hereon
Part V: What are our roles and duties?
- In times of war, God wants us to help the long-suffering Israel
- As Gentiles, we will show faith, love and holiness (to the people in Israel), and by the power of the Holy Spirit (and by God’s miracles), we will encourage the people of Israel, and bring change to the nation as leading them to God
- Pray in intercession for Israel, for God’s mercy to show upon them, to minimize their loss in war, hence increasing their numbers that could receive salvation
- Pray in intercession for China, so for the country to vote in favour of the will of the Lord in future referendums
- Pray and ask God for, “what’s my purpose in helping Israel to salvation?”
