(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)
“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:2). Emphasis added by me.
2500+/- years ago, the Holy Spirit, through the prophet Zechariah, exposed God’s plans to all who would heed them through the light of the Word of God.
The Lord God’s purpose was to reveal not only His plan for Jerusalem at the end of the age but also for these Prophetic Words to ring like a dinner bell here in 2024 to anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see.
With the attack of October 7, Jerusalem is now, indeed, a cup of trembling.
In reading the whole of the Word of God, both New and Old Testaments, we should read them with the understanding that God has not changed in the slightest. He assembled His Word, and He fully intended to convey this message and His Power to all subsequent generations.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).
“But You remain the same, and Your years will never end” (Psalm 102:27).
Jerusalem has been at the forefront of (modern-day) world events since May 14, 1948, when the Jewish state of Israel was reborn in a single day. (See Isaiah 66:7-9.)
The very next day, the 1-day-old Jewish state was assaulted by combined Arab armies in a futile attempt to “push the Jews into the sea.” This event and subsequent failed attempts (as well as a blind, rabid hatred for the Jews) have been driving governments worldwide to attempt to bring about “peace” at any cost. This cost, they think, will be to the Jewish people, but God has other plans, and He will have the last word.
Peace and safety (security), they cry. This is their goal for the “good of all people,” they claim, but this is subterfuge. It is really defiance of God and His Word and hatred of the Jewish people and their state. God is not deceived; neither is He even deceivable.
“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
The world system’s tactic is to divide Israel’s land. These efforts to force compliance on Israel, God says, will result in a judgment of all nations that have gathered against His people.
“On that day, I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9).
“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land” (Joel 3:2).
They insist on a “cease fire” when it is, in fact, only a pause (hudna), allowing Israel’s enemies to rearm and make plans for their next vicious attack. God is not fooled.
It is futile to keep doing this, but that does not occur to those who attack or those who drive and support the attacks because they are driven by blind, mind-numbing hatred.
The Truth is, they really hate Jesus Christ.
The solution to this dilemma is simple: if humankind would stop hating long enough to listen. But they are unable to stop the hating and unable to stop attacking Israel.
They know this, yet they are fueled by this hatred, and so they make their plans.
Guilty as charged by the Lord through His prophet, Jeremiah.
“With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish, saying, ‘Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more'” (Psalm 83:3-4).
God knows the thoughts of their hearts.
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One” (Psalm 2:1-2).
“Why?” the Word of God says.
It’s a rhetorical question. The Psalm continues:
“Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords” (Psalm 2:3).
The below Psalm of God declares the “end from the beginning.”
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them. Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury: I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain” (Psalm 2:4-6).
The Lord has already provided an answer to those who would knowingly or intentionally bring harm to Israel. He also has His plans, and His council will stand (Isaiah 46:9-10).
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'” (Jeremiah 29:11).
“It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11).
“‘I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,’ Says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:15).
Sadly, the Israeli people are blind (not all of them, however); they quote their own scriptures and yet ignore them at the same time, contrary to God’s council.
“Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22).
Recently, the Israelis have begun preparations to wean themselves from foreign aid as they realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch.
There are always strings attached, and if they allow themselves to be bullied, bribed, or coerced into a “ceasefire,” it would only restart the same cycle of destruction, resulting in the numbers of enemies arrayed against them to grow and the lethality of weapons against them to be “improved” before they attack yet again.
On October 7, 2023, the prophecy of Zechariah became a wake-up call to the world that what God allowed to happen will change everything and a reminder that:
“Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).
Despite that fact, the “world” will not respond to His call because the scriptures mean nothing, or they are nonsense, to a large part of the earth’s inhabitants.
It seems the Words of Matthew 24 are now coming into sharp focus.
“Jesus answered, ‘See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains'” (Matthew 24:4-8; also Mark 13:5-8).
The wars and rumors of wars aspect has taken on an entirely new and ominous meaning with the present warnings of nations “going nuclear” and the proliferation of these weapons.
Nation (ethnic group/race) rising up against nation is also part of the “sea and the waves roaring.” That roaring is the cacophony of increasingly terrified humanity crying out to human leaders to “fix” the unfixable consequences of hubris (Luke 21:25).
As well, the corresponding turmoil of the natural world, the aberrant, violent weather patterns, earthquakes and volcano activity can no longer be dismissed.
Yes, these things have always existed. The point of the prophecies regarding them are to indicate that they will increase in frequency and violence, as they clearly have even in just the last year or so, as God is removing His restraining hand from His creation.
The accelerating rate of these events being equated to birth pains (pangs) is in harmony with God’s Word and is quite evident to anyone willing to admit it.
Some will deliberately dismiss the prophecy of Zechariah 12:2 and even the entire chapter of Zechariah 12 and 14. There will be many who will do this and even try to dismiss the whole of the Word of God. These “mockers” were prophesied by the Lord.
“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation'” (2 Peter 3:3-5).
Perhaps the sudden clarity of (Zechariah 12:2) becoming a stark reminder that God is Sovereign and active in this world, as He has always been, will wake some up. We can only hope and pray with renewed vigor for that to occur.
The special message I promised you:
For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.
You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.
It requires that you come before God on His terms.
And, what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
- Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
- That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
- To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.
- No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
- No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
- Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.
“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).
There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There is only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.
The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com