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Psalm 83 War – From Judah to Jordan to Jesus
Judean wilderness east of Jerusalem toward Jordan.
Photo by Ian W. ScottNote: The path that sweeps across the illustration is an infamous trail. This may be the route that the people of Judea take while fleeing into the mountains (Mark 13:14).
Psalm 83 War
Hidden in a secret place!
By Craig C. White
It is very popular these days to say that the Psalm 83 war will happen soon. Well it will happen pretty soon, but not before the Rapture of the Church, and not before the Great Tribulation. It will happen during the Great Tribulation. Psalm 83 is short and simple. The key to understanding it is to recognize who “thy hidden ones” are in verse 3. They are Jews from Judea (region south of Jerusalem) who have fled into the wilderness during the second half of the Great Tribulation. The wilderness is the mountainous region of Jordan east of Jerusalem.
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Psalm 83 is a request for God’s help. It probably represents the Judean refugee’s call for defense at the end of the Tribulation. Jesus Christ will come through Jordan defeating Israel’s enemies (read Revelation Wrath Path). In the verse below, Edom and Bozrah are in todays Jordan.
Isa 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Psalm 83 has four sections; God, be not still, Counsel Council, List of enemies, and Do unto others as you have done unto them before!
God, be not still!
Psalm 83:1 A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
The word not is used three times in the opening verse of Psalm 83. The Hebrew word translated not here means not!
This is a prayer that God would not allow the people of Israel to be killed by their enemies. Also that God would not fail to devise an offense against Israel’s enemies. And that God would not be idle while Israel’s enemies attack. In other words, Lord now is the time for action!
Psalm 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Israel’s enemies hate Israel. The enemies of Israel are the adversaries of God. They are making a loud sound. They are enraged. They are screaming to make war on the Judean refugees. They hate God personally. The word translated head in the verse above is the Hebrew word rosh. Rosh means chief or primary. It probably refers to a leader. Israel’s enemies have magnified their leader. They think that they can fight against God because their ruler is supreme!
Counsel Council
Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
God’s enemies have assembled together in a secret meeting and have devised a cunning plan against the nation of Israel to utterly destroy them. They have deliberated together to kill God’s “hidden ones”.
In verse 3 above, the term “hidden ones” means to hide by covering over. The Judean refugees are protected in mountainous dens in Jordan. They are kept in a secret place until Jesus Christ returns!
In Isaiah 16 below, God allows the Jews escaping Judah to take refuge in Moab which is in today’s Jordan east of the Dead Sea. This verse is applied to the time just before Jesus Christ takes his place on his throne in Jerusalem.
Isa 16:3-5 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. 4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
In the middle of the Great Tribulation Jews in Judea will flee to the mountains or wilderness. Some of the people of Judea (region around Jerusalem) will flee to the mountains where God will sustain them for three and a half years (Mat 24:15-16, Luke 21:21-22). I think that this place is on the east side of the Jordan River near Jericho and Mt. Nebo, where Israel entered the land after the exodus. It is also the place where ravens fed Elijah as he hid (1Ki 17:3). It is also the place where King David and his men fled out of Jerusalem from Absalom his son when he took over the kingdom of Israel (2Sa 17:22).
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Note: In the verse above “Wings of a great eagle” refers to God’s supernatural help given to Israel in time of flight. This idiom is applied to Israel during the exodus in Exo 19:4. It is also applied to Israel’s deliverance from Jerusalem at the end of the Great Tribulation in Isa 40:31. It is applied here to the people in Judea just before Israel is overrun with its enemies during the Great Tribulation period.
Below; Zechariah tells us that Jesus will save “the tents of Judah” before he saves the city of Jerusalem!
Zec 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
It may be that “the tents of Judah” (above) are those of Judea who fled to the Jordanian mountains. They have been living there for 3 ½ years protected by God.
Psalm 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. 5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
During their meeting, Israel’s enemies plan to destroy the nation of Israel. They have deliberated together and all agree. They have made a pact with themselves. This is describing a Middle Eastern conference were a contract is written that all nations agree to. They will completely eradicate the nation of Israel.
List of enemies
Psalm 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
This list of Israel’s enemies is mostly describing the nation of Jordan. Edom is in today’s Jordan. Ishmaelites settled Saudi Arabia, but I don’t think that Saudi Arabia is represented here. Ishmaelites also settled in today’s southern Jordan. Hagarenes settled in today’s Jordan, There is a Gebal in Lebanon, but this Gebal is in today’s Jordan. Ammon settled in today’s Jordan, Amalek probably lived just west of today’s Jordan. The Philistines lived on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. I think they represent Lebanon here, along with Tyre. Assur is ancient Assyria. Today it is best represented by northern Iraq. So Lebanon and Iraq agree to help the children of Lot. Lot’s children were Moab and Ammon. Like I said before, they both settled in today’s Jordan.
Psalm 83 War Map
So Psalm 83 is describing a Jordanian conference where Lebanon and Iraq agree to help Jordan eliminate the Jewish refugees who have fled from southern Israel into the mountainous wilderness of western Jordan.
Do unto others as you have done unto them before!
Psalm 83:9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: 10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: 12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. 13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. 14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; 15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. 16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. 17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: 18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
The verses above describe armies destroyed by Israel while led by Gideon (Judges 4 & 8). The bloodshed of these battles starts in the valley of Megiddo and ends in western Jordan.
Psalm 83 describes a treaty to eliminate the Judean refugees. Jesus Christ will personally pour out his wrath on Jordan’s armies. He will save the Jewish people who are hiding in the mountainous region of western Jordan.
[important]The Psalm 83 war is not the next prophetic event on the end time calendar. The invasion of Syria’s northwestern cities and the Destruction of Damascus by Turkey is the next event to look for. After Turkey destroys Damascus then they will lead the forces that are now fighting in Syria into Israel. Read my commentaries The nations are disquieted over Syria and Magog Made Easy.[/important]
Very interesting to read and hard to stop. – Alexandria
This commentary is in my book Israel’s Beacon of Hopefacebook YouTube
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666 no microchip needed
666 no microchip needed
Photo credit: Adam Jones, Ph.D. – Global Photo Archive
Islamist headbands and armbands may be the mark of the beast!
By Craig C. White
We have all been wondering for a long time, what the mark of the beast is, 666? I think we may finally have some insight! Bible student and all around good guy Walid Shoebat has discovered that the Greek letters for 666 spells something entirely different in Arabic.
Rev 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Remember that a beast in Bible prophecy is a gentile kingdom. In this case 666 is the name of the final gentile world empire that exists during the 7 year Great Tribulation period. The number 6 6 6 spelled out in Greek letters are also the Arabic letters that spell “in the name of Allah”! It may be that Jews in the land of Israel will be forced to wear Islamist headbands and armbands during the tribulation. They won’t be allowed to buy food or to run a business without them! If they refuse to wear them they will lose their livelihood. Their lives will be destroyed. The headbands and armbands won’t say 666, but they will say “In the name of Allah”. Headbands and armbands like these are already worn by all radical Islamist groups everywhere from Egypt to Dubai, and from Lebanon to Pakistan. This oppression probably won’t be worldwide but isolated to the land of Israel. It will not the first time that Jews have been forced to wear armbands. They were forced to wear them during World War 2 and the Holocaust. Notice that there are no computer chips needed!
Walid Shoebat is an ex Palestinian terrorist, born again! His native tongue is Arabic. He discovered this while reading an old hand written Bible manuscript. Check out his video on the subject titled “Walid Shoebat – Mark of the Beast” on YouTube!
The picture above is of the number 666 written in Greek letters χξς (chi xi stigma). Walid Shoebat says that the far left character represents Islamic crossed swords. The two right characters compare to the Arabic characters spelling “in the name of Allah” below.
OK folks: It is high time to awake! Watch this video. It is amazing. Basically the Greek letters spelling 666 are also the Arabic letters spelling “In the name of Allah”. Walid Shoebat is an ex Palestinian terrorist, born again! Your buddy, Craig C. Whitehttpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtquNNEO7Fw
Read about the Tribulation of Israel in my book The Last Jews in Jerusalemfacebook YouTube
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Jonah followed the same path that Jesus will take
Jonah followed the same path that Jesus will take
The men of Nineveh will be resurrected with this generation
By Craig C. White
Can you name one Hebrew prophet who was sent to another nation besides Israel? I can. He’s the Prophet Jonah. Jonah was sent to the Assyrians in the ancient city of Nineveh. The Assyrians were the worst scoundrels of the old world. The Assyrians did unspeakable things to their enemies. The city of Nineveh was the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire. Today the ruins of Nineveh lie within the borders of Mosul in northern Iraq. Mosul is the hometown and headquarters of ISIS. Many of the horrific things that ISIS has done were learned from their Assyrian forefathers. Today ISIS in northern Iraq is a revived Assyrian state. It’s no wonder why Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh.
So God sent Jonah to the Assyrians in Nineveh. The Assyrians represented the worst among the Gentile nations. Jonah warned Nineveh to repent or God would destroy their city. The Assyrians in Nineveh did repent but several years later they attacked Israel and carried away captives. One of those captives was the Prophet Nahum. Nahum also had a message for Nineveh.
Both Jonah and Nahum prophesied against the same city of Nineveh but their missions were different. Jonah preached repentance to the Gentiles living in Nineveh, while Nahum comforted the nation of Israel. The Assyrians had captured the Jews and brought them to Nineveh. Nahum assured Israel that their captors would soon be defeated.
The book of Nahum is mostly about the flooding and destruction of ancient Nineveh. In 612 BC the Babylonians led a siege on Nineveh. Nineveh was perhaps the greatest fortified city of the ancient world. Nineveh was surrounded by fifty foot tall walls and was situated directly on the Tigris River. After God sent torrential rains that swelled the Tigris River and eroded the foundations of the city walls, then the Babylonians, Medes, and Persians were able to enter Nineveh and plunder it until nothing was left.
Now I am going to tell you that many of the same things that Nahum predicted would happen long ago in Nineveh have recently happened again in Mosul. Remember that Mosul in northern Iraq is Nineveh. The same three armies that destroyed ancient Nineveh have now also defeated ISIS in Mosul. I think that Nahum’s predictions also apply today.
The book of Nahum also contains another story that has been almost completely overlooked until now. The first chapter of Nahum describes Jesus Christ as he comes in a whirlwind of fire to the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights separates northern Israel from Syria and Lebanon. In the book of Nahum, God first scorches the Golan Heights with the heat of his coming, and then he destroys Nineveh with a flood of water. In 612 BC God did destroy ancient Nineveh with a flood but please notice that God has never before burned the Golan Heights with a fiery whirlwind. That leads me to suspect that the book of Nahum is predicting yet future events. My dear friends, I think that Jesus Christ will come to the Golan Heights in a fiery whirlwind to the Golan Heights and then travel to northern Iraq to flood Mosul. These things will happen when Jesus returns to resurrect and rapture his Church!
In the first chapter of Nahum he tells us that God will judge the wicked. Nahum goes on to describe Jesus Christ as he comes in a whirlwind across northern Israel, southern Syria, and southern Lebanon (Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon). This is the same path that Jonah followed after he was delivered from the sea.
Nahum 1:3-7 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. 5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. 7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Nahum tells us that Jesus will fight on the Golan Heights. In Nahum verse 7 it says that God will protect believers in that day of trouble. Could this be telling us that the Resurrection and Rapture will happen when Jesus returns to the Golan Heights to repel Israel’s enemies?
Jonah was living in northwestern Israel when God commanded him to go to Nineveh. But Jonah refused to go. Instead he boarded the first boat headed for the nearby Island fortress of Tarshish. Jonah was trying to hide from God. Tarshish was located just one mile off of the shore of Tyre in southern Lebanon (Isaiah 23:10). You probably know the rest of the story. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and spit out on dry land somewhere between Joppa and his desired destination of Tarshish. Jonah began his trip to Nineveh from the Mediterranean seacoast somewhere between northern Israel and southern Lebanon. That puts him right at the Golan Heights! Amazingly the events that are described in the book of Nahum follow the same path that Jonah traveled on his way to Nineveh. I think that Jesus will follow this same path when he returns. Jesus will fight against a Turkish led invasion on the Golan Heights and then travel eastward towards Mosul to wipe out one last ISIS uprising in Mosul. Jesus will gather Christians at that same time.
Why do I think that Turkey will invade the Golan Heights? There are three reasons. 1) Ezekiel chapter 38 describes a Turkish led invasion into Israel. 2) Every nation that is listed in Ezekiel chapter 38 is fighting in Syria. 3) Turkish President Erdogan has called on the Islamic nations to take the Golan Heights away from Israel. I think that Turkey will destroy Damascus and then lead the forces that are now fighting in Syria into northern Israel just thirty miles away.
Read Jonah chapter 2 below. This describes Jonah’s trial as he sunk to the depths of the sea while inside of a great fish. These verses are repeated in several Psalms. They also describe Jesus Christ’s descent into the depths of the earth at his death. Jonah illustrates the death, burial, and resurrection of the believer.
Jonah 2:1-10 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. 10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
The book of Jonah points to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and also to the resurrection of every believer. The resurrection of Church age Christians happens on one particular day. I think that Jonah is telling us when. It will be when Jesus returns to repel Israel’s enemies on the Golan Heights and then travels eastward to Mosul to destroy it with a flood.
Now look at Matthew chapter 12. Jesus promised to give Israel one sign that he was truly their Messiah. Jesus would give them the sign of Jonah. In verse 41 Jesus points to the day that the men of Nineveh would rise from the dead. So the resurrection of Gentiles will be a sign to Israel that Jesus has power over death. Like the book of Jonah; the sign of Jonah also directs us to the day of resurrection.
Matthew 12:38-41 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Since the resurrection of Gentiles is embodied in the sign of Jonah and is illustrated by the city of Nineveh, then we should probably look to Nineveh concerning our own resurrection. Jonah and the book of Nahum both follow the same path. They start at the Mediterranean Sea. Then they travel across northern Israel to Nineveh in northern Iraq. This could be the same path that Jesus will follow when he returns for his Church. I think that the Resurrection will happen when Jesus returns to judge Nineveh (which is modern day Mosul). According to Nahum chapter 1 the flooding of Mosul is preceded by God as he comes in a whirlwind of fire to the Golan Heights. It seems that today the Turkish Army is headed towards the Golan Heights by way of Damascus.
Read my commentary titled Bashan Carmel and Lebanon – Nahum 1:4 Map
Read my new book Jesus will fight on the Golan Heights
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Kobani is under siege
Kobani is under siege
Map credit: cia.gov
Kobani is to ISIS as Thebes is to AssyriaBy Craig C. White
DATELINE FEBRUARY 2026:
Kobani is under siege. Let me tell you why that’s important. I think ISIS will be in Mosul celebrating the fall of Kobani when Jesus returns for the Rapture.
Kobani is the last Kurdish controlled city in Syria. Syrian government associated troops and Turkish proxy armies have cut off supply routes to Kobani. These troops are typically Sunni Muslim Al-Qaeda jihadis, including ISIS fighters. Kobani has been under siege for the past month. Over the past dozen years Turkey has pushed the Kurds out of Syria starting from the west moving eastwards. In 2014 ISIS laid siege to Kobani but the Kurds managed to repel them at great cost. Now Kobani remains the last Kurdish bastion in Syria. Some 600,000 people are now trapped inside of Kobani without sufficient food or medicine. There are about 200,000 displaced Kurds from other Syrian cities that have sought refuge in Kobani.
The prophet Nahum predicted the flooding and subsequent plundering of the ancient city of Nineveh. Nineveh fell according to Nahum’s prophecy in 612 BC. Today the city of Mosul in northern Iraq is built around the site of ancient Nineveh. Mosul is the hometown of ISIS. I think that Nahum’s prophecy also applies to the modern day city of Mosul.
Nineveh was the capital city of the ancient Assyrians. Before the destruction of Nineveh the Assyrians had conquered the northern Egyptian city of No-Amon. The Assyrian King named Assur-banipal had conquered the city of No-Amon (or Thebes) in Upper Egypt in 663 B.C. The Assyrians may have been celebrating the fall of No-Amon when the flood hit Nineveh. In the book of Nahum God reminds the Assyrians that if it was possible for the city of No-Amon to fall then Nineveh was just as vulnerable to its own fall. In the book of Nahum No-Amon is simply called No in the English King James Bible.
Nahum 3:8-9 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
In the verse below, Nahum describes the Assyrians gathered together in a thick crowd when the flood hits. They are drunk celebrating their prior victories. It may be that ISIS will be gathered together in Mosul celebrating their conquest of Kobani when God floods Mosul.
Nahum 1:10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
I am making a comparison between ancient history and modern events. It seems to me that Nahum’s predictions apply to both. Where ISIS is concerned Nahum’s prophecy would seem incomplete without a previously conquered city. Of course I may be all wet here but not as wet as ISIS will be if the Mosul dam breaks!
Listen to my verse by verse Bible study through the Old Testament book of Nahum titled The End of ISIS is near!
https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=8076847&autoplay=false
ISIS is represented by the ancient Assyrians in the Bible. Read all about them in my book The End of ISIS is near!
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This is what it looks like to flee to the wilderness!
This is what it looks like to flee to the wilderness!
Mat 24:15-16 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Photo credit: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung http://www.flickr.com
Today there are over 650,000 registered Syrian refugees living in camps in the nation of Jordan. They are being fed and cared for by the UN, EU, and many charity organizations. The Bible tells us that the city of Damascus will empty itself of its residents. That day is getting very near! According to Amos 1:5 the Damascus residents will flee to the refugee camp in the town of Kerak, Jordan. During the Great Tribulation the Jews living around Jerusalem will also fee to the wilderness of Jordan. They will also flee very near Kerak in the Moab Province of Jordan. The Jewish refugees will be fed in Jordan for three and one half years.
10 million Syrian refugees
Damascus will flee to Jordan!
By Craig C. White
The Prophet Jeremiah tells us that the citizens of Damascus, Syria will flee from the city before its destruction. Today over 10 million Syrians have already fled their homes. Many have fled from Damascus. Many others have also fled to Damascus. Ultimately the inhabitants of Damascus will leave the city behind along with its young men and soldiers. The armed forces defending Damascus today are looking more like the forces described in Jeremiah 49:26.
Jeremiah 49:23-26 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. 24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! 26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
There are currently some 4 million Syrian refugees registered in neighboring countries. Over 9 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Even Iraqi refugees that once fled to Syria are now returning to Iraq; many of them are Christians. Here is an account of their numbers as of July 2015.
Syrian refugees in neighboring countries:
Lebanon: 1,172,753
Turkey: 1,805,255
Egypt: 132,375
Iraq: 251,499
Jordan: 629,128 (equal to nine percent of Jordan’s population)For more stats see The UN refugee agency UNHCR http://www.data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/syria.php
The Prophet Amos also condemns Damascus. This prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian king conquered Damascus (734 B.C.) and carried the Syrian (Aramean) captives away to Kir which is a mountainous region in western Jordan. However, like many Bible prophecies this may also refer to a future event. There are currently over 620,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan.
In Amos 1:5 below, the plain of Aven is a valley in the northeast part of Lebanon near the Syrian border. Today it is called the Bekaa valley. It has been suggested that Saddam Hussein hid WMD’s here before the invasion of Iraq.
Amos 1:3-5 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
Today the Syrian Army is fighting Al-Qaeda rebels on many fronts. Damascus is under siege but many citizens still remain. About 80,000 Syrian Army troops were fighting inside of Damascus as of November 2013. These numbers include non-military security men or civil guard (see Jeremiah 49:26). According to Amos 1:5 above; the people of Syria will flee to Jordan. 620,000 have already fled there. In Jeremiah 49:23 we are told that Syria’s northwestern cities will hear of an invasion coming from the Turkish border. When the city of Damascus is attacked from the north by Turkey then Jordan may be the only route of escape.
For a verse by verse study read Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus
Read my book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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New World Order Map
New World Order Map
4 Quadrants of the Final Gentile World Empire
Revelation 20:8
By Craig C. White
This commentary features a map of the final gentile world empire as described in Daniel chapter 7. The final gentile world empire will be operational during the Tribulation period. It will be headed by the Antichrist, and it will be destroyed by Jesus Christ at his second coming. The final gentile world empire is also known as “The New World Order”. It is the last chance that God will offer men to rule over the earth. World leaders today are ardently working toward the formation of the New World Order.
My commentary titled “The Leopard is Upon Us!” explains Daniel’s description of the end time formation of this final man ruled empire. My commentary goes through Daniel chapter 7 verse by verse. It is one of my most important commentaries, and this map is its culmination. Please read “The Leopard is Upon Us!”
I know that many of us are confused about the size of the next world empire. Most people think that the Antichrist will rule over the entire earth. He won’t. The final gentile world empire will cover the same geographic region that every world empire has covered; namely the old world.
You probably think that this commentary is about the New World Order; and yes it is. But even more, it is about the very center of the New World Order. I mean the very center of the New World Order politically, as well as the very center of it geographically!
According to Daniel chapter 7 the final gentile empire is formed by combining three groups of nations (or Unions). These “Unions” include 1) The European Union, 2) a new Russian Union, 3) and a new Middle Eastern Union. If you ask your pastor about this he will flip his toupee. This subject, along with Daniel chapter 7 has long been neglected and misunderstood.
So there are three groups of nations or Unions that combine to form one big empire. That’s easy to understand. But wait, I told you earlier that this commentary was about the center of this world empire. Well there is a nation that sits smack in the middle of these three Unions. It is the geographic center of the New World Order. It is also the place where the leader of the next world empire sits today. That nation is Turkey!
This commentary isn’t about three Unions. It is about four quadrants. All four quadrants of the final gentile world empire intersect at Turkey. That means that the four corners of the old world meet at the nation of Turkey. So then Turkey is the center of the gentile world. Let’s remember that civilization resumed near Mt. Ararat in eastern Turkey after Noah’s flood.
Just to let you know. God views Turkey as the symbol and very heart of the world’s rebellion. Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 describe two separate end time invasions into Israel that are led by the ruler of Turkey. Many nations are joined with Turkey during these battles. These battles represent man’s rebellion toward God and the world’s hatred of Israel, God’s chosen people. Both of these battles are led by the “chief prince” or primary governor of Turkey known as “Magog” in Ezekiel. The Hebrew words translated as “chief prince” in Ezekiel 38:2 practically spell out “Prime Minister”! My commentaries titled “Magog Made Easy!” and “Magog Made Easier!” talks all about Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39.
Magog is the ruler of Turkey. He will lead a near time invasion into Israel (Eze 38). He will also lead another invasion into Israel at the end of the Tribulation period (Eze 39). This latter invasion is also known as the battle of Armageddon. Magog may or may not be the same person during these two battles, but he will always be a leader of Turkey. Some of you may have already realized that Magog leads even another third battle against Israel after the first one thousand year reign on earth of Jesus Christ. This battle is described in Revelation chapter 20 below.
Rev 20:7-9 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
The four quarters of the earth! OK, now this is what this commentary is really about! Four quarters and four corners! The Greek word translated as quarters in Revelation 20:8 is gonia. Gonia means corner or quarter.
gonia, go-nee’-ah
an angle: – corner, quarter.Turkey is where the four quarters of the final man ordained world empire collide. Turkey is the center of earthly civilization. Turkey is the geographic center of all of the nations. Turkey is where east meets west. Turkey is the epicenter and symbol of man’s rebellion toward God. Turkey is where Magog will come from. Turkey is where the Antichrist will come from. Turkey will lead the world into battle against Israel now; and Turkey will lead the world into battle against Israel latter.
Turkey is about to invade Syria, decimating Damascus, and then lead a Middle Eastern invasion into Israel. Turkey is where the Antichrist will come from! I think that he will be a Turkish Prime Minister. I think that the Antichrist could be current Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. I am certain that Prime Minister Erdogan is Magog as described in Ezekiel chapter 38.
Take a look at The New World Order Map below. The four corners of the final man ruled world empire meet at the nation of Turkey.
The New World Order Map depicts the four quadrants of civilization. It also depicts the three groups of nations (or Unions) that will combine to create the final gentile world empire. The Antichrist will be the leader of this final man ruled empire. He and it will be destroyed at Jesus Christ’s second coming. I think that Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran will be the four main nations in the new Central Asian Union. Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India may be secondary members. The Leopard in Daniel 7:5 has four heads and also four wings. My commentary titled “The Leopard is Upon Us!” details the end time formation of the New World Order.
Today we have all become a little wiser. It is High Time to Awake!
You must read my book Turkey invades Israel – Halfway to Armageddon
Also please read my book The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
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Nahum not Noah!
Nahum not Noah!
The flooding of Mosul
By Craig C. White
There is a dam north of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. Mosul is the home town of the terrorist group called ISIS. The Mosul dam is in danger of bursting. If the dam breaks it will flood the city of Mosul! Bible teachers are saying that this flood would be similar to the flood of Noah. They may be missing the boat. There is another flood mentioned in the Bible. This flood is predicted to happen in exactly the same place where the city of Mosul sits today! The Prophet Nahum describes the flood that destroyed the ancient city of Nineveh. Nahum said that God will destroy that same place with a flood. Today Mosul sits in the same place as ancient Nineveh. So the modern day city of Mosul may be flooded again! Also If Mosul is flooded it could be another sign of Jonah that Jesus promised to an evil generation. The flooding of Mosul could announce the arrival of God’s day of judgement on earth. If Mosul floods don’t look to Noah. Look to Nahum and also to Jonah. In a flood the last thing that you want to do is miss the boat.
The ancient city of Nineveh was known for its bloodshed and cruelty. Back around 800 BC God sent the Prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh with a message, “Repent of your evil ways or the city would be destroyed in forty days!” That generation repented but it seems that this generation doesn’t want the chance.
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Today the ruins of Nineveh lie within the city limits of Mosul. The terrorist group called ISIS consists of Al-Qaeda members from the Nineveh Province. Since June 10th, 2014 ISIS in Mosul has been behaving in the same way as the ancient Ninevites. They have committed horrific atrocities against their fellow countrymen in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq.
Mosul will fall soon by a flood and by the same three armies that wiped out Nineveh. Since I wrote this I have learned that the dam just north of Mosul is very unstable and requires continuous maintenance. The capture of the dam by ISIS and the recapture of the dam by the Kurds has disrupted its maintenance schedule. In 2007 the Army Corp of Engineers declared it the most dangerous dam in the world. If Mosul falls I will count back forty days to see what significant event may have happened on that day.
In Jonah’s day the city of Nineveh repented however God finally judged the city in 612 BC. The Prophet Nahum foretells the destruction of Nineveh. The city was flooded by the Tigris River and was then besieged by three nations. Babylon, Persia, and the Medes plundered Nineveh for two months leveling the city. Today the same three nations are fighting against ISIS in Mosul. They are Iraq, Iran, and the Kurds. Perhaps God will send another flood along with these three armies to once again overwhelm Mosul at Nineveh!
Nahum 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Conditions in Mosul are the same as they were in ancient Nineveh. There is overflowing bloodshed. The Mosul dam is in danger of bursting. The same three armies are set against it. Nahum likely also foretells the destruction of Mosul.
Nahum 3:1-3 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
God spared the city of Nineveh in Jonah’s’ day. Jonah was upset because the people of Nineveh repented and escaped God’s punishment. God reminded Jonah that many innocent lives would be lost during the destruction of Nineveh. I suppose that most of us today would be happy to see ISIS in Mosul wiped out. In the book of Jonah God reminds us of the human tragedy his judgment brings. Moral of the story; repent while you still can!
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Folks wanted proof that Jesus was God so they demanded a sign. Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was inside of the fish for three days Jesus also rose from the grave in three days. But there may be more to the sign of Jonah. Long before the Mosul dam was ever built Bible scholars have wondered if the preaching of Jonah was also a part of the sign. The grammar of Mathew 12:39-41 leads some Bible scholars to think that the subject of Jesus’s comment was the preaching of Jonah.
Matthew 12:38-41 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The Greek word translated as “sign” means miracle or supernatural wonder. Notice in verse 41 that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. They did not repent at the miracle of surviving in a large fish for three days.
The unbelieving religious rulers in Jerusalem demanded a sign from Jesus. Jesus told them that they would be given the sign of Jonah. Jonah was sent to ancient Nineveh to preach God’s judgment on the city. The destruction of Mosul could be the end time sign to Israel that their time of trouble is at hand.
Jesus said that an evil generation desires to be shown a sign. We should already know and honor God because it is evident that he has created all things and also because has given us his word. We should not require a sign in order to motivate us to repent from our unbelief and rebellion. Nevertheless Jesus gave his generation the sign of Jonah.
Jesus said that even the men of ancient Nineveh will rise from the dead and condemn his generation for its unbelief. It seems to me that this generation is about to witness another sign of Jonah. ISIS in the city of Mosul rejected Jonah’s offer of repentance by blowing up Jonah’s shrine on July 24th, 2014. If God now judges Mosul forty days later then the entire world had better take notice! A terrible time of God’s judgment is coming upon Israel and also upon all of the earth. Only by repentance from unbelief can we escape it.
Listen to my verse by verse Bible study through the Old Testament book of Nahum titled The End of ISIS is near!
Read about ISIS in Bible prophecy in my book The End of ISIS is near!
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Assyrian palace found in Mosul!
Assyrian palace found in Mosul!
Last seen when Nineveh flooded.
By Craig C. White
ISIS destruction in Mosul has unearthed Assyrian King Sennacherib’s palace from the time that God destroyed ancient Nineveh with a flood (612 BC). The palace ruins were found underneath the Shrine to the biblical Prophet Jonah. ISIS used high explosives to blow up the Shrine to Jonah in 2014 when they took control of Mosul. Iraqi soldiers have entered the now buried palace by way of ISIS tunnels. The soldiers reported that the two story structure is in eminent danger of collapsing. This is the palace that is identified in Nahum 2:6. Evidently the flood of 612 BC buried Sennacherib’s palace.
Nahum 2:6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
The Prophet Nahum predicted the flooding and plundering of the ancient Assyrian capital city of Nineveh. Today the ruins of Nineveh lay within the Mosul city limits. Nahum says that God would destroy the place where Nineveh was built with an overrunning flood. Nahum may also predict the flooding of Mosul in northern Iraq. Nahum says that the inhabitants of Nineveh would be gathered together when their destruction came. Today the Iraqi Army has pushed ISIS close together in western Mosul. The Mosul dam is in danger of busting. If Mosul is going to flood then it seems that now would be an appropriate time!
Let’s notice that Assyrian King Sennacherib’s palace has once again been seen by human eyes after 2,600 years. Just like 612 BC this palace has resurfaced at a time when Nineveh (or modern day Mosul) is once again under siege and also in danger of flooding. If the Mosul dam breaks then Sennacherib’s palace will most likely be dissolved once again and for all time. Do you think that God is trying to tell us something? Is anybody listening?
Read this article in the Telegraph Previously untouched 600BC palace discovered under shrine demolished by Isil in Mosul
Read my commentary titled The End of ISIS is near!
Read my book The End of ISIS is near!
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The Rapture Day!
photo credit: John Henry Mostyn
The Rapture Day!
As the last note of the trumpet is played we will be changed!
1Co 15:51-52, 1Th 4:15-17
By Craig C. White
Definitions are from Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionaries.
The Rapture is a term used to describe the bodily resurrection and taking away into heaven of Church age believers. What hope do we have that we will be resurrected? Because Jesus rose bodily from the grave we have confidence that one day we will rise likewise! That is incredible news. But wait, it gets even better! Not every person who lives will die! Christians who are alive at the time of Jesus’ return will not suffer death but will be instantly transformed into a perfect undying body then taken up into heaven. That event is called the Rapture!
1Co 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
In the Rapture we shall be changed in an instant, but not without warning. We will all enjoy a long trumpet call before we are changed, kind of like waking up with a bugle call at boot camp. The whole world will hear the noise and take notice. The bugle call will continue while an astonishing event occurs. Millions of dead people will stand up out of their graves; alive! Wow, that will certainly get a lot of attention. The Rapture will not be a quiet affair. Our bodies won’t be changed until the trumpet call is finished so please don’t worry if you are driving. You will have plenty of time to pull over. The second part of the verse above puts the Rapture in chronological order. 1) We will all hear a long loud trumpet call. 2) As the trumpet plays, the dead will rise (these are people you know, and folks who have trusted Jesus since his resurrection). 3) As the last note of the trumpet is played we will be changed!
There is even more said about the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians. We will not be caught up with Jesus in the air until the dead are raised alive. In the verse below “prevent” means to come beforehand. So the living will not meet Jesus until the dead are raised. All church age believers must be present and accounted for before we are taken up together in the Rapture.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
The Rapture continues in the verse below. Jesus will come down into the sky. Michael the Archangel will yell for all believers to prepare themselves. At the same time there will also be the long trumpet call. The trumpet call will be the announcement that it is time for the church to meet Jesus in the air! The dead in Christ will rise out of the grave first; then we will all meet Jesus together.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
During the Rapture, people who were previously dead, will be together with people who have never been dead (I hope that is me). they will all be taken up into the air to meet Jesus. Now that is a church bus!
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The words caught up in the verse above is the Greek word harpazo (har-pad’-zo). Harpazo means to seize, or catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force). Harpazo is the word that we get our English word rapture from. As you can see from the definition of Harpazo it means to be taken by force. So we won’t be floating weightlessly into the sky while defying gravity. We will be lifted by some strong force. May I suggest that we will be taken to heaven the same way that every other person in a human body has been taken? In storm cloud, and cyclone, and chariots of fire!!!
2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Here is what an eyewitness had to say about the rapture of the prophet Elijah!
2Ki 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
In the Rapture we will be changed instantly, but not at first. We will be taken, but not until all have been raised. We will be taken by force, and not without fanfare. The rapture is an event that will take some time and gain the world’s attention.
Lord, bring peace to Jerusalem; and even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Read more about the Rapture in my book God’s Great Expectations
Watch The Rapture on YouTube!
What is the sign of the Rapture? Find out, Read The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
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What happens when you die?
What happens when you die?
If we die without honoring God in our hearts we will regret it forever!
Lamentations chapter 3
By Craig C. White
What happens when you die? What is it like in the grave? Are you aware of your plight? The Bible answers these questions. The answer is that you are very much aware of your situation. For the believer in Jesus Christ your spirit is kept safely and in peace with God until the resurrection. The unbeliever however is painfully aware of the confinement of the grave and also laments their rejection of God. From the grave the unbeliever’s circumstances only get worse when all of those confined to the grave get tossed into the lake of fire forever!
Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Here is one mans account of death and the grave. This is the fate that every unbeliever can expect when they die. Surprisingly these verses also describe Jesus Christ’s death. Christ suffered the death of a sinner to pay the penalty of sin for us, but we must believe that he did and we must receive his payment on or own behalf!
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Lamentations chapter 3 begins with the account of a suffering Jewish man. He has suffered God’s wrath through Israel’s terrible time of judgment. He has been despised by God and has suffered death. But here is the surprise. This man’s account of suffering and God’s rejection is also describing Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross! We should ask ourselves, “what is this doing here?”
Lamentations 3:1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
This is describing a particular man. He has suffered God’s punishment by the outburst of God’s passionate anger. God will punish the nation of Israel during their seven year long period of tribulation. The people of Israel have not trusted God’s word. He told them to drive out their enemies from the land. Instead they have said we must live together with our enemies. Likewise every person has the choice to trust God and his word. If we do not trust him then we will also suffer the punishment of God’s anger.
God’s anger is only satisfied by his punishment. No person can endure God’s punishment and live (Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;). But God became a man in Jesus Christ to suffer God’s punishment for us so that we could live. What is the description of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death doing in the middle of Lamentations? Jesus Christ’s suffering satisfies God’s wrath. Jesus Christ’s death satisfies God’s anger for disobedience even for the terrible time of Israel’s tribulation. God can apply Christ’s suffering to our disobedience only when we trust him. When the nation of Israel repents at the end of the Tribulation period and believes God then the punishment of God’s anger will be satisfied by Jesus Christ’s suffering and death. Their chastisement will end.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Lamentations 3:2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. 3 Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
God brought Jesus to death and not life. God has turned against the man. God has caused every bad thing to happen to this man all day long. God has caused the man’s body and skin to be consumed and his bones to break.
These verses describe the suffering of a certain Jewish man during the Tribulation. Intertwined is also a depiction of Jesus Christ’s suffering. Jesus never suffered any broken bones on the cross fulfilling King David’s prophecy in Psalm 34:20 “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken”. These verses also describe the suffering that any man should expect to endure who has not trusted God.
Lamentations 3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
Above, God has devised disastrous events to befall this man. Gall is a poisonous plant. Jesus was offered gall while he was on the cross to hasten his death and end his suffering. He refused it.
Matthew 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
Lamentations 3:6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. 7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
Above, God has caused this man to die. He is in the darkness of the grave just like men that have been dead for ages. He cannot get out! He is imprisoned and shackled with a heavy metal chain.
Below, this man is shouting out from the prison of his grave to be freed, but God keeps the man’s request a buried secret. This is the suffering that Jesus Christ endured on behalf of all of us. This is the suffering that any man should expect to endure who has not trusted God.
Lamentations 3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
Above, this man is dead. God has blocked this man’s course of life. He cannot move. He is entombed with stone all around him. He cannot walk down the road where he wishes. Instead his path leads nowhere. He can only search out his own ruin.
Lamentations 3:10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
Above, God has pounced on this man like a ferocious wild beast lying in wait. He has torn his body apart. Jesus was beaten and whipped worse than any man (Mat 27:26-30). Isaiah predicted the beating that the Messiah would suffer.
Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
The prophet Amos uses this same language to describe the day of the LORD which is the same as Israel’s Tribulation period. It is a time of God’s judgment for Israel as well as a time of judgment for the entire world. You want to escape this terrible time of trouble.
Amos 5:18-19 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
Lamentations 3:12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
Above, God has pulled back the string of his bow and taken aim at the man. God’s arrows have penetrated inside of the man’s body.
Lamentations 3:14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
Verse 14 above describes the animosity and insult that the Jewish people showed for Jesus as he was beaten, condemned to die, and nailed to a cross. Many of his own Jewish people cried out for his death and insulted him as he suffered.
Matthew 27:39-44 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Lamentations 3:15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
Above, this man is still speaking from the grave. He is filled with sorrow. It is as if he has drunk poison. To cover with ashes portrays a dead body lying in the street covered with gravel and ashes being trampled over by traffic. This man’s has forgotten God’s promise of eternal life.
Lamentations 3:18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Above, this man is dead. His hope of life and knowing God is gone. From the grave he still remembers his suffering. His soul bows down. He surrenders to God’s chastisement.
What should we learn from Lamentations? First, every person must confront death, and there is an eternal grave to escape! If we die without honoring God in our hearts we will regret it forever! Second, Jesus Christ’s suffering satisfies God’s wrath. Only when we trust God can he then apply Jesus’ suffering to our disobedience and satisfy his wrath towards us. This applies to the disobedience of Israel and it also applies to the disobedience of every heart.
Open your heart to God!
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High Time to Awake 