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“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh,” Luke 21:20-28.

On Thursday past (7th), I read Luke chapter 21 as part of my regular daily devotions. It is a portion familiar to me and I know that many seek to use it to deny the position I take in eschatology, namely Historic Pre-Millennialism.

However, that requires those who seek to deny Historic Pre-Millennialism from this passage, to deliberately avoid what it is the Saviour plainly says!

Regrettably, it is not unusual for the Saviour’s words to be misunderstood and misapplied by men. Here is one example. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body,” John 2:19-21.

But it was not only His opponents who misunderstood what the Saviour meant. His disciples likewise formed false opinions of what the Saviour said to them. Here is one example of that: “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep,” John 11:11-13.

‘They thought’! Herein lies the problem. Back in the days of Isaiah the Lord had said: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.

We do not naturally think on the same plane as does the Lord. His thoughts are on a very much higher plane! When the Saviour refers to death as a ‘sleep’, that was easy for Him to Whom belongeth all power. However, we, living as we do within our very limited perspective, cannot imagine being awakened from death as something as easy as awakening from sleep! Therefore, a very limited understanding of Christ’s words is arrived at.

1. Sadly, though it is understandable that men make this mistake, it is a mistake which robs them of much! Our earthly minds fail to grasp the wonderful and heavenly import of His words and, in so doing, we deprive ourselves of that which He desires to impart to us by His words. A receiving of Christ’s words, without limiting them, brings great benefits. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you,” John 15:7. (more…)

“‭For thus saith‭‭ the LORD‭, Thy bruise‭ ‭is‭ incurable‭‭, ‭and‭ thy wound‭ ‭is‭ grievous‭‭.‭ ‭There is‭ none to plead‭‭ thy cause‭, that thou mayest be bound up‭: thou hast no healing‭ medicines‭.‭ ‭All thy lovers‭‭ have forgotten‭‭ thee; they seek‭‭ thee not; for I have wounded‭‭ thee with the wound‭ of an enemy‭‭, with the chastisement‭ of a cruel one‭, for the multitude‭ of thine iniquity‭; ‭because‭ thy sins‭ were increased‭‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Jeremiah 30:12-14.

A BBC news report (Bowen: US sets clearer red lines for Israel as ceasefire ends), which has been mounted on its website for some days, has reported in its comments, warnings given to Israel about the limits of the support the USA will give to it in its battle with Hamas.

Biden’s chief diplomat, Antony Blinken, is referred to at length.

“On the evening before the fighting resumed, he repeated America’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself, and once again condemned Hamas. Mr Blinken repeated his insistence ‘that Israel act in accordance with international humanitarian law and the laws of war, even when confronting a terrorist group that respects neither’. Then Mr Blinken made his starkest public statement yet about how Israel should fight the war. Mr Blinken said that it meant ‘taking more effective steps to protect the lives of civilians, including by clearly and precisely designating areas and places in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and out of the line of fire’. ‘It means avoiding further significant displacement of civilians inside of Gaza. It means avoiding damage to life-critical infrastructure, like hospitals, like power stations, like water facilities.’ ‘And it means giving civilians who’ve been displaced to southern Gaza the choice to return to the north as soon as conditions permit. There must be no enduring internal displacement.’ . . . Antony Blinken, has spoken clearly, in public, about the way the US wants Israel to fight Hamas. If Israel kills anything like as many Palestinian civilians as it did in the north, in defiance of the stated will of Joe Biden, the US president will have to decide whether he can continue to give Israel so much support, not just on the battlefield but also in the United Nations Security Council, where the US has used its veto many times to protect Israel.”

There certainly is a limit to the support Israel may expect from those, who in the past, may have shown sympathy.

In the verses from Jeremiah, I have quoted above, it is clear that a time will come when Israel will be ABANDONED by her former allies to her fate at the hands of her historic enemies and haters!

1. The Bible identifies the enemies who will be in a confederacy against Israel at the close of this age. “‭The tabernacles‭ of Edom‭, and the Ishmaelites‭; of Moab‭, and the Hagarenes‭;‭ ‭Gebal‭, and Ammon‭, and Amalek‭; the Philistines‭ with the inhabitants‭‭ of Tyre‭;‭ ‭Assur‭ also is joined‭‭ with them: they have holpen‭ the children‭ of Lot‭. Selah‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Psalm 83:6-8. (more…)