The Bible says as this age comes to a close, there will be three attempts to destroy the nation of Israel.

The Psalm 83 war – Israel’s neighboring nations will attempt to “destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.” (Psalm 83:4)
The Isaiah 17 war – Syria will provoke Israel to completely destroy the city of Damascus “from being a city; it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1)
The Gog-Magog war – the largest military force to ever come against the nation of Israel will ascend upon them “like a cloud to cover the land,” but God will show His “greatness and His holiness” in such a way the whole world will know that He is Lord. (From Ezekiel 38-39)

In our next sermon in this series, “God’s Unfolding Drama of Redemption,” we will look at “The Repudiation of Gog and Magog.”   

In Revelation 3:10, Jesus promised the Church at Philadelphia, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Jesus was speaking of that seven-year period of time called the Tribulation, or as theologians call it, Daniel’s 70th week.

However, while the wrath of God is poured out on those who rejected Christ, and the world is being ruled by the Antichrist, true believers will be standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul said, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” The judgment seat of Christ does not determine our salvation; that was settled by our faith alone in Christ alone. The judgement seat of Christ will determine the value of our lives in relationship to the Kingdom of God, and therefore our rewards.

With catastrophic events happening worldwide each day, even many unbelievers are asking if we are living in the last days. According to the Scriptures, the “last days” began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, and they will end with His return to the earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That will be the “Day of the Lord.

In our next sermon in this series, “God’s Unfolding Drama of Redemption,” we will look at “The Two Events That Precede the Day of the Lord.”

The Feast of Rosh Hashanah is a picture of the Rapture of the Church. This year, Rosh Hashanah will begin at sundown on September 8 and continue until sundown on September 9. Will this be the “last trump?”

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.”1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“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 all be changed.”1 Corinthians 15:52

The dramatic rise in what can only be explained as Satanic activity should awaken us to the reality that we live in what the Bible describes as the last days of this age. Likewise, the destructive nature of current global events should remind us of what the Apostle John said would happen on earth during the seven-year tribulation. In other words, the increasing darkness of our days is just a precursor to what is soon to come.

I’ve never seen so many prophetic signs coming to pass at the same time as I have in the last 12-months. However, most Christians aren’t aware of them, or have any interest in them. The world is fundamentally changing, and while many Christians are aware of it politically, culturally, and morally, they seem to be in denial that it is all happening prophetically, just as the Bible says it would be in the last days of this age.

Contrary to what many preachers are saying today, the Christian life is not a playground, it is a battleground. We are at war with the most powerful enemy the world has ever known. Even though Satan is already defeated, he is still able to wound us with his deadly darts of disappointment, discouragement, despair, depression, defeat, and death. This is the battle of the ages.

To live with a biblical worldview is to know that God is sovereign over all, in all, and through all, and to remain steadfast in our faith in the midst of adversity. Jesus said the world would be in a chaotic mess just before the rapture of the Church, so why are we surprised that it is?

In the epistle of Jude, believers are given this warning: “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain!” The way of Cain describes any religious system that attempts to earn God’s favor by works and rituals rather than one’s reliance upon God’s grace.

The Marxists philosophy of education says: “Give me your children for four years, and the seeds I plant will never be uprooted.” (Lenin) 

Sadly, that is the philosophy of education to which our children are being exposed today. Part of President Obama’s plan to fundamentally transform America was to indoctrinate our children into a worldview that is totally contrary to the biblical principles upon which America was founded. He has succeeded. 

The Origin of Evil