The Warning for Jerusalem & Israel The Birth Pains & Beginning of Sorrows is Near
By all accounts, we are nearing the fulfillment of God's last-days prophecies. In Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus proclaimed, "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 gathers her chicks under her wings, and 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.”
Jerusalem's religious leaders'
rejection and the Roman crucifixion of Messiah 2,000 years ago set in motion
troubles ahead. In this regard, Yeshua forewarned that Jerusalem
and her citizens would experience periods of strife and
desolation until the return of the conquering Messiah, even though Israel
would be reestablished as a nation before His return. We yearn for
peace of this beloved city and her precious citizens. Her walls and sacred ground
represent such beautiful and enduring Biblical history. However, we cannot ignore the prophetic
Scriptures, which indicate God's ultimate plan is for the exaltation of
The beginning of the end-times will mirror the end of the end-times. At the end of the end-times--the "time of Jacob's trouble"--Jerusalem (referred to in the book of Revelation in derogatory terms: "Egypt"; "Sodom"; and, "Babylon") will be destroyed once and for all; likewise, at the beginning point of the counting days of prophecy, Jerusalem will experience massive desolation from which it will partially recover during the troubled last days. This is the catalyst that sets in motion Bible prophecy and the appointed time of the end. How do we know?
There
are several reasons. First, because Zechariah
prophesied the taking down of the mighty mountain before the capstone
(finishing stone) is laid on the rebuilt temple, before the true and
living Capstone Messiah arrives: "What
are you, mighty mountain... you will
Third, Daniel 12:11-12 speaks of daily worship that will be taken away at the Temple Mount/Western Wall, indicating massive damage to the city's most important sites of worship, and by implication Jerusalem as a whole. This tragedy (Pt. 8, The Kingdom Calendar) will initiate the two longest prophetic counting periods (1,290 and 1,335 days). When the Temple Mount/Western Wall shakes and falls into heaps of ruin, along with the Dome of the Rock, Muslims will rise up in fierce anger against Israel. Israelis have already been blamed for tunneling under the Mount in what Muslims consider a Jewish conspiracy to destroy their sacred shrines. Fourth, Revelation 11:1-2 also indicates a rebuilding of the Temple Mount, and with it a third temple structure, while international Gentile forces secure the area: "I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months." Fifth, Zechariah warns, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a 'cup of trembling' unto all the people round about," (12:2), both at the beginning of the end, and at THE END. Sixth, Jesus Himself warned of local and global troubles--"nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," and "there will be... earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains," (Matthew 24:7-8). And finally, Gog and Magog will come from the north against the land of Israel where walls and gates have been broken down and leveled, but also a land protected by Gentile armies and dwelling in a false sense of safely, "On that Day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars," (Ezekiel 39:10-11).
Once the Temple Mount collapses, Middle East war will escalate into a massive jihad against Israel as the end-times begin. This will continue to bolster Western alliances to protect Israel--part of the World War 3 devastation that can only be stopped by supernatural and deceptive sky events, the new world leader (Antichrist) and the great reset, whom Satan will reveal just weeks after the desolation of Jerusalem. "The coming [onto the world scene] of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness," (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
As already mentioned, The Kingdom Calendar indicates there will be a delay in the full rebuilding of the city due to the massive turmoil that has hit Planet Earth and the volatile religious/political nature of the beloved city, but at least streets, a water system and some religious structures will eventually be rebuilt "in times of trouble" (Daniel 9:25). However, prophecy warns us near the end of the 70 literal weeks (490 days, not years--Daniel 9:24) Jerusalem's religious/political leaders will then allow the Man of Sin into the city and onto the Temple Mount as a final rejection of God's Word and the prophets' warnings.
Just before this abominable act, the city and nations will be warned by God's two last prophets (Elijah and Moses); but their council will be rejected, and both will be killed and left to decay in Jerusalem's streets while the nations celebrate their martyrdom (Revelation 11:8-10). Jesus said it once, and He says it again in the prophetic warnings of Daniel and Revelation, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets...your house is left to you desolate." The historical record shows, Israel has methodically persecuted and even killed the prophets God sent to them, including those who warned that desolation was about to crush the city in 587/586 BC. Yeshua, the greatest Prophet, gave the same warning of destruction and was nailed to a cross to die; even so, Jerusalem's demise arrived 40 years later in 70 AD, just as he had prophesied. The last days will be no different; God's prophets will warn, but will be rejected and scorned; and, as foretold the final desolation will come to the city, the nation and then the world. God's witnesses will make the case for Jerusalem's final desolation: "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses," (Deuteronomy 17:6). Peter wrote to the scattered Jews, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17).
Yeshua's
warning applies to the last generation in Jerusalem and Israel, "So
when you see standing in the holy place [on the Temple Mount] ‘the
abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet
Daniel—let the reader understand— then
let
Whether Jew, Christian or Muslim, we all admire the city we know as Jerusalem, and we mourn for those who live and will die in the city and in Israel, if they fail to run for their lives. Her history is unsurpassed and religious significance beyond description; however, this cannot make up for her past, present and future sins. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, while understanding the historical reality of the city's previous destructive events (586 BC and 70 AD). Tranquility and eternal protection is not a Scriptural promise for the beloved earthly city--only of the heavenly City; and, this is where our citizenship is held (Philippians 3:20), the place Jesus Himself promised to build and take us to (John 14:1-3).
False prophets of the past proclaimed Jerusalem would never be destroyed, in trying to comfort the wounded with words of calm. They sneered at God's chosen prophets and their warnings and claimed "peace, peace... when there is no peace," (Jeremiah 6:13-14). And, the warning is repeated... we will see earthquakes and major Middle East war, along with widespread death and destruction in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel. The strife will bring about "the beginning of birth pains," as told in Matthew 24:8. However, as in life when contractions and intense pain begin, we know that a birth is about to take place. Likewise, spiritually speaking, the trials of Israel indicate the birth of a new "righteous" nation (Isaiah 66:7-11)--those faithful who will enter the eternal Kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem. The New City is large enough for all who desire to live there. God's grace is big enough for all who will repent and trust in Jesus, Yeshua our Savior and King.
The Wise Will Understand
We can
know how events of the last days will
unfold, because God promised this to the wise. The last generation of believers have the
assurance of the unsealing--a more
thorough understanding of final events: "Daniel, roll up and seal
the words of the scroll
Along with widespread death and bloodshed in Israel, the eventual devastation of Jerusalem, and wider Middle East and World War (followed by demonic signs, likely Marian apparitions and the introduction of the Man of sin that halts the global devastation), Gentile troops will enter the city to restore order, trampling on Jerusalem for 42 months (1,260 days--Revelation 11:2). The greater part of the military forces could be European NATO troops, since the majority of Israelis approve of a NATO presence in the West Bank (International Troops Bound for West Bank?), which western border runs through the city of Jerusalem.
The Facts on the Ground
Later during the time of trouble that follows, by decree the city and Temple Mount with religious structures will be rebuilt in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). Randall Price wrote, "The most volatile 35 acres on earth are undoubtedly those comprising a rectangular platform in East Jerusalem on which the ancient Jewish Temple once stood. Both the Old Testament (Is. 1:2-3; Ezek. 37:26-28; 40-48; Dan. 9:27; Mic. 4:1-2; Hag. 2:7-9; Zech 6:12-15; 14:20) and the New Testament (Mt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14; 2Th.2:4; Rev. 11:1-2) affirm that a new Temple [maybe only a partial one] will once again occupy this platform as part of God's end-time program for the nation of Israel," Time for a Temple."
A
survey
back in
July, 2009, found that "64%
want the Temple to be rebuilt. Almost two thirds of Israelis,
including half of seculars would like to see the Temple rebuilt, [and] believe
it is important." (see also:
What? Muslim leader wants Temple rebuilt! and World’s
Largest Temple Model Inaugurated next to Temple Mount).
However, ultimately the rebuilding will be used for the wrong purposes;
the majority of Israelis and Gentiles will admire the Man of Sin. For 42
months (1,260 days--Revelation
13:4-8) he will rule the planet, and near the end of
prophetic time the populous will rejoice at the death of God's two prophets, who prophesy
during the same 1,260 days (Revelation
11:3-4). They
will be taken out of the way, and the European Antichrist will be allowed (by political and religious
leaders in Israel)
to step in procession onto the rebuilt Temple Mount. There he will
set up the When the Lawless One (see titles given him in the Scriptures) enters rebuilt Jerusalem and onto the rebuilt Temple Mount to set up his abomination, the warnings of Matthew 24:15-21, Luke 21:20-22 and Revelation 18:2-5 must be heeded at all cost. The end of the end-times will come--called the Great Tribulation. The beloved city will burn in one day, for it is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. "Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her," (Revelation 18:8). "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again...In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth," (Revelation 18:21, 24). Jesus Himself makes this clear when he railed against Jerusalem's religious leaders in His day, "I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. “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 gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate," (Matthew 23:34-38). The Wedding in Heaven at Sukkot These are not pleasant predictions, for we all hold the beloved city in our hearts. However, the armies that surround her will destroy her in response to Antichrist's proclamation he is "God" Himself; this is prophecy's clear warning. In turn, the adulterous Jerusalem will be replaced by the Heavenly City, the righteous bride--the New Jerusalem, just after her stoning. Immediately following her demise by her lovers, recorded in Revelation 18, the wedding will commence in Heaven at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) recorded in Revelation 19:7-9, and the resurrected tribulation saints--the great multitude of all nations--Jew and Gentile alike will enter with Yeshua the Messiah into the eternal City of God as her adornment forevermore. A Jewish Teaching--the Sukkot Wedding Jerusalem's final tragedy and the timing of the wedding at the Feast of Tabernacles--Sukkot (see The Kingdom Calendar--Pt 20) is emphasized by Jewish Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin: "On Rosh HaShanah we pray that G-d be proclaimed King over the entire world, that the Sacred Marriage, which will bring unity to the world, shall come about immediately. On Yom Kippur we are transported to the Holy Temple, the nuptial canopy; the High Priest proclaims everyone purified, we hear the triumphant trumpet-shofar of the Almighty, we cry out: 'Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our G-d, The Lord is One, Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever, the Lord (of Israel) he is G-d (of the world).' "But alas, this is all a dream - a glorious dream - but not yet a reality. And so immediately after we awaken from the dream, with the blast of the shofar, we must build our modest sukkah, symbol of the exile of the Divine Presence, move into that sukkah with our entire family, and pray that the 'Merciful One re-establish for us the fallen tabernacle of King David' and transform our small sukkah into the Eternal Temple; at that time [at Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles] all nations [see Revelation 7:9] will flock to attend the Sacred Marriage of the Divine and the redemption of all humanity."
Source 1: Sukkot and the Wedding Feast. Source 2: Think of Sukkot as a joyous wedding under the chuppah
Jerusalem's Demise Foretold Revisit the Evidence The Scriptures speak with so much clarity on this subject that anyone remaining in the doomed city of Jerusalem will have no excuse. When the religious and political leaders of Israel allow the Man of Sin with his demonic entourage into the city against the warnings of God's Word and His prophets to set up his long foretold abomination on the Temple Mount in the newly erect edifice, God's wrath will quickly be unleashed and the armies of the nations will respond with unbridled destruction upon Jerusalem and one another. The few days that remain of human history will commence, and with it the 40 days of Great Tribulation, which will climax at Armageddon. "So when you see standing in the holy place [Temple Mount in Jerusalem] 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again," (Matthew 24:15-21).
The corresponding verses in Luke relay the
warning with added clarity, "When you see Jerusalem being
surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the
City [of Jerusalem] get out, and let those in the country not enter
the City [of Jerusalem]. For this is the time of punishment in
fulfillment of all that has been written," (Luke
21:20-22).
"Fallen! Fallen is [Jerusalem] Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries [wealthy bankers and merchants]." Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her [Jerusalem], My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes," (Revelation 18:2-5).
In Conclusion: God Warns Israel in Jeremiah 18:1-12 The Potter and the Clay The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.”’" But, God’s warning is rejected: And they said, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.” This passage and the ancient prophetic oracles recorded in the Sacred Scriptures have been given by the Spirit of God to warn and to help us live, by faith, through the greatest trial of human history. We will need God’s guidance day by day and hour by hour, through some of the most convincing satanic deceptions ever to be visited upon mankind. Preachers, priests and rabbis, along with other popular prophetic teachers and personalities, will proclaim Jerusalem's safety, and that she could never be destroyed, because her downfall does not fit their traditional views. True prophets of old were killed for making the same predictions about Jerusalem's destruction in the past (as will be the last two martyrs), but history proves that Jerusalem can be destroyed and she certainly faces turmoil and ruin during the last days. Her final demise could be averted, if the religious and governmental leaders of Israel would heed the warnings of God and His prophetic Word. Nevertheless, they won't listen to God's counselors, and the people will suffer all the more. The two witnesses will proclaim one last warning to Jerusalem and the nations, as it is stated in the Word repeatedly "every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses," 2 Corinthians 13:1. However, after the two witnesses' 1,260 day ministry is complete, their power will be broken. "It will be for a time, times and half a time [1,260 days], When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed," (Daniel 12:7). The masses will celebrate the demonic overthrow of God's last prophet rulers (Revelation 11:7-12), and will clamor to see Antichrist walk onto the restored Temple Mount, admiring him as he walks up the pathway that will lead to the destruction of Jerusalem, Israel and all nations. As predicted, he will proclaim himself the "DIVINE"--the One long foretold who will save the planet (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). However, upon hearing this boastful announcement, Messiah will respond with His sudden but powerful visitation that will shake the city and the world (Malachi 3:1-2); then, the nations will burn the city with explosive firepower. To the world's dismay, the beloved city of Jerusalem and people who inhabit her (Jews, Christians and Muslims)--those who remain and do not run for their lives--will fall in the earthquake and fiery desolation that quickly follows. Revelation 11:13 declares, "At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth [the sacred; that which is God's--the Temple Mount] of the city [Jerusalem] collapsed." Revelation 16:18-19 adds, "Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city [Jerusalem] split into three parts [symbolically and literally dividing her three religions--Judaism, Christianity, Islam], and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great [Jerusalem] and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath." We know the real proof of any prophetic view is found in the actual unfolding of events. And, if events match the predictions of The Kingdom Calendar, please follow the guidance offered to you. Join in this journey of discovery with us into God's prophetic Word, and together we can walk by faith through the events of these last days and into the Kingdom of God, which is at hand. Unrelenting disasters will hit and daily worship at the Western Wall/Temple Mount will abruptly end; then the counting of prophetic time will begin in a progressive march towards the end of the age. During this period of turmoil, evil in its most vial forms will raise its ugly head with intense persecution and hatred of others. Let us never forget mankind's depth of depravity that unfolded in the death of millions just 75 years ago (Auschwitz Album). May God bless you and your family with wisdom, and the peace that only He can give by trusting, day by day, in our Savior, our Friend and returning King. "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace,” (Numbers 6:24-26).
EXTRA: Israel's Earthquake History: Source
The Holy Land is a region where earthquakes occur frequently. Devastating quakes have been documented during thousands of years, causing damages to structures and people. Many structures have been repaired, rebuilt or abandoned over the years, as attested in most of the historical sites.
Israel sits on the Syria-African rift, which runs along the Dead sea Valley. It passes through the area thought to be the sites of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the city of Jericho, which still stands today. The Biblical accounts of the destruction of the twin cities of evil, and the later account of the falling walls of Jericho, could very well be interpreted as divinely powered geologic catastrophes. Read more at BreakingNews.com
Below is a timeline summary of the greatest quakes, a sample list of sites where the earthquakes caused damages, links and references to additional information.
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