Sabbath Thoughts 10/30/2009

Mega-Trends from the Bible ©October 30, 2009 Asher Intrater


Many things are happening in the world today that are cause for concern. Yet there is also great hope for victory. In general bad things will get worse, and good things will get better (Isaiah 60:2). Let's look at seven Bible verses with the word "all" or "every" to get a picture of seven mega-trends that will affect our world in these end times.


I. Ungodly World Government
Revelation 13:7 – It was given to [the Beast] to make war on the saints and to overcome them, and governing authority was given over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
There will be an international confederation that will be evil and violent. It will control the government of every nation, and will encourage persecution of true believers.


II. Glorious International Church
Revelation 7:9 – I saw a great multitude which no man could count, from all the nations, tribes, peoples and tongues – standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands.


At the same time there will be an ever increasing community of true believers in all the nations of the world. They will walk in spiritual purity and moral integrity, each people group expressing their faith in their own culture and language, worshiping in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Their expectant faith will welcome the Messiah back into the world.


III. Evil World Religion
Revelation 13:8 – And all the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life will worship [the Beast].
The evil world government will also have a religious aspect to it. It will demand worship of its violent religion. The true saints around the world will not comply to this coercion, but those who have no faith, understanding or courage will succumb.


The demand to worship in this evil religion will be like the statue made by Nebuchadnezzar, and the refusal to worship it will be like the stance of the three Jewish stewards who were miraculously saved from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).


IV. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:17 – I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy; your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.
At the same time that the ungodly will be worshiping the evil beast, there will be a great revival among the godly. The fire of the Holy Spirit will be poured out in an end times' "Pentecost" that will reach every part of the world. True churches and congregations in every nation will experience the same kind of revival that the first century Messianic believers experienced in Acts 2 (Joel 2-3). It will be accompanied by prophecies, healings, and miracles.


V. Revival in Israel
Romans 11:26 – And all Israel shall be saved.
The expression "all flesh" of Acts 2:17 is connected to the "all Israel" of Romans 11:26. As there will be a spiritual revival in all the world, so will there be in Israel as well. The first century revival was in Israel alone; the last century revival will be in Israel and the nations.
Today there is a vibrant Messianic remnant in Israel. This remnant will grow until a "critical mass" is reached. Then the world wide end times Pentecost will be set ablaze. The influence goes in both directions. The spiritual outpouring in the nations causes the revival in Israel, and the outpouring in Israel causes the revival in the nations.


VI. Increase in Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism
Zechariah 14:2 – And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle.
The evil government confederation will not only commit violent crimes, persecute the saints and demand false religious worship, it will also focus lies and anti-Semitic propaganda against Israel. The increase of Anti-Zionist propaganda will be like the attempts of Haman in the book of Esther to kill the Jewish people.


Ultimately it will facilitate a united attack of all the nations against Jerusalem – the religious and political capital of Israel. This apocalyptic war will be the culminating act of evil in the world and the final act of rebellion against God and His Messiah (Psalm 2). At that time Yeshua (Jesus) will return to fight against those nations which attacked Jerusalem.


That war is the context by which Yeshua will judge the nations. His war against them is part of the judgment. As Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the United Nations, every nation will have to decide whether to stand with Israel or with the terrorists.


VII. Jewish Roots of Christianity
Zechariah 14:16 – And it shall come to pass that all who remain of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the king.
While all the nations will attack Israel, not all the people within those nations will be in agreement. Quite the contrary! In every nation there will be a spiritual remnant who will remain loyal to God, live in holiness, and also be aligned with Israel.
Before the Second Coming, the international Church and the Messianic remnant of Israel will be "grafted in" together (Romans 11). This "grafting in" is part of the faith and covenant that will invite Yeshua to return and rule over the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4, Micah 4:1-5, Revelation 11:15, Matthew 6:10).


[Note: At their recent international convention, Aglow President Jane Hansen Hoyt passed out stickers in the form of yellow "Stars of David", similar to the patches demanded of the Jews to be worn in the Holocaust. In this powerful gesture, Jane said true Christians will stand against anti-Semitism and the anti-Christ even unto the death. Earlier at the same conference, Victor Khalil (Egyptian Arab, former Muslim) and I embraced one another on the platform as an expression of the reconciliation and covenantal love that is found in Yeshua alone.]