The dragon’s fury

 The dragon’s fury - By Charles Gardner - https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/the-dragons-fury/ A sign that God is about to do something very special. The Book of Revelation, focusing on the last days before Messiah’s return, depicts a dragon about to slay a pregnant woman. “The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.” (Rev 12:4) This speaks of Jesus, and of times of great distress for Israel, but also signifies that something spectacular is about to happen in terms of restoration, renewal and redemption. For when Satan attacks with the utmost fury, you know that God is about to rescue his people in a glorious way. When Pharaoh issued a decree to kill all the Hebrew babies because he feared the Israelites were getting too numerous, it was a sign that Adonai was about to work a mightymiracle through Moses. The infant was duly rescued from among the bulrushes of the Nile, and eventually led his people out of slavery towards the Promised Land. When Messiah was born, King Herod, because he felt threatened, ordered the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem. But Yeshua’s parents had obeyed the angelic instruction toescape back to Egypt until the wicked tyrant was no more. As Simeon put it in his prayer of thanks to the Lord when Jesus was presented at the Temple, the infant Christ was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory toyour people Israel” (Luke 2:32). But due to national rejection, the Jewish people were exiled to the nations. Now fast-forward some 1,900 years to the time when the ancient prophecies of Jewish restoration began to be fulfilled as God’s chosen ones started returning to Zion. The dragonvented his fury as never before by filling the Nazis with wicked genocidal madness. The Holocaust was designed to sink all hopes of such restoration but, out of the ashes, Israel was re-born as a nation. Now another tyrant, in the form of terrorist group Hamas and their murderous co-conspirators, engages in shameless slaughter of innocent children, along with men, women andthe elderly. A truly terrifying outrage, yet also a sure sign that God has a glorious plan in mind which the enemy is determined to prevent. A mighty spiritual awakening is on the horizon. The dry bones have come back to life, and the Spirit of the Lord is blowing afresh among all those who are turning their heartsto him. Be comforted, and do not lose heart, Israel! The Lord is with you; he is suffering with you and has suffered for you! He weeps for your children. As Jeremiah prophesied: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.” (Jer 31:15) This word was fulfilled at Bethlehem and has been repeated in recent days. But Ezekiel’s dry bones prophecy (chapter 37 of that book) speaks of resurrection – not only ofyour great nation, but of a people returning to close fellowship with their one and only Saviour and Lord. Such a relationship is a greater hope than anything this world can offer. For “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those wholove him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, quoting Isaiah 64:4). God also spoke the following words through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, andI will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…I will gather you from all the nations…and bring you back…” (Jer 29:11-14) Rabbi Jonathan Cahn writes of the egg-eating snake in similar terms to the dragon of Revelation. It strikes out to pre-empt the birth of new life; it attacks the young, theweak and the defenseless. So when all hell breaks loose around you, do not be discouraged. It’s a sign of the enemy’s determination to abort the purposes of God. But he won’t succeed. Heaven’s best is yet to come. More than a decade ago, I was coming under much pressure as I was writing my first book on Israel (Israel the Chosen, published in 2013 and available from Amazon) when Godspoke to me as I was praying in a beautiful church near my office. A huge pulpit Bible was open at the very verse I quoted at the beginning of this article – the dragon about to pounce on a woman giving birth. Later that day I crashed my car and could easily have been wiped out, but God protected me. The man from the recovery service wondered how I had missed two telegraph polesas I careered off the road after clipping the back of a small truck. I was shaken, but without a scratch! My new calling to bless Israel was duly birthed. Israel is at the center of God’s purposes, which is why a great shaking is now taking place. But it’s a window of opportunity for god-fearing people around the world to standwith Israel. The Muslim world is collapsing from within. The mosques of Iran are fast emptying, but her people are finding solace in the Jewish Saviour. They too are praying for you. In sub-Saharan Africa, Muslims are having dreams of Jesus and have become his disciples at great risk, just as Palestinians in Gaza are also reaching out for Christ to rescuethem from the tyrannical shackles of Hamas. I leave you with a challenge from an amazing American lady, Karen Wheaton, who shares her insights with thousands on YouTube. In a recent broadcast, she focuses on three words, “Who knows, perhaps…?” taken from Joel chapter 2 and the Book of Esther. Queen Esther’s guardian Mordecai asked her: “Who knows, perhaps, whether you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) Joel 2:14 asks a similar question in the context of God’s call for his people to repent and turn to him: “Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing…” For us Gentiles, Karen challenged: “If you as a Church do nothing in this hour and remain comfortable in your palaces…our generation will pay the price.” It’s time to seek the Lord, and to bless his people Israel.