The Epic Battle Between God and Satan Is Heating Up

 The Epic Battle Between God and Satan Is Heating Up – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, resulted from Satan’s hatred of the Jewish people. The horrors of that day are a sign of what lies ahead as the battle between God andSatan intensifies. Since then, Palestinians and their supporters have marched through many of the world’s large cities demanding the elimination of Israel as a nation and, in some cases, advocateddeath for all the Jewish people. I never imagined I would see such demonic hatred on full display and accepted by so many. What’s becoming increasingly obvious to those of us who understand Scripture is that we are now witnessing the preliminary skirmishes that point to the epic confrontationsbetween God and Satan during the seven-year Tribulation. During this time, the Lord will destroy the kingdom of the antichrist in preparation for His rule over the nations. Satan Seeks to Kill the Jewish People God’s strategy has always been to work through His chosen people, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through their prophets, He revealed His saving purposefor sending the Messiah, the One who would die for the sins of the world. Satan, aware of God’s redeeming purposes, did all he could to stop the coming of the One who would one day defeat and destroy him (Genesis 3:15). His opposition culminatedwith putting Jesus on the cross (1 Corinthians 2:8). What the devil and his hosts failed to understand was that His death would become the means of salvation for us and that the Lord would rise victoriously from the dead. At the present time, Satan mistakenly believes He can stop the fulfillment of Scripture that tells us Jesus will one day return to a repentant Israel and set up His worldwidekingdom. The devil operates under the mistaken illusion that he can thwart God’s promise to place His Son on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33) and stop Him from ruling over all the nations on the earth. In order to stop Jesus’ thousand-year reign, the devil knows he must eliminate the Jewish people. Since the time of Christ, he has stirred up murderous hatred toward God’schosen people. He tried to destroy them with Hitler but fell short. Now, radical Muslims factor into his ongoing deadly agenda. As evidence that Hamas and Hezbollah will fail in their determination to wipe out Israel as a nation, the Bible tells us that the antichrist, empowered by Satan, will continuethe deadly agenda. The coming “lawless one” will implement a covenant of peace with Israel with the intent of using the guise of peace to destroy them (Danial 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). Israel’s leaders, exhausted with the many wars andongoing threats of terrorism, will readily agree to his terms. I believe the antichrist will allow the building of the third temple to sweeten the deal for the nation. God Will Prevail Just as nothing prevented the Lord from fulfilling His saving purpose through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God will prevail over the devil’s deadly agenda. One would think by now, Satan realizes he cannot thwart God’s redemptive plans for Israel and the world. Just as the Lord used Pharoah at the time of Israel’s exodus fromEgypt, so now He is using a deluded devil to fulfill His promises to Israel. The antichrist’s persecution of the Jews during the second half of the Tribulation, combined with the judgments that God pours out on the earth during this time, will causethe surviving one-third of the Jewish people to welcome Jesus as their true Messiah (see Zechariah 12:10-13:1). Jesus, during the week leading up to His crucifixion, prophesied that He would return to a repentant Israel: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers herbrood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, 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'” (Matthew 23:37-39). According to our Savior, there’s coming a time when those living in Jerusalem will welcome Him as their Messiah, saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Although the Jewish people will suffer terribly in the years to come, a sizeable remnant will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and turn to Him in saving faith at the end ofthe Tribulation. This isn’t simply my opinion; it’s what the prophet Zechariah foresaw and Jesus said would happen. Case closed. At the moment, Satan dominates the kingdoms of this world (Ephesians 2:1-3). However, there’s another agenda at work behind the scenes, even though most do not yet recognizeit. Once the Rapture happens, many will recognize God’s wrath and seek to hide from it (Revelation 6:15-17). Multitudes will turn to Jesus during the Tribulation,but most will perish holding on to their vain hope that the devil can stop the Lord’s purposes for His people. – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, resulted from Satan’s hatred of the Jewish people. The horrors of that day are a sign of what lies ahead as the battle between God andSatan intensifies. Since then, Palestinians and their supporters have marched through many of the world’s large cities demanding the elimination of Israel as a nation and, in some cases, advocateddeath for all the Jewish people. I never imagined I would see such demonic hatred on full display and accepted by so many. What’s becoming increasingly obvious to those of us who understand Scripture is that we are now witnessing the preliminary skirmishes that point to the epic confrontationsbetween God and Satan during the seven-year Tribulation. During this time, the Lord will destroy the kingdom of the antichrist in preparation for His rule over the nations. Satan Seeks to Kill the Jewish People God’s strategy has always been to work through His chosen people, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through their prophets, He revealed His saving purposefor sending the Messiah, the One who would die for the sins of the world. Satan, aware of God’s redeeming purposes, did all he could to stop the coming of the One who would one day defeat and destroy him (Genesis 3:15). His opposition culminatedwith putting Jesus on the cross (1 Corinthians 2:8). What the devil and his hosts failed to understand was that His death would become the means of salvation for us and that the Lord would rise victoriously from the dead. At the present time, Satan mistakenly believes He can stop the fulfillment of Scripture that tells us Jesus will one day return to a repentant Israel and set up His worldwidekingdom. The devil operates under the mistaken illusion that he can thwart God’s promise to place His Son on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33) and stop Him from ruling over all the nations on the earth. In order to stop Jesus’ thousand-year reign, the devil knows he must eliminate the Jewish people. Since the time of Christ, he has stirred up murderous hatred toward God’schosen people. He tried to destroy them with Hitler but fell short. Now, radical Muslims factor into his ongoing deadly agenda. As evidence that Hamas and Hezbollah will fail in their determination to wipe out Israel as a nation, the Bible tells us that the antichrist, empowered by Satan, will continuethe deadly agenda. The coming “lawless one” will implement a covenant of peace with Israel with the intent of using the guise of peace to destroy them (Danial 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). Israel’s leaders, exhausted with the many wars andongoing threats of terrorism, will readily agree to his terms. I believe the antichrist will allow the building of the third temple to sweeten the deal for the nation. God Will Prevail Just as nothing prevented the Lord from fulfilling His saving purpose through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God will prevail over the devil’s deadly agenda. One would think by now, Satan realizes he cannot thwart God’s redemptive plans for Israel and the world. Just as the Lord used Pharoah at the time of Israel’s exodus fromEgypt, so now He is using a deluded devil to fulfill His promises to Israel. The antichrist’s persecution of the Jews during the second half of the Tribulation, combined with the judgments that God pours out on the earth during this time, will causethe surviving one-third of the Jewish people to welcome Jesus as their true Messiah (see Zechariah 12:10-13:1). Jesus, during the week leading up to His crucifixion, prophesied that He would return to a repentant Israel: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers herbrood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, 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'” (Matthew 23:37-39). According to our Savior, there’s coming a time when those living in Jerusalem will welcome Him as their Messiah, saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Although the Jewish people will suffer terribly in the years to come, a sizeable remnant will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and turn to Him in saving faith at the end ofthe Tribulation. This isn’t simply my opinion; it’s what the prophet Zechariah foresaw and Jesus said would happen. Case closed. At the moment, Satan dominates the kingdoms of this world (Ephesians 2:1-3). However, there’s another agenda at work behind the scenes, even though most do not yet recognizeit. Once the Rapture happens, many will recognize God’s wrath and seek to hide from it (Revelation 6:15-17). Multitudes will turn to Jesus during the Tribulation, but most willperish holding on to their vain hope that the devil can stop the Lord’s purposes for His people.