Scripture: Zechariah 12 v 9-10:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will
seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour
out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit
of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and
shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn."
What wonderful words in the midst of sorrow when Jesus
says I will pour out the spirit of grace upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem! It
means the law of Moses will be at an end and the grace He purchased on the
Cross on a hill outside the city walls will replace those difficult laws.
Grace is the forgiveness of every sin and He is adding
the spirit of supplications to it. Every prayer will be answered. They will see
Him and see the holes in His hands and feet, the place in His side where the
sword pierced Him. They will see the scars of the thorns, 8" inches long,
called nabk, in His face and head. They will at last recognise their true
Messiah and King.
Then the mourning and bitter sorrow will come upon them
because they rejected Him nearly 2000 years before and cried out for Him to be
crucified. When Pilate washed his hands and said I am innocent of the blood of
this just man they said His Blood be upon us and on our children! (Matthew 27 v
24 - 25).
They brought a terrible curse upon themselves and their
descendants when they said that. A death curse that meant that at the time of
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Titus in AD70; the Masada
Massacre not long after; up to the Holocaust of WW2 and the Arab declaration to
annihilate Israel, God has not been able to answer those cries for help.
But the time of her affliction is at an end. In the last
battle against the Palestinians, those islamic militants were heard complaining
that "Their God fights for them even causing our own missiles to misfire
upon ourselves!". The UN is wanting to grant many benefits to the
Palestinians however they forget to include the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
in their plans.
If we are followers of Jesus we must love Jerusalem as He
does. The final judgment between the sheep and goats is made on each nation and
each persons attitude to her. If you have prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and
comforted her people you are a sheep of the Lord's flock. If you have hated her
and backed those who want to destroy her, you are a goat, and headed for
eternal fire.
The Time of the Gentiles is coming to a close. That door
began to close in 1948 when Israel became a nation again after 1900 years
without a homeland. After Masada there were 70 Jews left alive. They scattered
into other countries where the Lord kept them alive, multiplied them and
prospered them. At the right time He gave them Israel again as He had
prophesied through Jeremiah.
The signing of the 7 year peace treaty between Israel and
all Arab countries will be ratified by the Antichrist, known to all as a man of
peace. This will mark the final three and a half years to end the Time of the
Gentiles. In this last period will come the world wide outpouring of the Holy
Spirit in the final great revival. This will be followed by the Rapture of
believers to meet Jesus in the air.
Then comes the final half of Tribulation which is the
worst time to be on earth. The full power of satan will rule through the
Antichrist, the Beast and the False Prophet.
The man of peace has become the Son of Perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2 v
3-4).
The target is the complete destruction of Israel. It will culminate in the Battle of
Armageddon. Jesus will arrive on Earth on the Mount of Olives which will split
in half from East to West forming a great valley. He will smite those 200
million detroyers with the sword in His mouth. Israel will be rescued and she
will recognise Jesus at long last.
Prayer: Father God we praise You as You are in control of
all things pertaining to Your children both Gentile and Jew. The day is
approaching when all these prophecies shall be fulfilled. The enemy has tried
to block truth from us all but You have prevailed and opened our eyes. Thank You for everything. We pray for Israel
to be saved and for the peace of Jerusalem. In Jesus' name. Amen.