PSALM 83 and THE NEXT PROPHETIC BATTLE

Psalm 83 has been a focus for some prophetic teachers who claim that there will be a future battle that will take place before the Gog-Magog battle, near the time of the Rapture. Psalm 83 has been presented as evidence that the end times will begin very soon. It is good for us to review this Psalm because it comes up frequently in sermons and on the internet. The chart illustrates the position.

   

The Basic Idea of Psalm 83

In Psalm 83, ten peoples are mentioned which align themselves against Israel, and declare that they will “wipe out” Israel as a nation and that “the name of Israel will be remembered no more” (Psa. 83:4). In this Psalm, the author Asaph asks God to show His strength and thoroughly defeat these enemies of Israel. Asaph points out that Judah is in a terrible situation as the hatred for Israel is intense and God needs to intervene. In the past, God has brought about some tremendous victories on behalf of Israel and He needs to do so again.

The Basic Idea of Psalm 83 Being a Still Future Battle

Those who see this Psalm as prophetic, see it as speaking of a future battle just before the well-known “Gog-Magog” war. First, they note that the hateful attitude found in Psalm 83 is exactly what is seen today in the middle-east. The constant cry today from Israel’s enemies is to “drive Israel into the sea” and it is said this shows that the Psalm 83 battle is probably quite close. 

Second, they also state that the author of the Psalm, Asaph, is called a “seer” (prophet) in 2 Chronicles 29:30 which would qualify this psalm as prophetic, and one that has yet to be fulfilled. This psalm is part of the ministry of the prophet Asaph.

          Third, concerning the alignment of the ten peoples/nations, it is stated that this alignment never has had a historical fulfillment, and so must await a coming day. The idea is that this battle of the Ten versus Israel is imminent and will occur just before the Gog-Magog battle (discussed in Ezekiel 38-39). In Psalm 83, God is asked to thoroughly defeat this group of enemies, something God will do, thus giving Israel a time of peace. This is the peace that is mentioned as Israel’s condition in Ezekiel 39:8 and 11. However, this newly achieved peace will be short lived as the defeated Arab nations will call on Russia and Islamic nations to come and destroy Israel, which then triggers the Gog-Magog battle. No dogmatic position is taken on the timing of the battle, but it is viewed as near the Rapture and therefore “soon”.

The Alignment of the Ten in Psalm 83:6-8 

                                    (1) EDOM - Jordan (southern part)     (6) AMMON – Jordan (northern part)

           (2) ISHMAELITES - Father of Arabs    (7) AMALEK – Sinai area (Egypt)

                                    (3) MOAB - Jordan (central part)         (8) PHILISTIA – Gaza area 

                                    (4) HAGRITES – Egypt                        (9) TYRE - Lebanon

                                    (5) GEBAL – Lebanon                          (1O) ASSYRIA – Parts of Iraq & Syria 

                                   While it is always challenging to line up the ancient names with the modern

 

boundaries, the above list generally gives the areas involved with the alignment of the Ten. Whether it was in O. T. times or today, these same groups have had an “everlasting” animosity towards the people of Israel.

Is Psalm 83 a Prophecy or Not?

             In evaluating Psalm 83 as a prophecy of a future battle, several points can be made. First, it seems accurate to conclude that there is no OT historical fulfillment of such a battle. As Dr. Merrill Unger states: “there is no such comprehensive anti-Israel alliance…mentioned in the OT.” (Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament, p. 867). That these nations were the subject of coming judgment is found often in the OT prophets, but not packaged as they are here. So, Unger is likely correct that there is no historical fulfillment when this group of Ten was defeated.

          Second, in evaluating Psalm 83, it should be noted that a deep hatred for Israel is hardly a new thing. This same spirit predominated the wars in 1948, 1967 and all the rest of the Arab-Israeli conflicts. This hatred is found frequently in the Prophets. For example, Ezekiel says that the descendants of Ishmael and Esau have an “everlasting enmity” against Israel (Ezek. 35:5), and that because of their anger and envy they will attempt to take Israel’s land through violence and bloodshed (35:10-12; 36:5). Ezekiel sounds very 2023. The fact that this antagonism is “everlasting” lets us know that this attitude is not going away any time soon. However, it will end at the return of King Jesus. Then all the rebellious gentile nations will be judged severely (Psa. 2), including those mentioned in Psalm 83. But because Psalm 83 speaks of a hatred for Israel does not automatically put this psalm into life in the middle-east in 2023.

Third, the critical issue is whether Psalm 83 is really a prophecy at all. This, of course, goes to the heart of the matter.  Psalm 83 is a “lament psalm”, one of many in the Psalter. A lament psalm centers on the sad situation that the psalmist sees and contains a request for God to do something about it. Lament psalms always include a statement of trust in the Lord. Psalm 83 contains all these elements. Asaph complains to the Lord that Judah is in a sad situation and there is hatred for Israel and a desire to do them harm. Asaph asks God to deal with this situation, which is typical of a “lament psalm.” But what this Psalm does not include are the tell-tale phrases such as “in the latter days'', or “in that day”, which would immediately point to a prophetic element. There is a request for God to deal severely with these peoples, but it is not framed as a prophecy. For example, it does not say that “in the last days Jehovah will judge these people''. Now it is pointed out that Asaph is called a “seer”; that is a prophet.  While that is what 2 Chronicles states, this does not automatically mean that the psalms of Asaph were prophecies or contained prophetic elements. In fact, it is hard to locate that element in his writings.  Isaiah, Jeremiah and others are all seen as prophets, but not everything they wrote was prophetic.  Much of what they wrote were exhortations to obey the Lord and return to keeping the Law. When they spoke prophetically, it was very clear that the matters being spoken of were indeed prophecies. Psalm 83 simply lacks that kind of clarity. And these facts point to Psalm 83 as not being prophetic.

A fourth observation has to do with what this view has spawned, which is date setting and colorful prophetic speculations. Preachers and teachers, using Psalm 83, speak of this battle taking place “soon” and often state that it will most likely take place during this calendar year. While spectacular interpretations garner a lot of attention, they also diminish biblical prophecy when such events do not take place.  A lack of solid exegesis of the text of scripture almost always produces this phenomenon. 

Fifth, the case for Psalm 83 being the forerunner of the Gog-Magog battle is built on the point that Israel needs to have a time of peace for the setting to be right for the Gog-Magog battle. Psalm 83 is said to be that which produces that needed moment of peace. But is that true?  Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum has a significant contribution to make about the word “securely” found in Ezekiel 39:8. He notes that the Hebrew word batach means “security”. “This is not the security due to a state of peace, but a security due to confidence in their own strength.” (“Footsteps of the Messiah”, p. 121). Therefore, the need for “peace” in Israel for Gog-Magog to take place is not what is required by the Ezekiel text. And this would remove the need for a preliminary battle of some sort.

Sixth, for those who insist that this is a prophecy, there is something else to consider. And that something is Israel’s 1967 war.  Michael Oren in his excellent book “Six Days of War”, speaks of the tremendous impact that this short war had on the world. He stated, “Rarely in modern times has such a short and localized conflict had such prolonged, global consequences.” (Oren, xii).  This war made the modern Middle East what it is today. In the first days of that war, various Arab leaders were once again making their intentions clear. “Our goal is clear---to wipe Israel off the face of the map. We will, God willing, meet in Tel Aviv and Haifa.” “We have decided that this battle will be one for the final liberation from imperialism and Zionism…We shall meet in Tel Aviv.”  (Oren, p. 164, 195)

In great detail, Michael Oren chronicles both the participation and military movements of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and even Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In other words, all the people mentioned in Psalm 83 are covered geographically in the 1967 war. The 1967 war did indeed help prepare for end time events. For those who teach that Psalm 83 speaks of a future conflict, perhaps they should consider that the war has already taken place and it is not a future war.  Ultimately, all those who hate Israel will be dealt with when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth. This will take place at the end of the coming 7-year period of Tribulation and then that “everlasting” hatred for Israel will end. Asaph’s request will be answered.

Concluding Thoughts

Because of the lack of compelling textual evidence that Psalm 83 itself is prophetic, it would seem best to not view it as the prophecy of some battle that has not yet taken place. The evidence that Psalm 83 is prophesying a coming battle and that this battle prepares the world for the Gog-Magog battle is very weak.  It is best to view it as a lament psalm which asks the Lord God to intervene and to deliver them from a difficult situation, which He ultimately will do.

And while we applaud those who take biblical prophecy seriously and teach it, we should be a little concerned with those who are declaring boldly that Psalm 83 will be fulfilled “soon”, or that it is in this calendar year that it will come to pass. What if the year 2026 or 2031 comes around and Psalm 83 is still not “fulfilled”?  It would diminish biblical prophecy in the minds of a multitude of people, Christian and non-Christian alike. The view that biblical prophecy is “irrelevant” or “nonsense” would once again be reinforced. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, COMPUTER CHIPS AND THE END TIMES

As his prophetic book concluded, Daniel was informed by a majestic angel that at the end of time “knowledge shall increase” (Dan. 12:4). The exact details of this explosion of knowledge in the end times were not given by the angel. What we do know is that, as time goes by, information is expanding at a rate that no one can keep up with it. A technically informed person recently said that around the time of World War 2, knowledge doubled about every 25 years; and now, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) it doubles every 12 hours. While it is hard to confirm or deny this, it is nevertheless clear to everyone that knowledge is increasing at a speed that the average person simply cannot grasp. There has never been a time like this in all of human history. Mankind is entering new territory.

Artificial Intelligence---Amazing and Frightening. AI is seen today as a great boon to mankind, but warnings are also being heard from those who understand AI. The warning is that there is a very real danger with this amazing technology. AI has been around for decades and its presence is widely experienced. Today, AI can think far faster than people can and are able to “learn”, coming up with things than humans never thought of. Mankind benefits today with AI changing business approaches, making medical breakthroughs, processing language, countering cyber-crime, making self-driving vehicles, advancing image recognition and so many more innovations. But numerous individuals, such as Dr. Geoffrey Hinton (the “godfather of AI”), are now issuing warnings about AI. They point out that digital intelligence is rapidly becoming better than our biological intelligence, and the potential is there that it will soon pass and take over human intelligence. The concern is that there is no present solution to steer or control AI if a system goes rogue. Some say that mankind has just a few years (with 2030 as the outside limit) to figure this out. The fear is that AI will begin to control human society through such things as disinformation, controlling access to resources and opportunities, and powerful new weapons. And while it might be nice to have our AI coffee maker brew our coffee consistently the way we like it, the harsh reality is that it is likely in the future that AI may become far more malevolent. It is being said that the one who controls AI, controls the world. In some ways, it is like the internet, which has brought some wonderful realities into our lives, while at the same time bringing terrible fraud, immorality and criminality into our lives. There is a growing concern among those in the know about AI that the next few years will bring irreversible damage to humankind. What is clear is that the world is going to change dramatically in the very near future. Apparently, man won’t have to wait too long for this.   

Satan’s Coming Wonders and Deceptions. Does all of this impact the future as laid out in the Scriptures? Satan’s miraculous demonstrations and breathtaking deceptions during the Tribulation are beyond dispute. Jesus declared that “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt. 24:24). In this succinct statement, two basic facts are given. First, these signs and wonders are “great”. Jesus, who infrequently used descriptive words like this, was indicating that these supernatural acts are far beyond Satan’s usual activities. It will be a unique time. The second fact is that they will be very deceptive, so that even God’s elect would be fooled by them (if they were not protected by the Lord). It is highly likely that this indicates that these miraculous acts will closely resemble the kinds of miracles that Jesus Himself performed during His earthly ministry. Disinformation of some kind.

The Apostles agree with Jesus’ statement. Paul, in speaking of the Antichrist, says that his satanic connection is clear (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Antichrist “with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness” will execute Satan’s program. Several words to observe. “All power” is granted to the Antichrist which strongly suggests that God is going to allow certain satanic miracles that are unprecedented to take place. In other words, this will be a unique period of previously unseen satanic supernaturalism. Another word to note is “false” wonders. This does not mean that these are tricks or some kind of sleight-of-hand. These are genuine miracles that lead into that which is false; something Jesus saw coming.

 Another apostle, John, declared that “the dragon (Satan) gave him (Antichrist) his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev, 13:2). Again, the Scriptures declare that immense satanic power is given to the Antichrist. Whatever God is going to allow Satan to do, will be passed along to Satan’s two key minions, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. John is the first and only one to reveal the end time individual known as the “false prophet” (Rev. 13:11-18; 20:10). He is a religious figure that will receive miraculous powers. His amazing activities are revealed by the apostle John.

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast (Antichrist), telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Revelation 13:14-15).

This unique portion of scripture unveils an end of days phenomenon; that of an animated “image” of the Antichrist. Clearly demonic deception and empowerment is seen. Ten times in this final section of Revelation, this strange, but deadly, image is mentioned, which will plague the world during the second half of the Tribulation. The image has the ability to know who does not worship the Antichrist and will then put them to death. It is the False Prophet that brings the image to life. How he does this is not detailed by John. However, the kind of worldwide activity and control that is described opens up the possibility of the use and involvement of Artificial Intelligence. This sounds so “science fiction”, but this strange image is scriptural fact.

Revelation 13 also reveals that the False Prophet is the one who will institute  the well-known “666”, the mark of the beast. It will be something that is placed on individuals which will allow them to buy and sell, and apparently will also be important in the worshiping of the Antichrist. This has caused many to suggest that computer chips may be used. It does seem that Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet could well use this technology for their deceptive and evil purposes. In the future, however, it may turn out that technology has gone far beyond computer chips embedded in or on people to things yet unknown.

God’s Tribulation Activity. At this point, there needs to be some clarity given. God will not need to employ advanced technology to accomplish His purposes in the Tribulation period, and likely will not use it. One of the major challenges for those who interpret biblical prophecy is to keep separate “what” God is going to do, from “how” He is going to do it. The interpreter must always keep in mind that the emphasis of scripture is on what God will do. And the interpreter must remember that God’s primary purpose of this end time period of Tribulation is to bring Israel, and then many gentiles, to faith in Himself. To do that, it is His hand that must be clearly seen. As an example: when 1/3 of the earth is seen being burned up (Rev. 8:7), the interpreter must resist the temptation to say that it is nuclear war that is in view. When this (and other activities) take place, we really do not know “how” God will do it. But those experiencing 1/3 of the earth being burned will know that it is God that is doing it, and not some crazed leader of North Korea or Iran. Remember, if God had chosen to bring this age to an end in 1723 or 1823, when modern technology did not exist, He somehow would have managed to fulfill exactly all that which Revelation talks about. And the interpreter ought to be aware that should the Lord put off the end times for another 50 years, we probably cannot imagine where man’s technology will be. Therefore, we need to take care about saying “this is how God will do it.” It would seem that God does not need computer chips and artificial intelligence to accomplish His goals of saving multitudes of people and judging sinful men and nations. When the end times come, mankind will curse God (cf. Rev. 16:9, 11, 21) but will come away knowing that the Sovereign God controls this universe. 

Our Response. We can be absolutely sure that the Lord our God will accomplish everything that He said He would do. He will save multitudes of people. He will shepherd His people into the rich blessings of Jesus’ kingdom. He who is far smarter than any artificial intelligence, can be counted on to fulfill every promise to His own. 

Our response today must be on serving Him faithfully in whatever place He has put us. We don’t know the exact future of all this technology, but we do know the One who is greater than AI. Fearing the future is not a biblical option for the followers of Jesus Christ. His plan is precise and His program will be fulfilled to His glory, and to the benefit of His people. Our culture might worship technology, but we worship the One who is greater than any technology that the creature can construct.

HOPE and HOPELESSNESS

Hope and hopelessness are polar opposites and both are present in our world. Every person will basically be living their life in one of these two places.

The Hopelessness of Our Culture. If recent studies and reports are to be believed, depression and hopelessness are growing at a very noticeable rate in America. Life is losing its sparkle for many. And the suicide rate is going up. For many, including a growing number of younger people, life is being viewed as one bad cosmic joke. They have tried most everything that is advertised to bring happiness, peace and contentment. But, aside from a fleeting rush of adrenalin, what is advertised never really results. In fact, the results are grossly deficient.  Centuries ago, billionaire King Solomon tried everything that money could buy: pleasure, education, wealth and even lots of work projects. But he discovered that these were just mirages on the desert of life. He likened his pursuit of those things to that of attempting to grab hold of the wind; a rather useless activity. It was rather depressing, but nevertheless a reality. Most in our culture today don’t know of Solomon’s conclusions as he recorded them in the O.T. book of Ecclesiastes. However, they do personally experience exactly what he was talking about. Our culture, in spite of some bursts of bravado, is quickly sinking into hopelessness. And if we just give it a little thought (and watch the multitude of advertisements on TV), what does the culture really offer people?

The Hope Possessed by the Follower of Jesus Christ. For the person who has placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is great hope. In fact, “great” hardly does justice to the reality of it. But what is “hope”? We need to be clear on what the Bible means when it speaks of “hope”. The Bible often uses the term, but here we want to look at the verse where the Apostle Paul spoke of “looking for the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).  “Hope” is not wishful thinking; such as, “I hope I can go hiking tomorrow” when lying in traction in the hospital with two broken legs; or, “I hope to have a gourmet meal tonight” when it is “mac and cheese” cooking on the stove. Biblical “hope” is best defined as a “confident expectation.”  It is a happy anticipation of future events that will be experienced. They will be experienced simply because it is based on the promise and power of our great God, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

But this is also declared to be the blessed hope. The word “blessed” is the Greek word markarios, which was used by the Lord Jesus in the “beatitudes'' in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-12). This word communicates the concepts of “contentment”, “happiness”, “fulfillment”, “richness” and “prosperity.” In the future, at the return of the Lord Jesus, these will characterize our lives. Beginning with the Rapture event, everything God originally intended in the Garden of Eden to be true for human beings will be our experience. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul spoke of the “hope of salvation”; that is, the final deliverance of believers, which will take place at the Rapture immediately before the Tribulation. Then at the Second Coming, the eternal rule of God is established: first the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Messiah, and then the eternal phase of the kingdom on the new earth (Rev. 21:1). For believers in Jesus Christ, the “blessed hope” begins at the Rapture event, and many matters are part of the “blessed hope”, including the following ones.

• THE RECEIVING OF NEW BODIES. The fragility and decline of our present bodies is an inconvenient truth that we all have to deal with, especially as the years go by. Disease, deformity and ultimately physical death are unpleasant realities. But that will change suddenly and supernaturally at the Rapture when “in an atom of time” (Gr. en atomo) (1 Cor. 15:51-52), Jesus will change these “vile bodies” like unto “His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). No more will we have the unwanted prospect of death, or the anguish of disease. We will have bodies that will live forever in beauty and strength. Now, that is something that certainly fits into the category of “blessed”; does it not?

• THE REMOVAL OF THE “FLESH” (the sin nature). Believers who desire to live godly for Christ, are irritated daily by their sinning. It gets frustrating and often demoralizing to keep doing things and thinking things which are sinful. But all that will change when we are freed from the presence and power of sin (Rom. 6 and 7). To live without the presence of the flesh and, therefore, always live in the ways and will of God will be a “blessed” relief. 

• THE DOMINANCE OF JOY. In life today, joy is a scarce commodity. We might have a brief moment or two of joy, but it quickly evaporates in the heat of life’s trials and troubles. Joy is a condition of pure delight that is going to characterize Jesus’ kingdom rule, as He will be anointed with the “oil of gladness” (Heb. 1:9). As Jesus faced the crucifixion, He looked beyond the cross to “the joy set before Him” (Heb. 12:2), which was His kingdom rule over those He had redeemed. Life in the future kingdom will be continuous “pure delight”. Jesus invited His faithful servants to “begin to experience” His joy in the kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23). This “pure delight” was seen by the prophets as one of the dominant characteristics of this coming messianic age (e.g. Isa. 35:6, 10; 60:15; 61:7). Nothing in our culture can produce this joy, in spite of the slick advertising that would try and tell us otherwise. Constant joy. What a blessed hope this is.

• A LIFE WITH MEANING AND CONTENTMENT. In the original creation, God gave to Adam and Eve meaningful activity along with the challenge to subdue their environment (“scientific” discovery and application). There is much we do not know about God’s future kingdom, but it is clear that life then will also be filled with meaningful activity, since “His bondservants shall serve Him” (Rev. 22:7). With human kings and nations present, we can imagine the immense variety of responsibilities and activities for God’s people. (Rev. 21:24). We will not be bored with life. Work and activities will bring great satisfaction and meaning to our lives.

• A PURE, UNHINDERED RELATION WITH OUR GOD. This kind of relationship has only vaguely been experienced in this life. We do have moments of wonderful worship of our Creator-Savior, but that is another thing that can quickly evaporate in the presence of the world and the flesh. But the world, the flesh and the devil do not exist in the future forever kingdom of God. God Himself is going to dwell with us and we will see His face (Rev. 21:3; 22:4). Remember those wonderful moments of fellowship and worship? Those will be permanent realities once Jesus’ glorious return takes place. Life as God originally intended for mankind, back in Eden, will become an eternal reality; a “blessed hope.”

• THE KINGDOM WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is likely that you, along with many others, are disgusted and angered by the level of corruption and injustice that exists in human government, including our own. It really has become true that evil is called good, and good is called evil. It is true that guilty people walk free, while many who are not guilty are punished. This continues to be a growing reality in our world. However, no such thing will be true in the rule of King Jesus. “Justice and righteousness” will characterize His rule (Isa. 9:7; 11:4-5), and in the time of the eternal kingdom (2 Pet. 3:13). Evil doers in Messiah’s kingdom face immediate judgment, as Jesus rules with a “rod of iron” (Psa. 2:9). We will be freed from the oppressive corruption of man’s kingdoms and will operate in a kingdom of pure righteousness. This too is part of our “blessed hope.”

There is so much more that could be included in our “blessed hope.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we stand apart from our hopeless culture. It is totally His grace and goodness that gives us this confident expectation of the future. And it all begins at the return in glory of the Savior. 

Hope Lived Out in Our lives. The book of Hebrews states that Jesus faced the Cross which was not a joyful prospect to Him. But Jesus looked beyond the Cross to the time of great glory, joy, peace and righteousness. This kingdom would certainly come to pass, because God’s promises and power guaranteed it. Jesus modeled life for us, as He looked beyond the present cross to the future kingdom. We need to apply this lesson of looking beyond present troubles and focusing on our “blessed hope.” Our lives now are not suddenly going to become carefree and joyful. Life is hard. But shouldn’t we be very different from the growing trend of hopelessness in our culture? It is true that we can easily be infected by the culture. But our focus is not to be on the latest travesties taking place in Washington D.C. or the terrible perversities emerging in the public school. (These are significant and need to be resisted within the means provided in our rule of law). But they should not become the focus of life. The Scriptures, however, call for us to focus on Jesus and on our “blessed hope.”

 

GOOD PROPHETIC TEACHING and BAD PROPHETIC SPECULATING

Biblical prophecy is an essential factor in living godly lives in an ungodly world, which is why Jesus and the N.T. writers wove prophetic themes throughout their teachings. These give believers that much needed “two-world” view (living in this world with an eye on the world to come). But prophetic teachers and their teachings have a vulnerability, and that is the ease into which speculations become part of the teaching. Perhaps it is done to make their teaching more exciting or relevant. For example, the Rapture is an imminent event for which no “signs” are given in Scripture. So, when a preacher has a sermon with the title “Three Signs that the Rapture is Soon,” he has just ventured onto extremely thin ice biblically. He might point to the explosion of evil or to various happenings in nature. But things like earthquakes, famines, and wars or upswings of evil, are not signs of the Lord’s coming for His church. These have been present in all of human history. (Christ mentioned them in His prophetic discourse and the Revelation gives much detail, but they take place during the 7-year Tribulation).

Since prophecy is about the future and has not happened yet, it is more difficult to prove prophetic speculations to be in error. Months later when the speculations have not come to pass, most have forgotten what the prophecy teacher has said, giving him leeway to speculate some more. However, the church does have the Scriptures and believers are to use them in carefully evaluating prophetic statements. This is not a new issue, as the early church faced it as well. A look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 might be helpful. 

Believers in the first century church. The followers of Jesus at Thessalonica were being persecuted for their faith. The Apostle Paul assured them that the Lord Jesus was fully aware of their afflictions and one day Jesus would come in power and glory and execute a severe judgment on the persecutors. They had the power now, but the tables would be turned and their judgment would be great (2 Thess. 1:5-12). But this situation of persecution opened them up to some false prophetic teaching. So, the Apostle penned some truths previously given, along with some new information about the future.   

The Rapture of the church – 2 Thessalonians 2:1. He said, “keeping in mind truth about our gathering to the Lord” (the Rapture), let us go over some facts about “the day of the Lord”. The “day of the Lord” is used some 70 times in the O.T. to speak of that period in the future when God will uniquely enter the affairs of mankind. It often refers to the terrible days of the Tribulation, and sometimes includes the millennial kingdom. So, the “day of the Lord” is a period of slightly more than 1,000 years. These believers were in a terrible time of persecution and some alleged prophetic teachings from three sources (2:2) was that they had entered the “day of the Lord.” This, of course, meant that the rapture event did not take place before the Tribulation; something which Paul was clear about in 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-17; 5:9). Or maybe, they missed the rapture. 

The Appeal to be calm and not agitated – 2:2. Their reaction to the idea that there was no imminent rapture and that they were going to experience the “wrath of God,” caused fear and anxiety in these new believers. Erroneous prophetic teaching had quickly brought distress to them. Paul told them to calm down and to listen carefully to his apostolic instruction. Generally, erroneous prophetic speculations do result in negative responses coming into the lives of God’s people. 

The distorted prophetic teaching and the answer to it 2:2-4.  The authoritative claims made by the false teachers came through (1) “spirit” (a claim to divine revelation of some sort); (2) a message (some teachers’ sermon); and (3) a letter (a letter claiming to come from Paul himself). From these three sources they were being taught that the Tribulation period had already begun, which Paul calls “deceptive” teaching (2:2). It negated Paul’s previous instructions (2:5) where he had clearly taught that the church will be taken out of the world before the Tribulation and, therefore, will not experience God’s coming wrath in the “day of the Lord”. It can be shown that God’s wrath is found throughout the entire 7-year period (1 Thess. 1:10 and 5:9) which shows that the church is removed prior to the start of the Tribulation. Paul then explained that two distinct but related events are at the start of the Tribulation (“day of the Lord”), and neither of these had taken place, showing the false nature of the prophetic teaching that had come their way. The first event is the uniquely terrible falling away (apostasy) from the truth of God within the church itself. He uses the definite article (THE apostasy) which speaks of the well-known, specific, spiritual rebellion within the church at the end of times (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Jude; 2 Pet. 2; 2 Cor. 11:13-15). The term “apostasy” is used throughout the Bible of sinful revolt against God. And while the church has always had to deal with false teachers and their false teachings, this rebellion against God and His truth will be so very unique in its breadth and depth. The second event which takes place at the very start of the 7-years of Tribulation is the revealing of the Antichrist. His unveiling as the Antichrist indicates that the “day of the Lord” had begun. The word “revealed” is placed in an emphatic position in the text by Paul, and looks at a very specific moment when this will happen. And we know when it is and what it is that reveals this man as Antichrist. According to Daniel 9:27, it is when this man, as a ruler of a western nation, enters into a covenant with the leaders of the nation of Israel, which will guarantee Israel’s peace and safety. That covenant signing starts the “day of the Lord.” And that obviously had not taken place in the first century. So, the teaching given to these Thessalonian believers that they were already in the “day of the Lord” itself was clearly false. The prophetic speculation was in error and the Word of God revealed that error. 

     Paul added three descriptions of this man. He is: (1) a man characterized by sin (lawless as regards the laws of God); (2) the “son of perdition” revealing his final, eternal doom, as Paul noted in 1:9; and (3) one who is an “adversary” of God and Christ. He will even sit in the holy place within God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be deity. No such individual had appeared in the first century. The world now waits for the rebuilding of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which is necessary for this event to take place.  

The restraining of lawlessness – 2:6-7.  God alone can put a lid on sin and on these final great manifestations of evil. While Satan is referred to as the “god of this world,” he cannot do whatever he wants. God has the ultimate authority over all creatures. God’s “holding back” of sin is presently going on. We can only imagine what it will be like when there is no restraint on sin and evil. But the day is coming when this restraint of sin will be removed (2:7) because the Restrainer (“he” = the Holy Spirit) will take Himself out of the restraining business. When that happens, sequentially, it is “then” that the Antichrist will be revealed. So first, the restraining of sin is gone and then the Antichrist will be unveiled. The Holy Spirit’s work of restraining sin will be gone. This points to the removal of the church. The church, even with its flaws and inadequacies, is a significant deterrent to lawlessness in this world. The Spirit uses the church to restrain evil in this world and with the church gone, that restraint is also gone. Now, we must not make the mistake of saying that the Holy Spirit is taken out of the world. It is the work of restraining sin that is gone. It is impossible for the Spirit to be removed out of the world because He is an omnipresent person. Also, His ongoing ministry of regenerating people is required for the millions of people to be saved during the period of the Tribulation.

The short but deadly career of the Lawless one (the Antichrist) – 2:8-12. The Apostle then added some truths about the Antichrist which also shows that this key figure was not then present, and therefore, the “day of the Lord” had not come. In summary, here are the key points that Paul made.

1. HIS VERY SHORT CAREER WILL BE ENDED BY JESUS HIMSELF. After the Antichrist is revealed, he will be the key figure on the world’s stage for 7 years, with 3½ years of which he is ruler of the world (Rev. 13:5). When Jesus appears (2:8) at His 2nd Coming, the Antichrist will be thoroughly defeated and will be taken alive and placed into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:19-21). Not a lengthy reign.

2. HE HAS AMAZING SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES. His ability to work miracles will be Christ-like, but he will lead people into that which is false. His abilities come from Satan himself, with whom he is intimately associated. His ability to deceive will be something that has never ever been seen before (Rev. 13:2-7; Matt. 24:24). He will have “power” (which comes from Satan); “signs” (to show that he is messiah); and “wonders” (which cause awe in people). Never before has God allowed such a display of miracles that seem to validate sin and evil.

3. HIS INFLUENCE OVER THE UNSAVED. He spearheads the battle for the souls of men. All people will hear the gospel (Matt. 24:14), but those who will not accept God’s offer of eternal life will easily fall victim to the deceptions of this man. The result will be eternally catastrophic as God then allows them to be deluded (2:11-12). They heard and understood the truth of God, but preferred the pleasures of unrighteousness. These people crossed the spiritual line of no return and their temporary pleasures would soon be replaced by eternal anguish.

Reminders for us today. (1) God has given everything that we are to know about future persons and events. He did not leave out some needed information. But we need to become more understanding of what He has revealed so that we can better evaluate prophetic teachings and speculations. So, we must study. (2) We need to be discerning (maybe even suspicious) of those who say that “God spoke to me” about this or that matter. That is a claim of authority, and it is often used to try and ensure credibility to what is being said. The Apostle John (1 John 4:1) taught the believers of his day to carefully evaluate any and all who make such claims. We dare not naively accept these claims. (3) We must not forget how important the prophetic word is for living godly lives. We may hear prophetic speculations that never do not materialize. But we must not get discouraged to the point that we walk away from the prophecies of the Bible. (This has taken place all too often in individuals as well as in entire local churches). God’s prophetic word is there for our benefit and is vital in maintaining our spiritual health.

       God has set forth His plans and purposes for the end times. Jesus guaranteed that He will return and that He will make all things new. And we will be a part of that…what a wonderful future we have…our best days are ahead of us!

STAY WIDE AWAKE!

The Lord Jesus issued a warning to His followers: “be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42). This warning was apparently given by Jesus because He knew that losing focus on His return is a real possibility. Believers tend to lose focus since Jesus just seems to be taking His time in coming back. And while this might be considered understandable, it is also spiritually dangerous. When our view of the future fades, then we become quite vulnerable to our Enemy who delights to trap us in his schemes and philosophies. In the interest of making sure we are staying awake, consider again what is taking place in our world. 

• ISRAEL. The Scriptures are quite clear that Israel is key to our understanding of end times events. When Israel became a nation some 75 years ago, the prophetic landscape changed dramatically. With the Jews back in the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, many end time events, which focus on the Jewish people, and their land were open to fulfillment. This is the most significant of prophetic truths. Israel, after so many centuries, is now in their land. This is no small matter. But there could be more. Israel today is sharply divided (just like the USA). The coming Tribulation period begins when the leaders of Israel make a treaty with a western leader (the Antichrist). But one wonders what would cause this fiercely independent nation to seek outside support and enter into such an agreement. It is within the realm of possibility that both outside threats combined with inner turmoil could bring about this treaty signing. Israel’s enemies, within the country and outside of it, are doing their best to create and encourage division. (Similarly, almost 2,100 years ago, in the days of the Maccabees, the fledgling nation of Israel was beset with outside threats and great inner turmoil. The leaders of Israel allowed that up-and-coming western power, Rome, to come in to stabilize their situation. Rome entered and Rome ruled). Whatever the reason in the present, Israel will seek outside help from the individual we refer to as the Antichrist. So, as we interpret current events, the key indicator to end time events is the fact that Israel is back in their land, which opens the door to prophetic events being fulfilled.

• IRAN. It is not new news that Iran wants to destroy the Jewish state and drive Israel into the sea. The regular rhetoric out of Tehran is that there will be nothing left of Israel after Iran is through with them. This is their passion. Iran continues to prepare for an all-out war on Israel. The Ayatollahs have strengthened their position by cozying up to both China and Russia. Iran is getting ready for war with Israel and is arming itself and its proxies. The recent severe earthquake that hit Turkey and northern Syria provided Iran with a cover for accelerating arms shipments to Syria, and to its own Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Pretending to bring in plane loads of aid to help with earthquake relief efforts, Iran instead brought in large amounts of military equipment to use against Israel, using the northern Syrian airport at Aleppo as the staging area for this influx of armament. Ezekiel 39:5 clearly states that Iran (Persia) will be a key participant in the end times attack on Israel. Iran is willing and it is getting ready.

• RUSSIA. For over a hundred years, communist Russia has been a plague on this earth. Russia has brought misery and death to millions. And they are not done. Ezekiel 38 declares that they will lead the end times invasion of Israel to wipe out God’s chosen nation. Behind the scenes, Russia is actively supporting Iran and the terror groups directed by Iran. And while we might think that Russia is totally occupied with Ukraine, the reality is that their interest in the middle east, and Israel, is growing. Periodically, Russia will warn Israel about Israel’s “invasion” of Syrian air space. Events transpire so very quickly in the world we live in, and Russia, with troops in the region, could become actively involved in a war against Israel in a matter of days. Russia has an eye on the natural gas reserves of Israel as well as other sources of Israel’s wealth. And Ezekiel states that this will be a strong motivating force which will trigger the end times battle (Ezek. 38:12). Russia is present in Syria and is very much an enemy of Israel, ready to take that land.

• THE UNITED STATES. Most reading this article would likely agree that our nation is in a rapid moral and spiritual decline. We can be thankful for the men and women in positions of some power who are good people, attempting to stop this moral freefall. But marginalizing God and His laws, as our nation has done, has certain and terrible consequences (Rom. 1:18-32). That our country is in a dangerous decline is seen by both believers and non-believers. Unfortunately, the church is not the salt and light it should be as many church leaders have given in to the culture. While some churches remain steadfast in their loyalty to Christ and His word, more and more churches have pathetically made accommodations to the perversities of the culture and are even embracing (perhaps unknowingly) New Age mysticism and occultism. In seeking to be loving and relevant, the church generally has become irrelevant. The moral/spiritual decline of the USA is also true of Canada and Europe. Western culture is looking more and more like Sodom and Gomorrah. The chaos, division, anger, and violence that we observe will only worsen. But into that unsettled situation will arise a man who will be intelligent, powerful, attractive, and capable. This man (who is the Antichrist), is the leader of a western nation (Dan. 7.). He will step onto the world stage to be the savior of mankind. When the church of Jesus Christ is removed from the world at the Rapture, it will take little time for this Satanically-empowered man to take over.

• CHINA. The Scriptures do not appear to have too much to say about China in the end of times but might give hints about that nation. China today is deceiving, threatening, bribing, and lying as it strives towards world domination. They do seem to be making some headway. It should be observed that the sixth trumpet judgment in Revelation (Rev. 9:16) foretells an army of 200,000,000 involved in the killing of 1/3 of what is left of the earth’s population. This takes place towards the end of the Tribulation period. It is not stated, but it is possible that this huge army could be from China. China has the population and the military to fulfill this horrible role of the destruction of much of humankind. And they could also be part of the vast numbers who descend into “God’s winepress” (Rev. 14) where they will be overwhelmed by the terrible judgment of God targeting unbelieving nations who hate Israel. China, however, does not appear to be the major player in the end times, as the Scriptures focus on the Antichrist, the western leader. But if they are the nation of the sixth trumpet judgment, then they are ready for action.

If we stop and observe and think about what is going on in our world, surely, we can see that the Scriptures have given us enough information to keep our eyes on the heavens “from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). It is foolish for us to try and set a date for the Lord’s return and the unfolding of end time events, but it is equally foolish to live today without keeping one eye on the heavens. The truth of the imminent return of Jesus is designed to help us keep the main things, the main things; and to help us with our ongoing struggle with the world (culture), the flesh and the devil. Jesus’ words about the tribulation and His Second Coming apply nicely to us and the Rapture, when He said: “lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). 

Saints, keep wide awake.