February 22, 2025: Isaiah 49:19-20 - Give Place to Me that I May Dwell

“For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.” - Isaiah 49:19-20

Note to readers: This has been a very time consuming and difficult devotional message to write. It has taken me from January 19 to February 22, 2025 to write it. I have discussed this more below, and wanted to say that I have gone back and forth, adding more information to it as recent critical world events have happened. I also want to warn you that if you are not a fan of studying a lot of different Scriptures, this devotional message is not for you. As I write these devotionals, I go where I believe the Holy Spirit leads me, and oftentimes it means leaving the current Scriptures I am focusing on to read other Scriptures that relate to them. Sometimes, that means studying a lot of other Scriptures. I can tell you with absolute certainty that because I have gone where the Spirit has led me since November 2022, when I believe He called me to progress from studying the milk of the word to really dig in and study the meat of it, letting the Holy Spirit guide me in to all truth by searching many Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, I have learned so much, much more than I ever did when I sat in a church building for 9+ years listening to a pastor preach and teach and give me his opinion of Scripture. I have also increased my knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures by not relying on any Bible commentaries to teach me but to rely solely on the Holy Spirit, as I believe the Spirit instructed me to do sometime in 2024. It is definitely more work because I have to do the searching in the Bible myself, but wow, what a difference it has made for me, not only in understanding the Scriptures but in also retaining what I have read. The Holy Spirit truly is the best teacher we could ever have. Hallelujah! Finally, Luke wrote in Acts 17:10-11, I strongly encourage you to search the Scriptures for yourself:

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble [fair-minded] than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11)

Also, I wanted to say that this devotional focuses on the land of Israel, the land that God gave to Israel long ago. As I continue writing on February 19, a month later, I realize now that as I was writing about God’s land as discussed in Isaiah 49:19-20, a firestorm has occurred in the world, especially in the Middle East, during this time, and it continues to this day. As written in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, the days in which we live truly seem to be the perilous times that the apostle Paul said would come in the last days before Jesus Christ returns to judge a wicked and evil world and to turn His attention back to Israel, in the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble. I cannot impress upon you enough that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, I pray that you turn to Him today, that you turn from your sin and accept Him in your heart as your Savior and let Him cleanse you from all your sins by His sinless, precious blood. The world is about to enter into the darkest and most evil times ever known to mankind. Jesus Christ Himself told us in His word, the Bible, that if God did not limit this time period to seven years, no flesh would be saved (Matthew 24:22). Do not ignore that small voice that is saying to you, “Something is wrong, something is terribly wrong with the world.” Turn to Jesus today.

Now, let’s get started on this in-depth study of Isaiah 49:19-20 and God’s land. As I discussed in my prior devotional on Isaiah 49:17-18, there is coming a time when Israel’s enemies will no longer be a threat to her, and Israel will be gathered together in the land that God gave them. This gathering will not just be a gathering of the remnant of Israel whom God will protect during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, but it will also include non-Jewish (Gentile) believers in Jesus Christ . To accommodate this gathering of both Jewish and the Gentiles that will come to Israel, the land that Israel currently is in will be expanded to include all of the land God gave to Israel, which Israel has never inhabited. However, before this happens, Israel will literally go through a time of hell on earth, a time called the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), when the land will be made desolate and will be destroyed. Only a remnant of Israel will survive and will lose most of her children. However, in Isaiah 49:19-20, God gives Israel hope. Before we discuss that, let us examine the details of these Scriptures to understand how and why this desolation and destruction will come upon not only Israel, but also the entire world. Let us start at the beginning, when God gave the land - His land - to Israel.

The Bible tells us the borders of the land that God gave Israel. The first mention of these borders was when God made a unilateral covenant with Abram, whom God would later rename to “Abraham.” It was God Himself who made the covenant with Abram while Abram was in a deep sleep, as described in Genesis chapter 15. Before we read about that covenant, it’s important to remember the promise God had made to Abram:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abram obeyed God, and when he was 75-years old, he took his wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, and all his belongings, and went to the land of Canaan, where the Canaanites were:

“And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed [descendants] will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.” (Genesis 12:7)

Some time later, which some estimate to be approximately ten years, Abram and Sarai still had not had a child of their own, and Abram told God that someone else, someone who wasn’t his own flesh and blood son, would be his heir. It was during this time that God reiterated His promise to Abram and made his unilateral covenant with him. God also told Abram that something would happen first to his descendants before they would come to the land that God was giving him. Let us read all of Genesis chapter 15 that describes the events that took place:

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward [heir] of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell [count] the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them [cut them in two] in the midst [middle], and laid each piece one against [opposite] another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls [vultures] came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance [possessions]. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full [complete]. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed [descendants] have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:1-21)

Did you catch the significance of what God did when He made His covenant with Abram? He didn’t bring Abram to a table and have him sit and listen while God told him that He was given him the land and then have Abram sign on the dotted line to acknowledge what God was giving him and his descendants. Further, the tradition of making a covenant at that time was that both parties of the covenant would pass between the two sides of the carcasses in order to enact the covenant. No, after having Abram take the split carcasses of the three-year old heifer, goat, and ram and lay them opposite each other, God put Abram in a deep sleep. While Abram was asleep, God told Abram that his descendants would first would be strangers in a land that was not theirs and they would serve those people, meaning they would be their slaves, whom we know was Egypt, but after 400 years, 430 years total, God would bring severe judgment upon Pharaoh and Egypt, and Israel would be set free. God told Abram that not only would his descendants be set free but they would bring many possessions with them. God also told Abram that something was conditional upon Abram’s descendants returning to the land where he was, and that was the iniquity of the Amorites being full or complete. God would give the Amorites 430 years to turn from their sins before bringing the Israelites into their land. God Himself alone passed between the carcasses, thus sealing the covenant He Himself made with Abram; Abram had done nothing except to sleep. God then reiterated His covenant He had previously made with Abram and told him that He was giving the land “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” to Abram’s descendants.

The covenant of God giving them the land was unconditional and has not been nullified, contrary to what most of the world believes. However, God did tell Israel that if they did not obey His commandments to them, then He would vomit them out of the land, as He did to the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites. God would not allow His people to commit the same sins as the Egyptians committed, nor the same sins of the people whom God would take the land from because He does not allow a double-standard. No, He called His people, Israel, to be set apart from all other nations, for out of Israel would all nations be blessed, and that blessing is through their Messiah who would come, Jesus the Christ.

Let us read God’s words of warning He spoke to his servant Moses when Moses was bringing Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. After the doings of [what is done in] the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in [by] them: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:1-5)

“Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: and the land is defiled: therefore do I visit [bring judgment for] the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep [obey] my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls [persons] that commit them shall be cut off [put to death] from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Leviticus 18:24-19:2)

“Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God. When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest [displace] them, and dwellest in their land; take heed to thyself that thou be not snared [ensnared] by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination [everything detestable] to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish [take away] from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:28-32)

As the Bible tells us, Israel has disobeyed God’s commandments to them many times. As a loving Father to them, He has had to discipline them, oftentimes severely. Consequently, God has taken Israel out of its land several times, but He has always allowed a remnant of Israel to return, and that includes the modern day nation of Israel. If God truly were finished with Israel, He would not have allowed a remnant of Jews to return to the land that they are in today. However, the remnant that did return to the land are, overall, living in sin and in rejection of His Son Jesus Christ. I truly believe that it is this remnant who will soon go through the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, also called the Day of the Lord. All of the nations will come against Israel, and it will be God Himself who will save a remnant of Israel. The book of Zephaniah is just one of the many books of the Bible that discusses the Day of the Lord. I want to take a deep-dive into Zephaniah chapters 1 and 2. Let us read what is has to say about it:

“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth [hurries] greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness [devastation] and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced [fortified] cities, and against the high towers.” (Zephaniah 1:14-16)

Let us pause here just a moment on that last sentence. In the Bible, numbers are important, and I believe they mean something to God. For example, in the Bible we see the numbers 40, 12, 7, and 10 used many times. I believe that both the number 7 and the number 11 are represented in the last sentence of the Scriptures above. According to several websites, including biblestudy.org, the number 7 represents completeness and perfection. (See: https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/7.html). I believe this is reflected as follows in Zephaniah 1:15-16:

1: That day [the great day of the LORD]; 2: Day of wrath; 3: Day of trouble; 4: Day of wasteness; 5: Day of darkness; 6: Day of clouds; 7: Day of the trumpet

Notice there are references to seven “days” in Zephaniah 1:15-16. This is the same number of days that God took to create everything, as described in Genesis, and that includes the seventh day when “God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

According to several websites, including biblestudy.org, the number 11 represents “disorder, chaos, and judgment.” (See: https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/11.html). I believe this is reflected as follows in Zephaniah 1:15-16:

1: Day of wrath; 2: Day of trouble; 3: Distress; 4: Day of wasteness [or devastation]; 5: Desolation; 6: Day of darkness; 7: Gloominess; 8: Day of clouds; 9: Thick darkness; 10: Day of the trumpet; 11: Alarm against the fenced cities and high towers

This makes sense and is very fitting considering that this time period is known as the time of Jacob’s trouble and the tribulation period. I think there may be a sort of cause and effect at work as well. Look at how this is worded in the Scriptures from Zephaniah 15-16:

1: “That day,” meaning the great day of the LORD is or causes wrath; 2: Trouble causes distress; 3: Devastation causes one to be desolate, making one feel abandoned; 4: Darkness causes gloominess; 5: Clouds cause thick darkness; 6: A trumpet sound, in this case God’s trumpet, causes alarm, even against the powerful and fortified cities.

Just as in the book of Joshua, when the trumpets were sounded as a battle cry before Joshua and his men took the fortified city of Jericho, so will the trumpets sound as a battle cry of the LORD when He executes His judgment upon the nation of Israel and also the entire world. Just as there were seven trumpets sounded at the battle of Jericho, we are also told in Revelation 8-11 that there will be seven trumpet judgments. It is also very interesting to me that Zephaniah says “the day of the trumpet,” where “trumpet” is singular. Perhaps this may well be in alignment with one passage of Scripture that supports the pre-tribulation rapture, meaning those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation are caught up to Jesus Christ in the clouds before the day of the LORD, the wrath of God, begins upon the entire earth:

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [are dead], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even as them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [dead]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail [labour pains] upon a woman with child [pregnant woman]; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children [sons] of light, and the children [sons] of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9)

I want to add that in the Scriptures above from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9, re-read the words in the first set of bolded text. I believe that this relates to the “covenant of death” that Israel will sign with the antichrist and they will declare “peace and safety,” believing that the antichrist will protect them and that they will finally have peace with their neighbors. I think it may also be the rest of the entire unbelieving world who will make this declaration, believing that there will finally be peace in the Middle East. Imagine the headlines that will appear when this covenant is signed. However, God’s word says that “sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” I’ve also heard quite a few pastors pointing out there is a clear distinction between the “they” and the “ye, brethren.” The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night to the unbelieving world because they haven’t been reading God’s word - all of it, which includes the New Testament - and how it gives warning after warning after warning of the coming of the Day of the Lord, and the time of Jacob’s trouble/tribulation period. Had they read it, they wouldn’t be caught by surprise, like a thief in the night that robbed their house. However, for the “ye, brethren” who have read God’s word and are looking for Jesus’ return, noticing the signs of the end that He told we would see as His second coming draws close, they won’t be caught off guard. It is the brethren, all believers in Jesus Christ, who have not been appointed to wrath and will be caught up to Jesus in the clouds before the start of the tribulation period.

The book of Joel, chapter 2, also describes the beginning or the start of the day of the Lord:

“Blow ye the trumpet [ram’s horn] in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh [now] at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” (Joel 2:1-2)

Joel chapter 2 verses 3-11 go on to describe what I believe is at least one of the 21 judgments from God in the book of Revelation, specifically the fifth trumpet judgment that is described in Revelation 9:1-12. I encourage you to read them.

Now, let us continue reading from Zephaniah chapter 1:

“And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung [refuse]. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make a speedy riddance [end] of all them that dwell in the land.” (Zephaniah 1:17-18)

No matter how wealthy any person may be, there will be absolutely nothing that will be able to stop what is coming upon mankind when the Day of the Lord, the time of Jacob’s trouble, happens. Silver and gold will be absolutely worthless. Their stumbling block, meaning the thing that made them stumble or sin, which is their love of money, will not be able to save them from the coming wrath of Almighty God. Ezekiel 7:19 tells us something similar:

“They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed [like refuse]: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels [stomachs]: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 7:19)

Now, let us read from Zephaniah chapter 2:

“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired [undesirable]; before the decree bring forth [is issued], before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment [upheld his justice]; seek righteousness, seek meekness [humility]: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” (Zephaniah 2:1-3)

Before continuing in Zephaniah, I want you to notice, which is why I used the bold font above, that God tells HIs people that He wants them to gather together, and He tells us the specific timing of when they are to gather, and that is before the Day of the Lord. Four separate times did He tell them to do this before it comes to pass. I think the fact that God said “before” four separate times is significant. I think the timing of their gathering together may represent when they are gathered together again in Israel at a time that is very near to the coming Day of the Lord. I believe this gathering together of Israel is referring to May 14, 1948, when Israel was reborn as a nation. While the intents of the people who caused this to happen may not have been for good reason, I believe God allowed this to happen to move us closer to His time clock, when Jesus will return at His second coming. Since Israel was reborn, more Jews have left their homes from other countries around the world and have been gathering together in Israel. The timing of this gathering together prior to the four “before” statements that are written in Zephaniah 2:2, may, and I emphasize “may,” as I do not know this with certainty, relate to the opening of the first four seal judgments that begin the Day of the Lord. These first four seal judgments are also known as the four horsemen, which the world has often called “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” in the book of Revelation, chapter six. Let’s discuss this a bit.

The apostle John was exiled on the Greek island of Patmos when he was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ to write. Let us read what John tells us in Revelation 4:1-11:

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine [sardius] stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight [appearance] like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before [in front] and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:1-11)

In the Scriptures above, John told us many things, including that there were four beasts around the throne. There is a very similar description of them in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 1. I have not included that chapter here, but I highly encourage you to read it for yourself. Both John and Ezekiel tell us that one beast was like a lion, one like a calf, one had the face of a man, and one was like flying eagle. I wasn’t going to write anything else about these beasts, but I was walking the other day and the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that these four beasts represent Jesus Christ, who is God, in four different ways:

1-Lion: First and foremost, Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David (Revelation 5:5). The lion represents His divinity and kingship/authority. Jesus, who came to earth first time as the Lamb of God, as God manifest in the flesh, and as God’s suffering servant, has prevailed and is the KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. {Revelation 19:16) It is in Genesis 49 when Jacob, the father of the twelve sons representing the twelve tribes of Israel, speaks to them before his death and tells them, “that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” It is there that we first read of how the tribe of Judah is represented as a lion and from whom Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, would come. I have read Genesis 49:8-12 before, but this time, I read it as though my eyes were opened to all the truth and prophecy within it, and I am in complete awe of the power of my God. Included in these verses are prophecies of how Jesus would bow His head when He gave up His life on the cross, would die, and would be raised up, would go up to heaven. It also prophecies of what is known as Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem when Jesus, who called Himself “the true vine,” (John 15:1) rode on an ass’/donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:1-7), and His coming judgment upon the earth and the reaping of the grapes of wrath, where the wrath of God is taking all the sin of the world, the people who have rejected Jesus’ free gift of salvation and chose their sin, which has reached its fullness, like overripe grapes, and presses it into the winepress, squeezing out the blood, as winepress squeezes the wine from the grapes. (See also Isaiah 63:3-6, Revelation 14:19-20, and Revelation 19:15):

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in [on] the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped [crouched] down, he couched [lies down] as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre [a symbol of kingship] shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal [donkey] unto the vine, and his ass’s [donkey’s] colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: his eyes shall be red with [darker than] wine, and his teeth white with [whiter than] milk.” (Genesis 49:8-12)

2-Calf: Translated from Greek, this means a young heifer or bull. When God confirmed His unconditional covenant with Abram, He used five sacrificial animals, and the first one named was a heifer. It is through Abram, whom God would later rename to Abraham, that began the Jewish nation, from whom the Son of God would descend. In addition, each year on the Jewish Day of Atonement, the high priest would sacrifice a young bull, or calf, without blemish, and sprinkle its blood on the Ark of the Covenant, to atone for himself, his family, and for the sins of the people (Leviticus 4:3, 16:3, 11, 14). However, Jesus came to atone for the sins of all people once and for all. His perfect and sinless blood that was spilled on the cross provided forgiveness of sins for all people who believe in Him:

“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled [lifted up], and be very high. As many were astounded at thee; his visage [appearance] was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men; so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.” (Isaiah 52:13-15)

3-Face of a Man: This represents God in the flesh, Jesus as the Son of Man:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

4-Eagle: When Moses was leading God’s people out of their 430-year time of bondage in Egypt, it was God who bore or sustained them on eagles’ wings. It will be God Himself who will bring her into a place during the last 3-1/2 years of the time of Jacob’s trouble to protect her from the final antichrist:

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare [sustained] you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” (Exodus 19:4)

“And to the woman [I believe this to be Israel] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” (Revelation 12:14)

In Revelation 5, John tells us that he saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a book or a scroll that had writing on the outside and the inside and it was sealed with seven seals. He saw a strong angel who asked, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” (Revelation 5:2) John tells us that no man was found worthy, not in heaven, nor in the earth, nor under the earth, and then John wept, a lot. Then this happened:

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed [overcome] to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book [scroll] out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.” (Revelation 5:5-7)

In Revelation 6, John tells us that he saw the Lamb, Jesus Christ, opening each of the seven seals on the scroll, where each opening of the seal is a judgment on the earth from God. For each of the first four seals, not for the entire seven seals, one of the four beasts tells John to “Come and see” after the seals are opened. In addition, John tells us that for each of the first four seals, he sees a rider on a horse. The colors of the horses are white, red, black, and pale. The last horse’s color in Greek is “chlóros” and it means pale green or sickly, such as the color of death. The opening of the first four seal judgments represent the beginning of the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble.

In summary, I have given a possibility as to the timing of when this gathering together of Israel may happen, which I believe is not referring to any other time in Israel’s history but is referring to the time when we are at the door, on the verge, of the start of the Day of the Lord.

Now, let us continue reading what God tells us next in Zephaniah 2. I have also included what I believe are parallel passages in Joel 2. As in Zephaniah 1, God tells His people what is going to come upon them and then warns them to turn to Him BEFORE it happens. God is giving His people a final warning to humble themselves and turn to Him with all their heart BEFORE the start of the Day of the Lord:

“Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment [upheld his justice]; seek righteousness, seek meekness [humility]: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3)

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend [tear]your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil [relents from doing harm]. Who knoweth if he will return and repent [turn and relent], and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet [dressing room].” (Joel 2:12-16)

There is something very intriguing in the last part of Zephaniah 2:3 that reads “it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger” and the last sentence of Joel 2:12-16 above that reads “let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.”. Is this a hidden passage, a hint, referring to the rapture of the church that I believe is described in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4? Let us read that again:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

We know from other Scriptures in the Bible that Jesus IS the bridegroom, and that He currently sits at the right hand of God. Is Joel 2 referring to the time when Jesus will leave the place where He currently is, His chamber, to descend from heaven and call up to Himself His bride, which is all who believe in Him, both those who have already died and those who will be alive at the time this happens? The bride currently is making herself ready; she is in her dressing room until such time her bridegroom calls her to Himself, where she will be in heaven, hidden during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble on earth. Is this what Zephaniah 2:3 and Joel 2:16 are referring to? I believe it is a strong possibility. Let us read what Jesus told His disciples sometime before He was crucified:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions [dwellings]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

Is this where the bride of Christ will reside in heaven during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, when the wrath of God is being executed upon the entire earth? Chapter 19 of the book of Revelation tells us what happens at the end of that period, right before the second coming of Jesus Christ:

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people [a great multitude] in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore [harlot], which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her [shed by her] hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice [sound] of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:1-9)

After having looked way forward into the future in the book of Revelation, let us continue reading what is written in Zephaniah chapter 2. Before we do so, let me say that I do not know exactly how and when this is all going to play out, and am just doing my best, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to understand what is written in the Scriptures. I think that as time goes on, the picture will become clearer, as happens many times with prophecy, as more pieces of the puzzle are revealed. Having said that, I do not believe that the events written in Zephaniah 2:4-15 have already happened and are prophecies of things to come. There are some very interesting things written in Zephaniah 2, as well as Zechariah 9 that seem to align with what began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and the subsequent actions taken by Israel, particularly in the Gaza Strip but also on its northern border with Lebanon. Now, let us continue reading in Zephaniah 2:

“For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of thy Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon [feed their flocks there]: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their GOD shall visit them [intervene for them], and turn away their captivity [return their captives].” (Zephaniah 2:4-7)

Let us stop here for a moment and read the Scriptures above again, particularly this: “For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.” These four cities go back all the way to the time when God was bringing His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, the land that God had promised to Israel 430 years prior when He made His unconditional covenant with Abraham. After Moses died, God used Joshua to bring Israel into the land that He had given them. When Joshua was old and had already conquered many of the Canaanite cities, God told Joshua to go in and possess these cities of the Philistines and a fifth, which was the land of Gath, where the Gittites lived:

“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites…” (Joshua 13:1-3)

The five cities of the Philistines above are Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, which is modern day Qiryat Ekron or Kiryat Ekron. Gath is where the giant Goliath lived when David killed him. While the Philistine inhabitants were temporarily driven out of the land that God gave Israel, they were not permanently driven out, and God’s warning to Israel has come to pass, repeatedly, and still to this day. Gotquestions.org has a good article on this:

“Ekron, an ancient Philistine city, is first mentioned in Joshua 13:2–3, “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites, from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite though held by the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites.”The cities mentioned in this text—including Ekron—were the five major Philistine cities. Philistia of old was situated along the Mediterranean coast, which is now modern-day Israel and the Gaza strip. The Philistines were long enemies of ancient Israel.”

God had previously told Moses:

“But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks [irritants] in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex [harass] you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” (Numbers 33:55-56)

Israel did not fully drive out the inhabitants, and God’s warning to them above did come true. When Israel was reborn as a nation on May 14, 1948, its borders did not include what is referred to as the Gaza Strip. However, in 1967 during the 6-Day War, Israel gained control of it. Although the Gaza Strip was under the control of Israel, only 8,000 Jews in a population of 1+ million lived in the Gaza Strip prior to 2005. (See: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israels-disengagement-from-gaza-in-2005/) Instability and violence existed in the Gaza Strip. Consequently, in 2005 in an effort to obtain peace with its neighbors in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Knesset approved the Gaza Disengagement Plan, that resulted in all Israelis being evacuated from Gaza, some by force, from the 21 Jewish settlements and military posts. However, instead of obtaining peace, Israel saw increased violence from its neighbors in the Gaza Strip. Fast forward to October 7, 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel in what Hamas referred to as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” I have written more about the paraglider attacks later in this devotional. (See: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/map-images-israel-gaza-strip-hamas/)

“Communities in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip, were targeted by Hamas gunmen who broke through the border barricades or infiltrated by boat or paragliders.”

Per Britannica.com: (See: https://www.britannica.com/event/Israel-Hamas-War)

“Israel-Hamas War, war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence. More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack.”

Did the prophecy in Zephaniah 2:4 come to pass after Israel’s subsequent retaliation against and war with Hamas, which continued until just recently, when a tenuous ceasefire deal was implemented on January 19, 2025? Is this a fulfillment of this prophecy or is it just a foreshadow of what is to come? There is also another very interesting prophecy, this time in the book of Zechariah, that seems to have been at least partially fulfilled, that relates to Zephaniah 2. While studying Zechariah 9, it occurred to me that there also seems to be a different prophecy that may have been fulfilled on August 4, 2020. Let us read from Zechariah 9:

“The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest [resting place] thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Sidon, though it be very wise. And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed [was dried up]; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard [mixed race] shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.” (Zechariah 9:1-6)

I want to discuss what I believe are two separate prophecies, beginning with what God said about Tyrus. In His word, Almighty God, the God of Israel, told us what is going to happen to Tyrus. Tyrus is also known as Tyre. Modern day Tyre is in Lebanon, approximately 46 miles from Beirut. An article from Gotquestions.org (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Tyre-in-the-Bible.html) states that Tyre was completely destroyed in 1291 by the Saracens, and in 1894, only about 200 people lived there. Modern day Lebanon began rebuilding Tyre, and currently approximately 135,000 people live there. Is it possible that the borders of ancient Tyre are within the modern day city of Beirut and not where modern day Tyre exists? It is only approximately 46 miles from Beirut to modern day Tyre. Up until not too long ago, Beirut was a very prosperous city. In fact, a 1964 article from Time magazine wrote about its staggering wealth: (See: https://time.com/archive/6832355/middle-east-beirut-the-suez-of-money/)

“Lying fat and silky beneath the Mediterranean sun, Beirut is an oasis of prosperity in the Arab Middle East.

“Tiny Lebanon’s flamboyant capital sprouts new buildings like palm trees, boasts more Mercedeses than mullahs, lures thousands of tourists and happily shares its year-round sunshine with courtesans in bikinis as well as desert Arabs in burnooses. But Beirut’s most beneficent climate is the climate of trade, the heritage of its Phoenician forebears. In the Levantine landscape nothing seems to grow faster or greener than the city’s banks.

“Beirut is the world’s newest and fastest-rising financial center. In the last decade it has expanded its banking business by 1,000% — and it shows no signs of slowing. Climbing above its clangorous, double-parked streets are more than 100 banks, including 41 foreign branches and offices as diverse as Moscow’s Narodny Bank and the Bank of America. Since July, Manhattan’s Morgan Guaranty and Irving Trust have both leased offices in Beirut. The First National Banks of Boston and Chicago are negotiating to open outlets, and another 13 banks have recently been incorporated.”

However, due to the country’s civil war from 1975-1990 and the governments taking on a tremendous amount of debt, Lebanon, and Beirut in particular, found itself in deep economic trouble. This economic strain was intensified on August 4, 2020, several months into the time period when the majority of the world was on lockdown due to COVID-19. On this day, an explosion occurred in Beirut that not only shook the city to its core but also was felt throughout Lebanon and in many places in the Middle East. Wikpedia.com writes of the explosion: (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Beirut_explosion)

“On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port in Beirut, Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years after having been confiscated by Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus. A fire in the same warehouse preceded the explosion.

“The blast was so powerful that it was felt throughout Lebanon. It was also felt in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Israel, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km (150 mi) away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions on record. It was powerful enough to affect Earth's ionosphere.[1][2][3]The blast was also the largest single-fired ammonium nitrate explosion in history.[4]”

BBC.com showed stunning images before and after the explosion. (See: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53680772) On August 3, 2023, three years after the explosion, it was reported that “the port itself has made a significant comeback following the fatal catastrophe, currently operating at near-full capacity. But obstacles that are stalling its full revival remain, observers said, among them public sector corruption and Hizbullah's continued obstruction of the post-blast investigation.” (See: https://almashareq.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_am/features/2023/08/03/feature-01) On March 13, 2024, the Associated Press (AP) reported that “Lebanese and French officials put forward a plan for reconstruction and reorganization of the port Wednesday.” (See: https://apnews.com/article/beirut-port-reconstruction-plan-france-415b95004a8e914ce53400900fa7392a) As far as I can tell, while the Beirut Port is open and operating, 4-1/2 years late, it still is not operating at the capacity it was prior to August 4, 2020.

One year after the Beirut explosion, on August 3, 2021 ABC news wrote an article titled, “Beirut was the 'Paris of the Middle East'. Now it's in the midst of one of the world's worst economic collapses in 150 years.” The article described the challenges of living in a post-prosperity country. (See: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/lebanons-collapse-continues-one-year-after-beirut-blast/100343112) Add to the Lebanese economic woes, the port explosion, and Lebanon’s entry into the Hamas war against Israel, when Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched rockets and artillery into Israel on October 8, 2023 (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–Hezbollah_conflict_(2023–2024), Lebanon continues to fall apart. Iran and Hezbollah continue to seek the destruction of Israel, of whom Iran has referred to as the “Little Satan” since 1979. On January 4, 2025, nowlebabonon.com wrote an article titled, "Lebanon in 2025: A Tough Road Ahead.” (See: https://nowlebanon.com/lebanon-in-2025-a-tough-road-ahead/) With these events, have we seen the prophecy in Zechariah 9:3-4 fulfilled? I believe we may well have.

Now, let us focus on Zechariah 9:5-6. Let us read not only them but also verses 3-4 again:

“And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard [mixed race] shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.” (Zechariah 9:3-6)

With satellite TV, many people in the world saw with their own eyes the Beirut port explosion. It was compared to a nuclear bomb being detonated because of the mushroom cloud that appeared after the explosion. Not only was the explosion felt around many parts of the world, but it was also seen by many parts of the world, including in Israel and Gaza. In the Scriptures above, there seems to be a prophecy that may be connected to the timing of 2020 Beirut port explosion. I do not believe these prophecies were previously fulfilled because of what else is stated in Zechariah 9. I believe that the Beirut port explosion and the prophecy of Gaza are connected together because of the short duration of time that happens between the two events. I believe they are connected in time together through this prophecy: “and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.” I believe the prophecy of the king perishing from Gaza may have been fulfilled on October 17, 2024. It was on that day that CNN, among many other news agencies, reported “Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza, Israeli military says.” Israel has stated that he was the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel. Sinwar was the leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017; he was like a king to Gaza, and he was killed in Gaza and not in some other location. (See: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/17/middleeast/israel-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-gaza-intl/index.html)

Now, let us return to Zephaniah 2:4-5. Let us read those Scriptures again:

“For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.” (Zephaniah 2:4-5)

Have we not seen at the very least a partial fulfillment of these prophecies in the war between Hamas and Israel that reached a monumental tipping point on October 7, 2023 and resulted in Israel bombing Gaza to the extent that it seems to meet the description of what is written in the above prophecy from Zephaniah 2? I believe the entire land area of the five ancient cities of the Philistines was affected by this war, the land in whom the inhabitants would be a thorn in the side of Israel, as God told Moses would happen in Numbers 33:55. One Israeli news site wrote of Ashkelon on November 2, 2023: (See: https://www.israel21c.org/in-ashkelon-its-a-choice-between-fight-or-flight/)

“About 40% of Ashkelon’s 162,000 residents are sheltering elsewhere, as the coastal haven feels more like a horror movie during the war.

“At home in Ashkelon, “I could not believe the intensity of the explosions, the booms. It looked like the set of a movie with charred cars, the smell of fire, toxic fumes from Israel’s shelling of Gaza. Our supermarket was blown up. Even the national park was on fire,” says Tali, referring to the archeological park with 5,000-year-old artifacts.

“You feel the ground shaking. You could jump out of your skin when you feel the boom of David’s Sling [missile defense system]. I even heard machine-gun fire of infiltrators. I don’t watch scary movies, yet I was in the middle of one.” 

Fast-forward to February 2025 when it seems the entire world is focused on Gaza and what to do with it. Enter American president Donald Trump, who entered his second, non-consecutive term as president on January 20, 2025, who put intense pressure on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel did reach a deal, which I believe is a disastrous deal for Israel, that brokers the gradual release of the hostages, mostly Israelis, that were taken by Hamas in exchange for many prisoners being held by Israel, including some who participated in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. I believe this deal will come back to haunt Israel in the future. Then on January 25, 2025, President Trump made the remarks below while traveling on Air Force One, as reported by Newsweek (See: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-faces-backlash-gaza-clean-out-plan-2020977)

“Donald Trump is facing backlash after he suggested Saturday "we just clean out" the Gaza Strip, with critics accusing the president of supporting ethnic cleansing.

“Speaking on Air Force One, Trump told reporters that Egypt and Jordan should accept the Palestinian refugees who would be displaced by the plan.

"You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it's over,'" Trump said.

“In a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters, Trump suggested a "clean out" of Palestinians from Gaza. "But it's literally a demolition site right now," the president said. "Almost everything's demolished, and people are dying there. So, I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

On January 30, 2025 Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff remarked after his trip to the Middle East about the devastation in Gaza: (See: https://www.axios.com/2025/01/30/gaza-rebuilding-plans-trump-administration)

“White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the Middle East that rebuilding Gaza could take between 10 and 15 years.

“What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza," Witkoff told Axios.

"People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave ... there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there," he said.”

Add to that, President Trump made a proposal when he met with Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4, 2025 that I believe was like a 10.0+ magnitude earthquake that shook the Middle East to its core. The Associated Press wrote in a February 6, 2025 news article: (See: https://apnews.com/article/israel-trump-gaza-netanyahu-169d497ac07760ccb9724bef5982338a)

“President Donald Trump’s plan to seek U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip and move out its population infuriated the Arab world. It stunned American allies and other global powers and even flummoxed members of Trump’s own party. The reaction in Israel was starkly different.

“In a joint Washington news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said he envisioned the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip, having its people relocate to other places and rebuilding the war-battered coastal enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“The proposal sparked outrage in the Middle East, including in Egypt and Jordan, two close U.S. allies at peace with Israel that Trump has suggested take in the Palestinians.”

Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal certainly was not expected, and it remains to be seen what happens with the land of Gaza. Could it be that he made such a radical proposal that sent shockwaves around the political world, especially in the Middle East, so that he could follow-up with a softer proposal, the long-discussed, two-state solution, his former “deal of the century” that was rejected in January 2020 by then Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, that might well be accepted now by both parties and favored by the Middle East? Time will tell, but I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that everything is being set up for the “covenant of death” spoken of in Isaiah 28 and the “covenant with many” spoken of by Daniel in Daniel 9:26-27.

This covenant will be made by the coming final antichrist “with many,” which I believe includes Israel, for a period of seven years. I believe Israel will agree to this covenant because, as we have seen in years prior, increasing pressure has been, and will continue to be put on Israel, to give up more of its land in exchange for “peace.” However, as we have seen in the past, when Israel has given up the land that God gave them long ago, it never receives peace and only more attacks. Because Israel is not looking for its Messiah, Jesus Christ, to save them, who came the first time as God’s suffering servant and will return as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in judgment, but instead they are looking for one whom they will perceive to be their messiah and they will agree to this covenant. Their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah will cause them to be deceived by the one who declares “peace and safety” and who will break the covenant 3-1/2 years into it when he commits the abomination of desolation, which Jesus Himself spoke about in Matthew 24:15. The signing of this covenant will begin the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble. Let us read what both Daniel 9:26-27 and Isaiah 28 say about this covenant:

“…and the people of the prince [final antichrist] that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant [or treaty] with many for one week [a period of 7 years]: and in the midst [middle] of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of the abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:26-27)

“Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment [justice] also will I lay to the line [make the measuring line], and righteousness to [to be] the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down [trampled] by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only [terror just] to understand the report.” (Isaiah 28:14-19)

Regarding the prophecies in Daniel 9:26-27 above, Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the second Jewish temple in 70 AD. Thus, it is believed that the final antichrist will be a descendant of the Roman Empire, which had both western and eastern legs. Daniel 9:27 tells us that he, the final antichrist, will confirm a covenant or treaty with “the many for one week.” Notice it doesn’t say he will make or initiate a covenant but will confirm it. Thus, it seems this covenant or treaty must already be in place. Strong’s Lexicon defines this word in Hebrew as “To prevail, to be strong, to be mighty.” (See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1396.htm). Thus, it seems to indicate that an existing covenant will be made stronger or will be expanded. I believe “the many” definitely includes Israel, whether it be with many in Israel or it be with Israel and other nations. I say that because in Isaiah 28, God tells the rulers in Jerusalem “your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.” Could it be that the making stronger of this covenant is referring to the expansion of the Abraham Accords that was orchestrated under the first Trump administration in 2020 between Israel and its Arab neighbors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco? Could this expansion of the covenant to make it greater or stronger include the two-state solution that has been pushed for so long? Saudi Arabia has said repeatedly in the past that it won’t sign on to the Abraham Accords, thus normalizing ties with Israel, unless there is a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Saudi Arabia reiterated its stance on February 5, 2025 after Donald Trump made his stunning proposal regarding taking over Gaza: (See: https://thehill.com/policy/international/5128091-saudi-arabia-donald-trump-gaza-strip-israel/)

“Saudi Arabia reasserted its support for an independent state for Palestinians and warned it would not forge diplomatic relations with Israel after President Trump floated the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip. 

““The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement released Wednesday morning local time, just hours after Trump made the surprising remarks regarding the future of the territory. 

“Saudi Arabia was one of many U.S. allies that rejected Trump’s suggestion that America “take over” war-ravaged Gaza and reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution in the region.”

What will be the event that causes Israel to once again divide its land in order to seek what it perceives as peace with its neighbors? If you read the text of the 2020 Abraham Accords, the word “peace” is all throughout it, including in the opening paragraph: (See: https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-the-abraham-accords-signed-by-israel-the-uae-and-bahrain/)

“We, the undersigned, recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.”

The Bible tells us that peace in the world is not possible without Jesus Christ. That is true for the Jewish nation of Israel, and that is true for all nations. The Bible tells us that the world is not going to get better but it is going to get increasingly worse until the second coming of Jesus Christ. It simply is not possible to have peace in a sinful world; only will the second coming of Jesus Christ bring true peace, when He judges the world in His righteousness.

Before continuing, I wanted to emphasize again that I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t know precisely how all of this will play out. However, I do know this: God’s word is true, and what He says is going to happen, will happen. We know there will be a 7-year covenant that the coming final antichrist will confirm with Israel. We know there will be a third Jewish temple built sometime between now and the 3-1/2 year time period after antichrist confirms the covenant, because we are told by God in His word that at the time, the final antichrist will “cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation…” (Daniel 9:27) The Jews only sacrifice and bring offerings in their temple and not in a synagogue, and they have not done so since the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Thus, there has to be a third temple built in order for the antichrist to make such sacrifices and offerings cease. Jesus spoke of this event that will happen, “When ye therefore see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” (Matthew 24:15). 2 Thessalonians gives us more information about what the “abomination of desolation” means:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [antichrist]; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Let us read further what Donald Trump stated during his February 4, 2025 press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu: (See: https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-gaza)

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too.

“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job, do something different.”

Donald Trump proposed that the Palestinians be relocated to other countries, including Jordan and Egypt, while the USA takes over Gaza, cleans it out, and makes it a “beautiful” place for the “world’s people” to live there. Let us read his response when a reporter asked him if the Palestinians would be allowed to return there: (See: https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-gaza)

“Question: Just a follow-up on what you were saying about the Gazans leaving Gaza going to other countries. One, where exactly are you suggesting that they should go? And two, are you saying they should return after it’s rebuilt? And if not, who do you envision living there?

“Donald Trump: I envision a world — people living there, the world’s people. I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world will be there and they’ll —

“Question: (Inaudible) Palestinians?

“Donald Trump: And they’ll live there. Palestinians also. Palestinians will live there, many people will live there. But they’ve tried the other and they’ve tried it for decades and decades and decades. It’s not going to work. It didn’t work. It will never work. And you have to learn from history. History has — you know, you just can’t let it keep repeating itself.

“We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so -

“This could be so magnificent. But more importantly than that is the people that have been absolutely destroyed that live there now can live in peace in a much better situation because they are living in hell. And those people will now be able to live in peace. We’ll make sure that it’s done world class.

“It will be wonderful for the people. Palestinians, Palestinians mostly we’re talking about. And I have a feeling that despite them saying no, I have a feeling that the king in Jordan and that the general president — but that the general in Egypt will open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done, and people can live in harmony and in peace.”

However, in an interview on Fox News on February 10, 2025, Trump then contradicted what he previously said on February 4, 2025: (See: https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-says-gaza-strip-united-states-real-estate-development-future; for the interview with Bret Baier, listen to the 19-minute mark here: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368624897112)

““When asked whether Palestinians would have a right to return to Gaza, the 47th president answered that they wouldn't because they "will have much better housing." 

“"Much better – in other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them," he told Baier on "Special Report."“

Further, when Donald Trump met on February 11, 2025 with King Abdullah II of Jordan, he made the following statements regarding his prior comments on “owning” Gaza: (See: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-gaza-palestine-takeover-buy-plan-b2696377.html)

““We're going to have Gaza. We don't have to buy. There's nothing to buy. We will have Gaza,” he said when asked about his prior statement about purchasing the long-occupied piece of land.

““We're going to take it, we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it. We're going to get it going eventually, where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East. It's going to be for the people in the Middle East,” he added.”

Those statements are simply stunning. If Donald Trump truly meant what he said, these words don’t sound like the words of a president of a country that once was a democratic republic but the words of a dictator. Let’s pause here for a moment. What is the definition of a “dictator?” Merriam-webster.com includes as its first definition, “a person granted absolute emergency power.” Oxford English Dictionary (oed.com) defines it as “An absolute ruler of a state, esp. one whose rule displaces that of a democratic government.” (See: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictator, https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=dictator). In the USA, we have seen presidents rule by executive order (EO) rather than going through Congress, with Franklin D. Roosevelt enacting the most EOs during his four terms in office, during which time World War II took place. While Donald Trump did not enact in his first term near the number of EOs that FDR did, and it’s not a good comparison anyways to compare four years in office with 12+ years of FDR that served, it is worrisome to me, to say the least, that Donald Trump would make the statement that he did regarding Gaza, particularly because this is God’s land that we are talking about, the land that He gave Israel. Donald Trump entered his second term in 2025 declaring several national emergencies, including those for Energy (EO 14156), the southern border (EO 14194), the designation of cartels and other organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (EO 14157), and for tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China (See: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/). Regarding the energy emergency declaration, Trump made a statement that I believe could be a major step toward ensuring the soon-coming mark of the beast system will have all the power it needs to restrict all buying and selling of every single person on earth: (See: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5103917-trump-ai-power-centers-energy-emergency-declaration/)

“President Trump said Thursday that he will use his energy emergency declaration to approve power stations for artificial intelligence (AI) centers.

Is this just the beginning of more to come? Let us not forget that on March 13, 2020, he declared COVID-19 a national emergency. I don’t think I need to say anything more about that. Trump continues to magnify himself, and on February 19, 2025, he posted both on Truth Social, owned by him, and on X with the official White House account, a picture that is a mockup of a Time magazine cover with a crown placed upon his head and the words “Long live the king.” The tweet said, “"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" (See: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/19/donald-trump-king-imagery-021013)

I believe that for a long time, we have seen two political sides in America, where outwardly each side opposes the other, but they are secretly working together with the same goal in mind, and it’s not good for the American citizens and it’s not good for the world. Time will tell.

Returning to President Trump’s statements about Gaza, did he make such radical statements about his plan for it in order to force the remaining leaders in Gaza into a “two-state solution” that they and their predecessors have rejected for decades? On February 18, 2025, there is news that Saudi Arabia is leading an effort with other Arab nations to put together their own plan for the Gaza Strip as an alternative to Trump’s plan. Can you see the entire world focused on Israel? It’s not going to get better; it will only intensify in the coming days.

Whichever plan is accepted, because of the time we are at in history, I believe it will result in Israel’s land being divided, and Israel will sign a 7-year covenant with the one who later will be revealed as the final antichrist. Again, I have never seen Israel - or the world for that matter - so ready, so ripe for the coming antichrist. I don’t know if it’s President Trump or someone who arises after him, but I can tell you that Israel is looking at him in a way that is eerie. During his first administration, they compared him with the Persian King Cyrus. It was Cyrus, whom God named in the book of Isaiah 150 years before Cyrus was even born, who freed the Jews after their 70 years of captivity in Babylon, when the Medo-Persian Empire defeated the Babylonian Empire. God called King Cyrus “his anointed” and called him not only to free the Jews but to allow them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, the second temple. King Cyrus even provided the funding for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple from the king’s treasury. All of this was fulfilled as per God’s prophetic word. In 2018, the Jewish revived Sanhedrin, also called the “Nascent Sanhedrin,” even minted a silver half shekel with King Cyrus’ and Donald Trump’s profile on it. (See: https://israel365news.com/321845/sanhedrin-temple-movement-issue-silver-half-shekel-images-trump-cyrus/) To compare Donald Trump to King Cyrus is to be deceived. God did not call Cyrus to divide God’s land; no, he called him to return His people to Israel in the land that He gave them and allow them to build their second temple. In both his first and now early in his second term, Donald Trump is seeking to divide God’s land.

Anyone who seeks to divide the land of Israel, whether it be Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Arab nations, or anyone else, is not a friend of Israel. It doesn’t matter the motive of the dividing of the land, to seek peace, for the Bible tells us there is no peace without Jesus Christ. Let us remember that Gaza is part of the land that God Himself gave to Israel long ago, and if Donald Trump does in fact decide to take it, he is dividing God’s land, and that won’t end well for him or for the USA. The Bible tells us that there is coming a day, at the end of 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, that God will gather all nations that have scattered His people Israel and divided His land. It also tells us that at His second coming, Jesus Christ will enter into judgment with them. (Joel 3:1-2).

On February 11, 2025, events in the world are happening so quickly now that I can’t keep up. The tenuous ceasefire deal that Israel and Hamas had in place since January 19, 2025 is now in jeopardy as of Monday, February 10, 2025, when Hamas announced it was going to delay the release of additional hostages because it says Israel was violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. (See: https://www.npr.org/2025/02/10/nx-s1-5292218/hamas-israeli-hostage-gaza-delay) President Trump then responded by saying: (See: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/10/hamas-hostages-trump-00203487 )

“President Donald Trump said Monday that “all hell is going to break out” and that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be terminated if Hamas doesn’t release the remaining hostages by midday on Saturday.

““If they’re not returned — all of them, not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two — by Saturday at 12 o’clock,” Trump said. “And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out.”

“Trump added that it’s ultimately up to Israel to decide, but that “Hamas will find out” if the deadline isn’t met. He also said “we’ll see what happens,” when asked if he can rule out U.S. involvement once midday Saturday arrives.”

With all the back-and-forth between Hamas, Trump, and Israel, on Saturday, February 15, 2025 Hamas released three more hostages, with a little over two weeks left in the remaining first phase of the ceasefire. (See: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-02-15-2025-22a2d731961eb766e6c7914cb84e3990)

So what do we do with all of this? Besides the obvious of waiting and watching to see what happens next, we must remember that during the 7-year tribulation period, God will pour out His judgment not only on disobedient Israel but also on the entire sin-filled world that rejects Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation and chooses to remain in sin. This will be the most horrific time in human history, and the Bible tells us that if God didn’t limit it to seven years, no human beings would survive. During this time, people will need to decide if they are for God or if they are against Him. Will they turn to Jesus and likely be martyred for their faith in Him, or will they take the mark/name/number of the beast, the one who will be the final antichrist.

Just like in every other country in our world today, there are many in Israel that are corrupt. I think there is much more to the events of October 7, 2023 that are made known to the general public. I’ve read reports that Israel was warned at least days in advance that the attacks were going to take place. In addition, I’ve read that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took hours to respond to the attacks. I’ve read that people, including Benjamin Netanyahu, have compared the October 7, 2023 attacks to America’s 9/11 attacks. Just as the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that there was more to 9/11 than what we were told, that there was something not right about the virus in March 2020 and the subsequent “vaccines” for it, the Holy Spirit has impressed upon me that there is more to the events of October 7 than are being reported. During the October 7 attacks, Hamas used paragliders to attack Israel. Did you know that The Economist magazine illustrated this in its December 22, 2012 issue with the title “A rough guide to Hell”? (See: https://www.economist.com/weeklyedition/2012-12-22). You cannot tell me that this is just coincidence. I believe every bit of this was planned, and at the least, certain high-level leaders in Israel looked the other way to let it happen, or at the worst, they were a part of it in order to accomplish what they want to bring in. I believe this is true for 9/11 and also for COVID. We may not see all that there is to these three events, and likely many more horrific events that have occurred, and more to come, but Almighty God knows, and God sees, and God will judge all involved.

As the Bible tells us, for far too long, Israel has not listened to God and has not looked to Him for her salvation, even having rejected God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to Israel because its shepherds, its religious leaders, were ignoring their flocks, their people, and were serving only themselves. God’s own people rejected their own Son, Jesus Christ, their Messiah, and they are still looking for the one whom they call “Messiah” to bring them peace but who really will be the final antichrist. Are we seeing the build-up to the events when Israel will be ready to make greater/stronger the covenant with the one who will be the final antichrist? I believe the answer is a definitive “yes.” I am not saying Donald J. Trump is the final antichrist, but he definitely has antichrist-like qualities and at the very least, he is paving the way for antichrist to step on the scene. There are even people in the USA and in Israel who seem to be worshipping him, and that is very troubling. I personally think he is a great deceiver, and I trust neither him nor anyone in his administration. They do not have the everyday citizen’s best interest at heart, and I believe they certainly do not have the best interest of Israel at heart. Anyone who seeks to divide the land of Israel, the land that is God’s land, who chose to give it to Israel, will be judged severely by God. Donald Trump is seeking to divide God’s land. God did not give the disputed land to the Palestinians. God did not give the land to Donald Trump. God gave the land to Israel, forever.

In addition to the ceasefire agreement Israel has with Hamas, it also has a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon after Hezbollah attacked Israel from the north in Lebanon in solidarity with Hamas on October 7, 2023. The ceasefire was brokered by the USA in November, ending a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah, during which 60,000 Israelis left their homes in northern Israel. The Trump administration denied Israel’s request to extend the deadline a second time that was set by the USA for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. Per the Times of Israel: (See: https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-said-denying-israels-request-to-further-push-off-deadline-for-lebanon-withdrawal/)

“The report said that Israel has reiterated to the US its claim that the Lebanese Army is not effectively deployed in south Lebanon, as the terms of the ceasefire said it would, and is not preventing Hezbollah from reorganizing. Israel has warned that Hezbollah aims to return to the border area as soon as IDF troops depart.”

CNN reported on February 18, 2025 that while Israel had withdrawn most of its troops, it left some troops in southern Lebanon as a guard against the nearby northern Israeli communities. (See: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/middleeast/israel-lebanon-ceasefire-withdrawal-latam-hnk-intl/index.html)

Is Israel being set up on multiple fronts for an even bigger attack by her neighbors that hate and despise her? We know this IS coming because the Bible tells us it’s going to happen during the time of Jacob’s trouble:

“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” (Zechariah 12:1-3)

Earlier in the book of Zechariah, in Zechariah 9:9, it contains the prophecy of Messiah, who came to earth the first time as their King, who is humble and brings salvation. Let us read that prophecy that was fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming (Matthew 21:1-9). Let us also remember the very similar prophecy spoken of by Jacob to his son Judah in Genesis 49:8-12:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just [righteous], and having salvation; lowly [humble], and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9)

However, the Jews did not want a humble King. They wanted a King who would conquer Rome so that they would not be under their rule, and they rejected Jesus, who came first as God’s suffering servant to offer salvation of sins, as their Messiah.

As Zechariah 9:10-17 prophecies, as well as other books of the Bible, Jesus will remove all strength and power from Israel during the time of Jacob’s trouble so that they are not able to defend themselves. Today, Israel has a mighty defense and intelligence system, including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Mossad, and the Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems. However, during the time of Jacob’s trouble, God’s word tells us that all of this will be brought to nothing. As God has done before, including during the time of the Exodus, He will remove all power from Israel so that they cannot rely on anyone or anything else to save them during the tribulation period. They won’t be able to make deals with their enemies to save them. They won’t be able to look to their allies to save them. Only God Himself will be their defender, and He will make them mighty against their enemies through His power and might and nothing else. God will also destroy every false god that Israel has trusted in:

“And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim [another name for Israel], and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he [Jesus] shall speak peace unto the heaven [nations]: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by [because of] the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render [restore] double unto thee; when I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones [jewels] of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.” (Zechariah 9:10-17)

“And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off [destroyed]. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off [destroy] thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts [sorceries] out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven [carved] images also will I cut off, and thy standing images [sacred pillars] out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves [Canaanite deities] out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen [nations], such as they have not heard [obeyed].” (Micah 5:8-15)

Those who rely on anything or anyone else but Him during this time will not survive. This will be a final time of testing for Israel. It will be a time when they will be brought through the fire. No longer will God tolerate Israel’s worship of other gods, and He will destroy everything having to do with them. Let us read what the prophet Isaiah wrote to his fellow Jews about the things that will happen in the last days, during the Day of the Lord, the period of time that begins with the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble and at the end of which Jesus returns to destroy all wickedness upon the earth and righteously reigns for 1,000 years:

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:1-2)

“O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east [are filled with eastern ways], and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers [clap or shake hands to make bargains with the children of foreigners].” (Isaiah 2:5-6)

Let us pause here for a moment and consider what Isaiah wrote in the Scriptures above. God showed the prophet Isaiah of what was to come in the last days. Isaiah was warning the people that they needed to stop following the world that worships false gods, to stop acting like the world, and to “walk in the light of the LORD.” Then in verse 6, Isaiah switches from speaking to the house of Jacob to speaking to God, acknowledging to Him that he understands why God had forsaken His people, the house of Jacob. Are we not seeing the house of Jacob today still making deals or bargains or deals with foreigners today, particularly in their pursuit of “peace,” which has never happened and to this day? Israel will never achieve peace until they turn to Jesus Christ, the Son of God whom they rejected.

Let us continue reading what Isaiah wrote:

“Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that their own fingers have made: and the mean man [people] boweth down, and the great man [each man] humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.” (Isaiah 2:7-9)

In the last days before the Day of the Lord, Israel will live in abundance and will be mighty in its defense systems. They will also be full of idol worship, and I believe that can include worshipping themselves and their own power, which they believe they have built themselves. When I first read the Scriptures above, I didn’t understand the last part of it. After re-reading it, I understood the meaning, and that is instead of people humbling themselves and bowing down to the one true God, Almighty God, they are bowing down and worshipping false gods. That will be particularly true in the days of the time of Jacob’s trouble, when everyone will have to take the mark - the number or the name of the beast/antichrist - and will be required to worship the antichrist. Let us continue reading in Isaiah chapter 2 that describes what will come during the time of Jacob’s trouble, the tribulation period:

“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of [from the terror of] the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty [proud] looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced [fortified] wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures [beautiful sloops]. And the loftiness [pride] of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of [why should he be esteemed]?” (Isaiah 2:10-22)

All I can say of the Scriptures above is woe upon all who reject Jesus Christ and put their faith and trust in anyone or anything but Him to save them! Isaiah writes of the judgment of God that is coming upon the earth and how all the money in the world will not save anyone. Isaiah writes of how the prideful will be brought low and how God alone will be exalted in that day. To me, the last sentence of the Scriptures above is very telling from modern-day Israel’s standpoint, especially with how they are viewing Donald Trump. It reminds of how Benjamin Netanyahu is buddying up to him and is even willing to divide the land that God gave to Israel and let Donald Trump take over Gaza and, in his own words, “own it,” to Israel’s own peril. Let us read some recent headlines from Israel about Donald Trump and how they cannot praise him enough:

“'Israel Heritage Foundation Awards Trump ‘Crown of Jerusalem’” (July 16, 2023; See: https://www.jns.org/us-news/donald-trump/23/7/16/302653/)

“Sanhedrin Letter to Trump: “You have been elected to fulfill a heavenly mission”” (February 14, 2025; See: https://israel365news.com/400368/sanhedrin-letter-to-trump-you-have-been-elected-to-fulfill-a-heavenly-mission/)

“Netanyahu praises Trump as ‘Israel’s greatest friend’ to ever be president” (February 8, 2025; See: https://thehill.com/policy/international/5134621-netanyahu-praises-trumps-as-israels-greatest-friend-to-ever-be-president/)

“Religious Zionist Rabbis bless Trump as ‘God’s Messenger’” (February 14, 2025; See: https://israel365news.com/400378/religious-zionist-rabbis-bless-trump-as-gods-messenger/)

“Trump’s Gaza Plan is ‘The Final Task Before Messiah’” (February 5, 2025; See: https://israel365news.com/400058/kabbalist-trumps-gaza-plan-the-final-task-before-messiah/)

In the link to the second article above regarding the Sanhedrin’s letter to President Trump, the Nascent Sanhedrin praised him for creating a White House Faith Office which will be led by “Pastor” Paula White-Cain, who preaches a prosperity gospel, a false gospel. This “faith” office has nothing to do with true faith in Jesus Christ, for His word prohibits women from becoming pastors and gives the reason why (1 Timothy 2:12-14). The fact that Donald Trump chose her to lead this position shows that he either does not know God’s word or is in blatant rebellion against it. The bottom line is that President Trump can’t save Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu can’t save Israel, the Jewish religious leaders can’t save Israel; only Jesus Christ can save Israel, and only Jesus Christ can save sinners.

Stunning isn’t a strong enough word to describe these headlines above and they just keep coming. There is another stunning statement that was made by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s pick for the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), who said this at his February 13, 2025 swearing in ceremony: (See: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/13/robert_f_kennedy_jr_at_swearing_in_i_have_prayed_to_end_the_childhood_chronic_disease_epidemic_god_sent_me_president_trump.html)

“"For 20 years I've gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country," Kennedy said. "On August 23rd of last year, God sent me President Trump."

““President Trump has promised that he's going to restore America's strength, but we can't be a strong nation if we have a weak citizenry. If people are sick, 60% of our people are sick, 77%, as President Trump mentioned, if our children cannot qualify for military service. And we need a man on a white horse now.””

The last sentence, to me, is very eerie and very telling. While many may believe that Kennedy’s statement about the white horse may be his way of saying that we need a “good guy” to come in and save the day, I believe there is something much more sinister to it, and it is straight out of the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. With the insanity we are seeing in our world today, especially in the USA, with many people seeming to worship Donald Trump as a god, it would not surprise me if RFK, Jr. was comparing Donald Trump to Jesus coming down from heaven, riding on a white horse, when He returns at His second coming. For those of us who have eyes to see and ears to hear, I see his mentioning of needing “a man on a white horse now” as the first rider on a horse, in what is known as the “four horsemen of the apocalypse” as I wrote about earlier. Let’s read about the first horseman, and notice that he rides on a white horse:

“And I saw when the Lamb [Jesus] opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise [sound] of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2)

What I am going to say next is something I first heard about from a pastor I have listened to online for many years, JD Farag, and he discussed it a while ago after COVID happened. He mentioned that in Revelation 6:2, the word “bow” is from the Greek word “toxon.” It is from this word that we get the English words “toxin” and “toxic.” Per the Strong’s Lexicon, “toxon” means: (See: https://biblehub.com/greek/5115.htm)

“In the New Testament, the Greek word "τόξον" (toxon) is used to refer to a bow, a weapon used for shooting arrows. It symbolizes warfare, conflict, and sometimes divine judgment. The bow is often associated with a warrior or conqueror, emphasizing strength and power.”

It is interesting that God’s word only mentions this rider having a “bow” but no arrows, or at least that is how it was translated to English. However, the fact that the Greek word “toxon” is used seems to imply that there is something more than just this rider having a bow and it is something that would be used against people in order to conquer them. What does a bow do? It is used to shoot something, an arrow, at people. Sometimes, it is a poisoned arrow. Below is what the Saturday Evening Post wrote about this subject: (See: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/03/in-a-word-how-english-got-intoxicated/)

“The ancient Greek archer’s tool of war was the toxon, a word for both bow and arrow. To make their weapon deadlier, archers dipped their arrow tips in poison. Toxikon was the word for a poison-tipped arrow, but over time, the word came to refer to the poison itself. By the time the word was adopted into Latin as toxicum, it had shrugged off its ballistic origins and just meant ‘poison.’”

The other interesting thing that JD Farag pointed out regarding the rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is the statement “and a crown was given unto him.” Many people might mistake this rider of the white horse as Jesus Christ because of the crown. However, no one gives Jesus Christ crowns; He just has them because He is Almighty God. He didn’t earn them. JD Farag pointed out that the word “corona” also means “crown.” In fact, Terence Chorba of the CDC published an article in September 2020 that described how the coronavirus looks like a crown with spikes. (See: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/9/ac-2609_article#;) Add to this the recent headline that I mentioned previously of the Israel Heritage Foundation awarding the “crown of Jerusalem” to Donald Trump on July 16 2023.

I am not one that believes in coincidence, and I find it very interesting that under the first administration of President Trump COVID-19 happened and virtually the entire world was locked down to “flatten the curve” and now we are in the second administration of Donald Trump. We have a man, RFK, Jr. who once was very vocal and outspoken against vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccines, now doing a 180-degree turn and supporting them. Not only is he supporting them, he is now the man in charge of the HHS and will oversee the CDC, FDA, and NIH. He was even called out during his Senate confirmation hearings for his prior stance on vaccines. (See: https://time.com/7210943/rfk-confirmation-hearing-vaccines/) So what changed? It wasn’t just RFK, Jr. who changed his stance on this subject but also Elon Musk, back in April of 2021. (See: https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-covid-vaccines-good; https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/547163-after-controversial-statements-elon-musk-comes/) So what changed? If you ask me, it was all planned, for years. I believe vaccines will be enforced like we have never seen before, and they will be enforced digitally and through artificial intelligence. I believe we are seeing the beast/antichrist system prophesied of in Revelation 13 being set up literally before our very eyes, and that the enforcement of vaccines will be part of this system. We saw a dry run of it during COVID-19, and it’s not going to go away.

One final thing I’ll say about all of this is what is written in Revelation 18:23. I wrote about this in-depth in my November 15, 2024 devotional when I compared the similarities of America to Babylon the Great in Revelation 17-18. Here is what Revelation 18:23 says:

“And the light of a candle [lamp] shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:23)

The English word “sorceries” is translated from the original Greek word “pharmakeia” from where we get the English word of “pharmacy.” I truly believe that the deception that is written about in Revelation 18:23 refers to the deception by America, under the first Trump administration, and he knew full well what he was doing when he deceived all nations with the manmade COVID-19 “pandemic.” Prior to COVID, never before was virtually the entire world been locked down and told to stay six feet (why the number six?), to mask up, and not live our normal lives. We were also told to take their COVID “vaccines” that were developed under Donald Trump’s much-touted “Operation Warp Speed” program, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci. I believe many of the so-called vaccines were in fact the toxons that are mentioned in Revelation, and have killed and seriously injured many millions of people, with the full numbers of death and injuries being hidden from the public. On February 20, 2025 it was reported that Yale University researchers, as part of a small study, have identified a rare syndrome, “Post-vaccination syndrome” or “PVS” that can result after vaccine. (See: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/generalneurology/114306) I strongly believe we are seeing the tip of the iceberg of injuries and deaths as a result of these so-called “vaccines.”

“The most frequent symptoms reported by those with post-vaccination syndrome were excessive fatigue (85%), tingling and numbness (80%), exercise intolerance (80%), brain fog (77.5%), difficulty concentrating or focusing (72.5%), trouble falling or staying asleep (70%), neuropathy (70%), muscle aches (70%), anxiety (65%), tinnitus (60%), and burning sensations (57.5%).”

“"My clinical impression is that post-vaccination syndrome is real," he observed. "Collectively, my impression is that this adds to the growing body of literature and clinical experience suggesting that in rare cases, mRNA-based COVID vaccines can induce immune, autoimmune, viral reactivation, and other perturbations in susceptible individuals."“

I believe all of this was done to set the stage to bring in the mark of the beast system. I believe America is leading the world in bringing in the beast system, and it will happen at a rapid pace, or to use a phrase Donald Trump used, at “Warp Speed.” Elon Musk and the techno giants are working with Trump to implement the system that will be driven by artificial intelligence. Why? Because I believe they serve a false god, Lucifer, and have been willingly deceived by him. As the Bible tells us, the one true God, Almighty God, the mighty One of Jacob will succeed and they will fail, to their own eternal peril.

I’ll say it again: I have never seen the world so ready, so ripe, for the final antichrist to make his entrance upon the world scene. Yes, there have been many final antichrist candidates in the past, with the one standing out the most to me would be Adolf Hitler in his Satanic attempt to kill all the Jews, but this time I believe it’s very different. This time, we have Israel literally fawning after President Trump, and they are also looking to him to enable them to build their third Jewish temple. I have not read the first article that is from israel365news.com dated August 5, 2019 unto now and all I can say is it is STUNNING! Let’s read some of that first: (See: https://israel365news.com/332454/trump-initiate-building-third-temple-head-edom/)

“Jewish sources hint that the alliance between the U.S and Israel is the prophetic end-of-days coming together of Esav and Jacob as a prelude to the building of the Third Temple. Some experts believe that President Trump fulfills many of the requirements for the leader of Edom that will make this happen.

“Two weeks ago, two religious Jews appeared before Rabbi Cham Kanievsky, one of the most influential rabbis of this generation. The emissaries reportedly bore an inquiry from President Trump, asking when the Moshiach (Messiah) will arrive. The rabbi avoided answering the question, asking instead when the American Jews will come to live in Israel.

“Many were skeptical of the story, rejecting the idea that Trump, a Christian, would inquire from a Jewish rabbi concerning the Messiah. But Trump, as the non-Jewish leader of the U.S., has a prophesied role to play in the building of the Temple and it was for this reason he inquired. Trump wanted to know when he will be called upon to perform this role.”

Now, let us read from their most recent article from November 11, 2024: (See: https://israel365news.com/397766/midrash-hints-that-trump-will-return-glory-to-western-world-by-building-third-temple/)

“Rabbi Yosef Berger revealed some amazing aspects of Donald Trump’s victory in the recent US Presidential election, most notably his potential role in building the Third Temple. As the spiritual descendant of Rome, the nation that destroyed the Second Temple, Trump has the potential to do a tikkun, fixing the sin of Rome, and returning the glory to Western society.”

““Trump’s election is a necessary element of the geula (redemption) and a sign that the moshiach (messiah) is imminent,” Rabbi Berger said. “That is why Donald Trump in Gematria (Hebrew numerology) equals 424, which is the same as Moshiach ben David (Messiah from the house of David),” Rabbi Berger pointed out. “This certainly does not mean he will be the Messiah, but it indicates that he will play a role in preparing the way for the arrival of the Messiah. He clearly has this inclination.”

“Just like the Second Temple, the Third Temple will be built by non-Jews,” Rabbi Berger said. “This will only be fully revealed after Trump fulfills this role.”

In an earlier article from January 19, 2018, israel365news.com reported more stunning statements that were made by a Jewish rabbi about Donald Trump: (See: https://israel365news.com/321325/whats-connection-biblical-esau-president-trump/)

“President Donald Trump is a reincarnation of the Biblical Esau, son of Isaac and Rebecca, according to Torah scholar and international speaker Rabbi Mendel Kessin.

“At a talk in Jerusalem that lasted well over two hours, Rabbi Kessin laid out his Bible-based case that Trump has a singular role to play in preparing the world for redemption. He did not claim that Trump is the Messiah, though Rabbi Kessin said, “Trump is a messianic figure,” meaning he is connected to the process of moving redemption forward.”

“Rabbi Kessin began his talk by quoting the verse from the Bible that speaks about the two nations that Rebecca had in her womb. One was Jacob, who, through his 12 sons, was the ancestor of the Jewish people.

“The other nation in Rebecca’s womb came from Esau, who, as Rabbi Kessin explains, “became Edom, which became Rome, which became Christianity, which became Western civilization.” In Genesis 25:23, it is written, “And the older shall serve the younger.” The older is a reference to Esau and the younger to Yaakov. Though they were twins, Esau emerged first, as is plainly stated in Genesis.”

In another headline that seems to make the building of the third Jewish temple come to fruition sooner than you may think and that is the requirement of a red heifer to be sacrificed for the construction of the temple. It appears there are still candidates that remain of the red heifers that were brought to Israel from Texas. In a February 16, 2025 article, La Croix International reported that Hamas apparently cited this as a justification for its October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. (See: https://international.la-croix.com/world/in-jerusalem-the-red-heifer-worries-religious-and-political-leaders)

“Rumors of a potential sacrifice of a red cow, necessary for the construction of a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem, have stirred up the internet and religious leaders.”

“The massacres of October 7, referred to as "Al-Aqsa Flood" by Hamas, made the defense of the holy site a part of its rhetoric and unexpectedly brought the red heifer back into the spotlight. Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida mentioned the cows in a statement justifying the attacks on the occasion of the 100th day of war in Gaza: the "aggression reached its peak against Al-Aqsa" with "the arrival of the red cows as the implementation of a detestable religious myth intended to aggress the sentiments of an entire nation."“

Trump’s now-appointed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth gave a speech in 2018 in Jerusalem during which he supported the building of the third temple on the Temple Mount, as reported by the Times of Israel. (See: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trumps-nominee-for-pentagon-chief-suggested-new-temple-could-be-built-on-temple-mount/) I believe the third Jewish temple will be built during Donald Trump’s second administration. I believe the allowance/permission of the building of this temple will likely be stipulated in the terms of the covenant that will be confirmed with Israel in order to achieve “peace and safety” in the Middle East.

Now, given the zeal with which rabbis in Jerusalem have expressed regarding Donald Trump’s role in building the third Jewish temple in Jerusalem and Trump apparently expressing his desire to fulfill this role, if the aforementioned August 5, 2019 article from israel365news.com is true (See: https://israel365news.com/332454/trump-initiate-building-third-temple-head-edom/), then is it possible that all of the events of the Gaza Strip are being done purposely in order to clear it out, remove and relocate to other countries everyone who currently still resides there, as Trump proposed, and relocate the Al-Aqsa Mosque that currently sits on the Jewish Temple Mount to the cleared-out Gaza Strip? I know this may sound like a radical possibility, but that is what it seems Donald Trump is all about: radical change. Consider two news reports from not so long ago that may support this possibility. The first is an article that was reported from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) in November 2020. It reported that a Saudi Arabian lawyer named Osama Yamani made some surprising claims that Al-Aqsa is not located in Jerusalem but in “the vicinity of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula.” (See: https://www.memri.org/reports/article-saudi-daily-quranic-al-aqsa-may-not-be-jerusalem-all-arabian-peninsula) i24News, an Israeli-based news channel also reported on his statements: (See: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/1605438896-saudi-lawyer-claims-al-aqsa-mosque-s-true-location-is-not-in-jerusalem)

“Writing in Saudi news outlet Okaz, Osama Yamani maintained that the mosque - which is one of the world's most ancient permanent Islamic buildings, having been completed in 705 CE - is actually located in Al Ju'ranah, near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, cited Israeli outlet, Israel Hayom.

“Yamani explained that: "There are stories influenced by political considerations that served the purposes of that time, and sometimes claims are made that they have nothing to do with faith or following religious dictates."“

The other news report was reported by Arab News Japan on June 25, 2022 that stated that at that time, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was in danger of collapsing if the excavations continued. (See: https://www.arabnews.jp/en/middle-east/article_74858/) There have been continued reports, if one can trust the sources, that the digging that started in 2022 has continued, even in 2025. Could it be that if the digging continues, it will damage it to an extent that results in its collapse and a proposal is put forth to move it to the Gaza Strip, with possibly other Muslim countries coming forward in support of Yamani’s claims in order to make the proposal acceptable? If that happens, it would result in Israel being able to build their third temple on the Temple Mount? I believe all of this is a possibility. Time will tell.

We know that the majority of Israel is not looking for the second coming of Jesus Christ because they rejected Him as their Messiah when He came the first time. Thus, when they reference their coming “Messiah,” they are looking for the one whom Christians, and God’s word tells us, is really the final antichrist. However, we must be cautious in our attitude towards the Jews because as the apostle Paul told us in Romans 11, and which was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Let us read first the prophecy of Isaiah:

“For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision [whole vision] of all is become unto you as the words of a book [scroll] that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught” (Isaiah 29:10-12)

It is God Himself who has caused Israel’s blindness. In Isaiah’s prophecy above, it is specifically addressed to Jerusalem. God gave them the single vision of Isaiah that was written and yet, their religious leaders could not read it and believe it. Because they did not draw near to God with their hearts and only gave Him lip service with their mouths, they could not see all the prophecies about the first coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ, which were later fulfilled with 100% accuracy. Now, let’s read what the apostle Paul said of the Jews’ blindness in part:

“What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election [elect] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded [hardened] (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber [stupor], eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.” (Romans 11:7-10)

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits [opinion]; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion [Zion] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

If you believe that every word of the Bible is true, then you believe that all of the events prophesied in the Bible will come to pass, and that includes the rise of the final antichrist, the confirming of a covenant between him and Israel that begins the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, at the end of which Jesus Christ alone will save all of the one-third remnant of Jews, who will realize their sin of rejecting Him as their Messiah and finally turn to Him.

Now, let us return to the book of Isaiah and read how it also prophesies that the Lord Jesus will remove all strength and every support from Jerusalem and Judah, and that they will need to choose whether they will be with Him or against Him. They will need to decide if they are going to rely on mere man and his inability to save them or will they rely on Jesus Christ alone to save them:

“For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff [stock and the store, every support], the whole stay [supply] of bread, and the whole stay [supply] of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent [diviner], and the ancient [elder], the captain of fifty, and the honourable [eminent in appearance], and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer [skillful artisan], and the eloquent orator. And I will give children [boys] to be their princes, and babes [capricious ones] shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base [despised] against the honourable. When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: in that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. For Jerusalem is ruined [has stumbled], and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke [rebel against] the eyes of his glory. The shew of their countenance [look on their faces] doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded [brought] evil unto themselves. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given [done to] him. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err [lead you astray], and destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to plead [contend], and standeth to judge the people.” (Isaiah 3:1-13)

During the time of Jacob’s trouble, God’s Son, Jesus Christ opens the seven seals on the scroll described in the book of Revelation that begins the 7-year series of judgments not only on Israel but on the entire unbelieving world. Again, it is during that time when the land of israel will be made desolate, and two-thirds of the Jews will die. However, one-third of them, the remnant of Israel, will survive and will be saved because they will call upon Jesus, their Messiah, to save them; they are the ones called “righteous” in the Scriptures above. We are only made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called the Branch of the Lord several times in the Bible, including in the passage of Scripture below. He will save the remnant of Israel, and He will destroy all nations that come against her:

“In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely [appealing] for them that are escaped of Israel [have survived]. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written [recorded] among the living in Jerusalem: when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood [bloodshed] of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” (Isaiah 4:2-4)

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try [test] them as gold is tried [tested]: they shall call on my name, and I will hear [answer] them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” (Zechariah 13:8-9)

“But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.” (Hosea 1:7)

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 12:9)

Zephaniah 2:8-14 describes how God will bring to nothing the nations that threaten Jerusalem and the borders of Judah. Let us read what verses 10-11 state:

“This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified [made arrogant threats] against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be terrible [awesome] unto them: for he will famish [reduce to nothing] all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.” (Zephaniah 2:10-11)

For anyone alive today who thinks that Israel is not corrupt, let us read what God has to say about them. I’ll say it again, I do not trust Benjamin Netanyahu, and I believe there is more to the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel than we are being told. That being said, God knows what happened. God has seen Israel go through periods of obedience and disobedience, and modern-day Israel is no different. However, this last time of judgment during the time of Jacob’s trouble, God will put Israel through a refining fire that will end with the remnant that remains finally turning to Jesus Christ and believing on Him as their Messiah.

The last verse of chapter 2 and chapter 3 of the book of Zephaniah ends with a description of why God will judge Judah, and particularly God’s holy city of Jerusalem that has made itself filthy, polluted, and oppressing and which has not obeyed His voice. But God doesn’t leave them without hope: there will be an end to the time of Jacob’s trouble, when He will remove all iniquity from His remnant, and He will be their God and they will be His people. Let us read the entirety of chapter 3:

“Woe to her that is filthy [rebellious] and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow [they leave not a bone till morning]. Her prophets are light [insolent] and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted [profaned] the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment [justice] to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate [fortresses are devastated]; I made their streets waste [desolate], that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction [correction]; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them [despite everything for which I punished her]: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings [deeds]. Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn [restore] to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent [accord]. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants [worshippers], even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings [deeds], wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor [gentle and humble] people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down [feed their flocks], and none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil [fear disaster] any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack [be weak]. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest [quiet you] in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn [appointed] assembly, who are of thee [among you], to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all [deal with all] that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth [the lame], and gather her that was driven out; and I will get [give] them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name [fame] and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity [return your captives] before your eyes, saith the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:1-20)

Israel’s enemies will finally be gone, eliminated, and Israel will live in peace and safety in the land that God gave them long ago when He made His unconditional covenant with Abraham. This will happen during the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ after He returns to earth at His second coming. Though Israel will have had many of her children die during the time of Jacob’s trouble, she will again have sons and daughters. However, these children will be the children of the Gentile nations that will also survive the 7-year tribulation period and who will turn to Jesus Christ and believe in Him as their Savior. Because there will be so many, the children will even say that they need more room, more land in Israel for them to dwell in it.

At the end of the 1,000 years, Jesus will resurrect every person who has ever died. At the great white throne judgement, He will judge them all, and everyone who died in their sin and whose names will not be found in the book of life will be found guilty and will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. Then Jesus will destroy the current heavens and earth, and He will create a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. All believers in Jesus Christ will live together, with no separation between Jew and Gentile, in true peace and safety with Jesus Christ our Savior, forever and ever. The land of Israel will never see violence again:

“Violence shall no more [longer] be heard in thy land, wasting [devastation] nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.” (Isaiah 60:18-22)

The land that is in such dispute today, the land of the Gaza Strip will belong to Israel, not to Donald Trump, and not to America. Contrary to his statements that Gaza will be turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” God says otherwise, and God’s word is true. Let us read what God says about Gaza. I have included Scriptures I previously mentioned in order to provide the context as to whom God is referring to regarding the “sea coast,” which specifically is the land from the five ancient cities of the Philistines, which is located in the Gaza Strip:

“For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ahskelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon [feed their flocks there]: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their GOD shall visit them [intervene for them], and turn away their captivity [return their captives].” (Zephaniah 2:4-7)

Finally and in closing, I cannot urge you strongly enough that if you have not accepted Jesus Christ in your heart as your Savior, to do so today and not wait another moment. The days we are living in are filled with darkness that is disguised as a false light to deceive those that don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Deception is at an all-time high, and many people are being deceived by the lies of the wicked one, Satan. Jesus loves you and doesn’t want you to spend your eternity in hell. That is why He came to earth the first time to offer salvation to all who will believe in Him as their Savior. While He came to earth the first time as the suffering servant and the Lamb of God, He won’t return as a Lamb. When He returns, He will come back as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and will execute His righteous judgment on a wicked and evil world, and billions of people will die because they will still reject Him as their Savior. Don’t be one of them. Turn to Jesus Christ today and be saved from all your sins and from the hell on earth that is coming soon. ✝️