Written March 16, 2026
By Gary H. Kah
At the time of this writing the United States and Israel have gained air superiority over Iran and are methodically destroying the Islamist regime’s every military means for effective retaliation. No question, Donald Trump has more backbone and determination to go after adversaries than any previous US President of our generation. We must pray that God would guide the decisions of the President and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with our military commanders who are executing the plan to eliminate this long-standing terrorist regime. I wish them well in their endeavor – for the sake of the freedom-loving people within Iran and for the future of our own country as well as Israel. This operation comes with significant risks, and there is much at stake.
Earlier this week I texted some thoughts regarding the Iran conflict to a friend who is an advisor to President Trump. I wrote:
I’m not so concerned about major casualties for our side in the Mideast. I am most concerned about acts of terror from within the US. Hoping and praying nothing major happens. If there are attacks on US soil, an increasing number of Americans, I am afraid, will blame Israel, arguing that none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for our alliance with, and defense of, Israel. Between this view and the growing Epstein factor (him being Jewish and having had alleged connections with Israel), the potential exists for a rapid increase in anti-Semitism in the US if anything goes wrong with this war.
He responded, “Yes, totally agree.”
Those within the US who have most directly protested President Trump’s efforts to eliminate Iran’s terrorist regime have generally come from anti-Semitic/globalist circles within the “Red-Green Alliance.” Over the past decade, Marxists and radical Islamists inside the US have joined forces in a rather open attempt to dismantle America. Strangely, they’ve gained the support of the LGBTQ community, which would be prohibited from even existing in any Marxist or Islamist country. Yet, these three forces have melded into one movement aiming to eliminate the Judeo-Christian worldview or, at the very least, its influence on society. Make no mistake, this IS first and foremost a spiritual battle!
Smoke rises from Tehran after aerial bomb hits target
During the “open border” of the Biden-Harris years, tens of thousands of potential terrorists walked into our country. They came from all across the globe, including Iran and Afghanistan. Despite the best efforts of the Trump administration to rout out this dangerous element – while being attacked at every turn by the Red-Green-LGBTQ Alliance for attempting to do so – there are still thousands of very bad people who may try to unleash terror on our homeland. They are here! It will take a miracle from God to prevent major terrorist attacks and disruptions from occurring inside America.
To make matters more difficult, on February 12th Zohran Mamdani (NYC’s Marxist mayor) and Jacob Frey (mayor of Minneapolis) announced that they will be building “a coalition of mayors.” The obvious purpose – to hinder every effort by the Trump administration and ICE to prevent evildoers and Marxist/Islamist elements from “taking down” the United States. This battle is not over. It’s unfortunately just beginning. Therefore, we all need to remain prayerful…and vigilant.
Increased Hatred of Jews & Christians
The growing hatred towards Jews and Israel within America has not taken place within a vacuum. It’s been a long time in the making. Islamists entered the US in droves during the Obama-Biden years. But even in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, weak presidents allowed far too many people with radical religious beliefs into the country in the name of “diversity and tolerance.” And, a new generation of professors who were shaped by the globalist/Marxist rebellion of the 60s entered our university system and gained tenure. Over 90 percent of today’s university professors in the US have far left leanings. They have successfully indoctrinated millions of students who have become a formidable force for globalism/Marxism within the US. These radicalized individuals hate America, Israel, Jews…and Bible-believing Christians. Their hatred has been stoked by much of the secular media which shares the same views.
Add to this the fact that virtually every mainline Protestant denomination belonging to the World Council of Churches (WCC) holds to a Replacement Theology view of Scripture. According to this view, Israel and the Jews have no further purpose in God’s plans. Along with this belief, they also teach that the end-time biblical prophecies warning us of the deceptions still to come are nothing more than symbolic metaphors or descriptions of events that have already taken place in the distant past. So there will be no Antichrist or world government figure to be concerned about; therefore Christ will not return in order to destroy such a Satanic leader at the Battle of Armageddon, nor will He establish a physical millennial reign on Earth afterwards. Any teachings to the contrary are totally nonsensical in their view.
Discounting the important prophetic warnings of the Bible that are particularly relevant for our generation has set the WCC church denominations up for enormous deception. Isn’t it interesting that the World Council of Churches has received huge funding from the globalist Rockefeller Foundation, and that they are moving toward unity with the Vatican – which would result in a worldwide apostate church denying the validity of prophetic Scripture. (The Roman Catholic Church has been the wellspring of Replacement Theology for centuries and also strongly opposes the premillennial view of Bible prophecy.)
WCC member churches have led the political charge against Israel through their support of the BDS movement. (The Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement is an international campaign aimed at delegitimizing and pressuring Israel and, increasingly, any Jewish individuals and organizations that support Israel’s right to exist.) They also hold in contempt those Christians who are “foolish enough” to embrace a literal premillennial prophetic interpretation of Scripture which is supportive of Israel. This explains, at least in part, why Tucker Carlson holds the positions he does on Israel and Jews, and “Christian Zionists.” Tucker belongs to the Episcopal Church which happens to be a founding member of the World Council of Churches. The Episcopal Church remains associated with the Anglican Church of England from which it stems, and which is almost entirely in the Replacement camp, also opposing premillennialism.
A little known fact: Freemasonry has a strong influence within the WCC and its member denominations. Back in the 90s, while speaking in Florida, I was invited into the home of Jim Shaw, a former 33rd degree Freemason who left the Lodge after accepting Christ. He became a Baptist pastor and served the Lord in that capacity for decades until he passed away. He was up in years and somewhat frail when we met, but he had some important matters on his heart that he wanted to share with me, sensing, I believe, that he would soon go home to be with the Lord.
Jim told me that when he was in the higher levels of the Lodge, it was well understood that Freemasonry was the main influencer behind the very ecumenical, and increasingly interfaith, World Council of Churches. In fact, he said that Freemasonry viewed the WCC as one of its branch organizations. Freemasonry, in its own writings, espouses itself to be a “Brotherhood of Religions.” The WCC is actively working to facilitate a coming together of the world’s religions, which in turn will make the Masonic goal of a one-world system of government easier to achieve. (You can read Jim Shaw’s personal testimony that he wrote specifically for inclusion in my book, on pages 137-140 of En Route to Global Occupation.)
The WCC church groups, as mentioned, are almost unanimously supportive of Replacement Theology and strongly oppose premillennialism. Following in the footsteps of Freemasonry, they also oppose a literal interpretation of Scripture; they don’t support Israel or the notion that God still has a purpose for the Jewish people; and they are not at all fond of Bible-believing Christians (putting it mildly).
If the persecution of Jews intensifies, the persecution of Bible-believing Christians will soon follow. This persecution will not come solely from the far Left’s Red-Green movement as some believe, but sadly also from those who would call themselves Christians but have rejected the truth of God’s Word. I believe history will likely repeat itself, following a pattern similar to that of Hitler’s Nazi Germany (which both of my parents were fortunate to survive). Many Lutheran pastors and Catholic priests supported Hitler’s goals to eliminate Jews, until it was no longer popular to do so. Only a small percentage of pastors stood firm against Hitler; most of those who did, paid with their lives. Here in the US, I see a time coming when most pastors and self-proclaimed Christian leaders will participate in the persecution not only of Jews but of Bible-believing Christians.
A Pursuit of Satan
The blatant wickedness and political manipulations carried out by certain Jews has made it easier and more acceptable for the far Left to publicly attack anything Jewish or related to Israel. The despicable activities and apparent efforts by Jeffrey Epstein to lure US and global leaders into sexual encounters with minors for the purpose of blackmail serves as one example. If he in fact operated in cahoots with a former Israeli prime minister as some allege, there will be a further wave of intense political protest against Jews and Israel coming from the Left (and from some on the Right).
For the record, I believe that anyone who colluded with Epstein to entice Americans into committing illegal and immoral acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The ethnic or religious background of an individual should never be a factor in preventing one from being prosecuted and held accountable for a criminal act. It doesn’t matter if one comes from a Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or Christian background. If Epstein was still alive, he should receive a life sentence for his evil acts…with no parole.
What concerns me however is how quick some Americans are to come against the Jewish people and Israel as a whole because of the crimes of a few. If this same standard were applied to the United States and Americans, we would be hated the world over. An example: While our family was in Costa Rica – on and off from 2012 to 2016 helping to start a church – we learned that the Obama administration had threatened to curtail US funding of CR projects unless the country liberalized its policies on abortion and same-sex marriage. Seeking to stay on good terms with the US, Costa Rica’s government reluctantly complied. Similar pressure was being applied on other countries worldwide by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, much of it in the name of “supporting women’s rights.” How many babies have had their lives terminated around the globe because of this pressure from US leaders?
Should Christians and morally-minded people in other countries hate the American people and blame us for these wicked pursuits of our leaders? Afterall, Americans voted Obama into power! This is only one illustration of America’s immoral foreign manipulations that I could give to make a point. The point is this: It is wrong to blame an entire people group for the sins of a few. Yet, it seems as if Jews are being blamed for every ill in the world. There appears to be a recurring/ongoing propensity in the sinful hearts of mankind to hate Jews and to seek their destruction, using whatever excuse is at hand.
Why is this? It’s because this agenda of hatred is a Satanic pursuit. Think about it. The very fact that Jews have kept their identity, customs, and the Hebrew language alive for thousands of years and have been regathered from over 100 different nations back to their homeland Israel, is in itself a testimony of the existence of Jehovah God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – who is also the Father who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our sins. Satan would love to erase this strong testimony of God’s existence and faithfulness from the record.
Anti-Israel protests gaining acceptance in the US
If Israel and the Jews could be eliminated, along with causing doubt in the minds of countless believers, it would also negate the more than 50 Old Testament prophetic passages foretelling the global ingathering of Jews to their homeland in the last days (Ezekiel 36:18-28; Isaiah 43:5-6; Joel 3:1-2, 17, 20-21; Zechariah 12:1-3, 9-11; and 14:2-5, 9-11, etc.). In addition, pursuing the elimination of Jews could be viewed as an attempt by Satan to prevent Christ the Messiah from returning – an event which is prophesied to take place in Jerusalem when He sets his feet on the Mount of Olives and then proceeds to wipe out the earthly forces of Satan led by the Antichrist which are gathered against God’s people in that city (Zechariah 14:3-5; Revelation 14:19-20, 16:16, 19:11-21; also 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12). The fact is Jerusalem had to once again become the stronghold and center of Jewish life for this prophecy to be fulfilled.
Trying to pin the blame for all the world’s problems on the Jewish people and to seek their destruction is to do the work of Satan. No nation, no individual, who pursues such an undertaking will be blessed by God, because they are pitting themselves directly against Him.
Misleading Arguments
Some on the Right argue that Jews are the ones who are really at the forefront of the global push for a world government (new world order). They typically point to Jewish globalists to make their case. There are in fact a number of people of Jewish descent who are prominent players in pushing for a new global order. George Soros, certain members of the Rothschild family, along with Chuck Shumer, Bernie Sanders and AI futurist Yuval Noah Harari are a few of the Jewish globalists who come to mind. However, there are many more Gentiles involved in the globalist movement than Jews. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis (and now Pope Leo), Klaus Schwab, King Charles, John Brennan, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates and Zohran Mamdani are just a few of the recognized names associated with the one-world cause. In the case of Pope Francis, prior to his death a year ago he had become known as “the spiritual leader of the globalist movement.” As a researcher, I could list many times more Gentiles who are pushing for “one world” than Jews who are doing the same.
Another clever argument claiming that Jews are basically behind every evil and seeking to establish a world government under their control stems from a document more than a century old. It is known as “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and lays out a detailed plan, allegedly formulated by Jews, of how they will take over the entire world. Although it was officially released in Russia in 1903 – being published by Pavel Krushevan and authored by Matvei Golovinski – its origins go back much further.
After digging into this matter while doing research for my first book during the 1980s, I came to the conclusion that “The Protocols…” drew from several earlier sources linked to the Theosophical Society and originating in the 1800s. The document, I believe, was largely plagiarized and prepared for the purpose of causing hatred, paranoia and violence against Jews, in order that they might ultimately be eliminated.
In my second book, The New World Religion, I provide some little known facts about the Theosophical Society. Here are a few. Its founder, Helena Blavatsky, wrote a book in 1888 called The Secret Doctrine which later heavily influenced Adolf Hitler to pursue the extermination of Jews. Hitler was so enthralled with the book that he kept a copy of it – full of his scribbled notes – at his bedside. The book is considered an occult/Satanic masterpiece; not a surprise considering the fact that Blavatsky put out a monthly publication titled “Lucifer Magazine.” (See p. 24 of The New World Religion for a photo of an original copy.)
A subsequent head of the Theosophical Society, Alice Bailey, founded Lucifer Publishing Company in 1922. It still exists in New York City today under the name Lucis Trust. Bailey, an advanced occultist and female Freemason (within Co-Masonry), wrote several occult classics with the help of her spirit guide, who she called “The Tibetan.” She is widely considered to have had the single greatest influence in birthing what would eventually become known as the New Age movement. In short, she made the occult accessible and fashionable.
Bailey, like her Theosophical predecessors, held extremely vicious anti-Christian and anti-Jewish views. I took some of her most revealing statements and placed them in Appendix A of The New World Religion. The 10 pages of quotes I assembled only scratch the surface but adequately display where Bailey and the Theosophists are coming from. The following are just a few of Bailey’s quotes, mostly penned during the World War II era. As you read these, you will understand why Luciferians like Bailey would have an interest in propagating a fake document such as “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” (also used and promoted by Hitler) in order to eliminate Jews from the planet. Bear in mind that Bailey’s words were dictated to her by her demon spirit guide; whenever she refers to Christ or Lord, she is actually describing the coming Antichrist who she expects to usher in the “new global occult order.”
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● I would point out, however, that Palestine should no longer be called the Holy Land; its sacred places are only the passing relics of three dead and gone religions. The spirit has gone out of the old faiths and the true spiritual light is transferring itself into a new form which will manifest on earth eventually as the new world religion…Judaism is old, obsolete and separative and has no true message for the spiritually-minded which cannot be better given by the newer faiths…the Christian faith also has served its purpose; its Founder seeks to bring a new Gospel and a new message that will enlighten all men everywhere. Therefore, Jerusalem stands for nothing of importance today, except for that which has passed away and should pass away. The “Holy Land” is no longer holy, but is desecrated by selfish interests, and by a basically separative and conquering nation. (The Rays and the Initiations [1943-1947], p. 754)
● The tension in the world today, particularly in the Hierarchy, is such that it will produce another and perhaps ultimate world crisis, or else such a speeding up of the spiritual life of the planet that the coming in of the long-looked-for New Age conditions will be amazingly hastened…
The area of difficulty – as is well known – is the Near East and Palestine. The Jews, by their illegal and terroristic activities, have laid a foundation of great difficulty for those who are seeking to promote world peace…the Jews have partially again opened the door to the Forces of Evil…Palestine is no longer a Holy Land and should not be so regarded…
It is the Zionists who have defied the United Nations, lowered its prestige and made its position both negative and negligible to the world… (The Externalisation of the Hierarchy [January 1939], pp.75-78)
● The great energy of purification [Shamballa forces] is regenerating humanity, and of this the wide spread fires which have been such an outstanding characteristic of this war (1914-1945) are the outward and visible sign. Much evil is being burnt out through the revelation of the appalling character of evil, and through this, unity is being produced…The energy of destruction has its side of beauty when the spiritual values are grasped. (The Rays and the Initiations [April 1943], p. 86, ref. p. 76)
● This world crisis, with all its horror and suffering, is – in the last analysis – the result of successful evolutionary processes…Today we are watching the death of a civilisation or cycle of incarnation of humanity…Wornout religious dogmas and the grip of theology and the orthodox churches have no longer sufficed to hold the allegiance of the potent, inner, spiritual life…There is everywhere a cry for change and for those new forms in the religious, political, educational and economic life of the race which will allow…better spiritual expression. Such a change is rapidly coming and is regarded by some as death – terrible and to be avoided if possible. It is indeed death but it is beneficent and needed. (The Externalisation of the Hierarchy [September 1939], pp. 113-116)
● There is, as you well know, no angry God, no hell, and no vicarious atonement…and the only hell is the earth itself, where we learn to work out our own salvation…This teaching anent hell is a remainder of the sadistic turn which was given to the thinking of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages and to the erroneous teaching to be found in the Old Testament anent Jehovah, the tribal God of the Jews. Jehovah is not God…As these erroneous ideas die out, the concept of hell will fade from man’s recollection and its place will be taken by an understanding of the law which makes each man work out his own salvation…which leads him to right the wrongs which he may have perpetrated in his lives on Earth, and which enables him eventually to “clean his own slate.” [via reincarnation/karma] (Esoteric Healing, 1st ed. [1953], p. 393)
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One generation earlier, another prominent globalist exerted his unique influence through secret societies in preparing the way for future occultists to achieve the new world order. His name is Albert Pike. Pike was an evil genius who could read or speak more than a dozen languages. From 1859 to 1891 he served as the supreme leader of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the United States. Like Alice Bailey, he was a Luciferian. On page 321 of his book Morals and Dogma, he acknowledges this fact by stating, “LUCIFER, the Light-bearer!…Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light?…Doubt it not!”
Like Bailey, he drew heavily from the occult beliefs and teachings of the ancient mystery religions. And, like Bailey, he was an avid student of the Kabbalah, which teaches a form of Jewish mysticism derived from, and largely modeled after, core elements of those same mystery religions that God had strictly forbidden the Israelites from becoming involved in. Both Pike and Bailey were Gentile Kabbalists. An explanation is in order.
Just as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible originated from the Jews, the Kabbalah was also put forth by the Jews (mystical/occultic Jews) and essentially became the chief “counter teaching” in redefining and cleverly opposing the Old Testament. Just as the Bible was produced by the Jews and eventually became accepted by hundreds of millions of Gentiles, in a similar but dark parallel the Kabbalah came from the Jews and spread throughout the Gentile world to the point where today there are far more Gentile Kabbalists than Jewish Kabbalists. Hollywood and the music industry are replete with followers of the Kabbalah, Madonna being perhaps the best known. We must therefore be careful not to make the mistake of instinctively assuming that Kabbalists are Jewish, when in fact a majority are Gentiles.
There is one more argument that needs to be addressed. It pertains to the United Nations and the formation of modern Israel. Skeptics have argued that the Israel of today is not legitimate because it came into existence as a result of a vote by the UN General Assembly – specifically Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947. The UN is a godless worldly institution with a globalist agenda, so how can today’s Israel possibly be ordained of God when it was “created” by such a corrupt organization?
Fair enough. For comparison, let’s consider how Israel was reborn on a previous occasion, following the Babylonian exile. In 538 BC, Cyrus the Great, the Persian conqueror of Babylonia, gave the Jews permission to return to their homeland after 70 years in captivity. This set in motion three waves of Jews traveling back to their Promised Land to rebuild and reoccupy Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The book of Ezra records what happened:
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing. — Ezra 1:1 (emphasis added)
Ezra 1:2-4 goes on to capture the wording of the king’s decree permitting the Jews to return, while Ezra chapter two lists the Jewish men who were part of the initial wave led back to Jerusalem by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah and Mordecai. A second wave of Jews, led by Ezra, returned to the land some 80 years later; and in 444 BC Nehemiah led many more Jews back in a final wave for the main purpose of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls to make it a viable city. These three waves of Jewish settlers took place over a period of more than 90 years.
So, an earthly king ruling over a pagan world empire – but somehow moved by God’s sovereign hand – issued a decree to re-establish Israel as a homeland for the Jews. Was this a legitimate endeavor? The Bible clearly says that God “moved his heart” to do so. The Jews, under difficult circumstances, went on to rebuild Jerusalem and repopulate the land. This would eventually be the Israel that Jesus was born into, and where He lived, died, and was resurrected, and from where He ascended to Heaven – thereby fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies of His first coming. I’d say this first re-establishing of Israel (and Jerusalem) was indeed legitimate! What about the second one currently underway?
Nearly 80 years ago, at a moment in time, in the aftermath of the Holocaust when there was enough brief empathy for the Jewish people, the United Nations – an earthly political entity – gave a similar go ahead for the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland, this time after nearly 2,000 years of a diaspora. God, I believe, had once again moved the hearts of men to accomplish His ultimate purpose – whether they realized it or not. Since the UN’s decree in 1947, more than 7 million Jews from all across the world have made Aliyah to their ancestral homeland, restoring what had become a barren wasteland.
At the present time, nearly half of the world’s 15.5 million Jews are back in the Land. For perspective, at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, only about 30 percent of all Jews are estimated to have lived in Israel. Most of them had remained behind in Babylon, and from there spread out across the world; and even before the Babylonian captivity a sizable number of Jews had settled in communities throughout the Mediterranean region. The fact is, there are a much higher percentage of Jews living in Israel today than during the time of Jesus. This is truly remarkable and is a clear fulfillment of prophetic Scripture.
Daily life in Jerusalem during peace time
Like the first regathering from Babylon, this second, larger, worldwide regathering was prophesied throughout the Old Testament and predicted to occur just prior to the return (2nd Coming) of Messiah. The prophet Zechariah issues a strong warning to those who come against this re-established endtimes Jerusalem:
This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves…On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” -Zechariah 12:1-3, 9
“That day” is rapidly approaching, but other events – some which will be earth-shaking – must occur first. I believe we are on the brink of these events unfolding.
What Could Happen Next?
While President Trump might have the best of intentions regarding Iran, the outcome may not be as predictable as that of most wars which end with an “unconditional surrender.” The US is dealing with over a million militant Islamists who are committed to their Mullahs and their sadistic teachings. They derive great pleasure from tormenting and killing the Kafir (or Infidel), and even from dying in the process. They like to die as martyrs for Allah because of the reward in Paradise they expect to receive as a result. These are not normal, peace-loving people. Therefore, the US will never succeed in forcing Iran into complete submission. The Administration at best might be able to keep Iran’s military and nuclear development in check while controlling its flow of oil to other countries, and hopefully receive some cooperation from a less ruthless, more moderate government.
Meanwhile, there are millions of freedom-loving Iranian people, many of whom have become followers of Jesus. In fact, Iran may well have the fastest growing community of Christian believers in the world. We MUST pray for these persecuted saints who are forced to worship secretly underground. They are precious, and loved by God. Sadly, they would feel the full ramifications of an unsuccessful regime change.
The longer this war drags on, the greater the overall danger becomes. How long will Russia and China, who have benefitted from Iran’s drones and oil, look on without getting more directly involved? Could this possibly even trigger a third world war, with attacks from the outside hitting US cities? And, what about the Islamist/Marxist cells operating within the US? It would be extremely naïve to believe that they will all simply “stand down.”
As mentioned at the outset, if major acts of terror – physical, cyber, or other – erupt within the US or at our installations overseas, or if our casualties rise because of American boots on the ground, a growing number of Americans on both sides of the aisle will blame Israel for our troubles. The trend already exists. Not only in the US, but across the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise…and with it, an increased hatred for Bible-believing Christians. Unfortunately, in regard to persecution, things are unlikely to get better. The Bible has forewarned us of the persecution to come in the endtimes. We need to be prepared to stand firm for Christ, opposing evil and pursuing righteousness, regardless of the cost.
As for Israel and the Jews, Zechariah 14:2-9 describes a specific persecution centered on Jerusalem, followed by the Lord physically arriving with His “holy ones” to defeat Israel’s enemies and rescue His people. The passage reads as follows:
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime – a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and winter.
The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. — Zechariah 14:2-9
This prophecy remains to be fulfilled.
There is some disagreement among premillennial Bible scholars as to whether certain other prophecies concerning a more widespread persecution of Jews have been wholly or partly fulfilled, or whether they are yet to occur. This is a subject for another time. However, we can plainly see that a limited persecution has already begun, and a global climate of hatred against Jews is accelerating, making the isolation and pressuring of these people fashionable. If this continues, the number of Jews making Aliyah to Israel will increase dramatically in the near future as they seek safety in their Jewish homeland. But there are no guarantees of complete safety there either…and there won’t be until the Lord returns.
Jesus makes an interesting prophetic statement recorded in Matthew 23:37-39. He proclaimed,
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (emphasis added)
The word “until” is key in this statement. Jesus didn’t say that the Jews would never see Him again. He said they would not see Him until they have had a change of heart – until they have acknowledged and received Him. One day, when the Antichrist and his global armies surround Jerusalem threatening to destroy it, I believe the Jewish people en masse will turn their hearts to Jesus recognizing Him as their Messiah – the only one who can save them, physically and spiritually. At that time He will return in power and majesty to defeat the forces of Satan gathered against Jerusalem at the Battle of Armageddon (described in Revelation 14:19-20, 16:16, 19:11-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; and Zechariah 12:9, 14:2-9, etc.). Christ’s victorious return to rule and reign on Earth will be the culmination of human history!
The sad truth is, the world – including many professing Christians – doesn’t want to accept the fact that God is not finished with the Jewish people. Despite the Lord’s unconditional covenant with His people Israel, the world has collectively set its face against God and what He has promised to do. In response to this reality, one of my favorite theologians of the 1800s, J. C. Ryle (Bishop of Liverpool), put forth the following wisdom:
It is high time for Christians to interpret unfulfilled prophecy by the light of prophecies already fulfilled. The curses of the Jews were brought to pass literally; so also will be the blessings. The scattering was literal; so also will be the gathering. The pulling down of Zion was literal; so also will be the building up. The rejection of Israel was literal; so also will be the restoration.1
Bishop Ryle further commented,
…however great the difficulties surrounding many parts of unfulfilled prophecy, two points appear to my own mind to stand out as plainly as if written by a sunbeam. One of these points is the second personal advent of our Lord Jesus Christ before the Millennium. The other of these events is the future literal gathering of the Jewish nation, and their restoration to their own land. I tell no man that these two truths are essential to salvation, and that he cannot be saved except he sees them with my eyes. But I tell any man that these truths appear to me distinctly set down in holy Scripture and that the denial of them is as astonishing and incomprehensible to my own mind as the denial of the divinity of Christ.2
(For more discussion and documentation on this important subject please visit our website, www.garykah.org. Go to the Update Center and then click on the Archives section. Scroll down until you locate the article “Why I Stand with Israel.” Also, you may scroll down further to read another relevant article titled “God’s Not Done With the Jewish People.”)
Final Thoughts
As we’ve established, the potential spiritual and geopolitical consequences of the war with Iran are far reaching. Except for moments of temporary reprieve, Scripture makes clear that our global situation will spiral downward until Jesus Christ returns. Satan, operating through human vessels, will present every type of counterfeit plan and deception imaginable in the alleged pursuit of world peace, eventually leading to the predicted short, but ruthless, reign of the Antichrist. Thankfully, we can take comfort in knowing how the story ends.
Human kingdoms and earthly powers rise and fall, but behind the scenes God and His eternal kingdom are what will truly endure. The political scheming of global leaders blinded by Satan will ultimately fail, but God’s dominion will never end. It will endure forever.
It is notable that the early Jewish believers called their movement “The Way”…meaning “the way to be saved” or “the way of the Lord”; that is, the only way of life God established by which people could be saved. (Acts 9:2, 16:17, 18:25-26) In Romans 1:16 Paul the apostle wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
The bottom line is this: Every Jew and every Gentile needs Jesus. He is the reason we are here, alive on this incredible but fallen planet, and only He can save us. Only He can rescue our souls and redeem us from the sin we were born into. Only Jesus – being perfect – could pay the penalty for our sins so that we can enter God’s eternal kingdom. Our earthly bodies give out; we are only here for a short time. But, our souls and glorified bodies will live forever in the Lord’s presence, IF we believe and take refuge in Him (Jesus).
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? If not, surrender your life and place your trust in Him without delay. ■
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6
Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book…My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. -Revelation 22:7, 12b
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Endnotes
1 J. C. Ryle, Are You Ready For The End Of Time? (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2001) p. 49; reprint of Coming Events and Present Duties.
2 Ibid, pages 112-115.
*To obtain copies of Gary’s books or to subscribe to our research publication, Hope for the World Update, visit our store at www.garykah.org.
Have You Trusted Jesus as Savior?
God loves mankind – his greatest creation. His perfect will is for all to be saved and none to be lost (John 3:15-18, 5:24). However, He makes clear that only those who have accepted (believed in) His divine Son, Jesus Christ, will be spared from the punishment of hell and will spend eternity with Him (Matthew 10:28 & II Peter 2:4-10).
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you must believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He paid the penalty for your sins with His death on a cross. Accept His free gift of eternal life which He can offer because He conquered death through His resurrection. Then, with the help of His Holy Spirit, turn from your old ways of living (repent) and follow Him. Take a moment and tell the Lord that you desire to receive Him into your life and ask His Holy Spirit to dwell inside of you and lead you into all truth.
Once you have settled this most important matter, be devoted in your relationship with the Lord. Spend time with Him by reading His Word (the Bible) and talking to Him (praying) daily. As you grow in His grace, He will direct you and open doors showing you how best to serve Him. With Jesus at the helm, your life and eternity are secure in His care. No situation or power of the enemy will be able to separate you from the love of Christ!
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 8:35, 37-39