How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the herald, the one who brings peace,
who brings tidings of good and proclaims deliverance.
All your sentries raise their voices and shout together in triumph.
For clearly, they see the return of the LORD to Zion.
This morning, I was listening to a CD that included a narration of these words, based on Isaiah 52:7-8. It is very revealing of the time in which we live.
It just so happened that as I was listening to this recording, I was driving by a school of Islamic studies that has opened up not far from where I lived. While I cannot at this moment prove it, my suspicions are that this school has less-than-honorable intentions when it comes to its instruction regarding America, Israel, and the Jewish people. The existence of this place is also very revealing of the time in which we live.
Coincidence? Hardly. It is rather a pointed reminder that we are living in an age that is leading down a narrow road to the ultimate confrontation between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. The return of the Jewish people back to their land is the ultimate harbinger of things to come. It means that the Lord has once again laid down a stake in His own land, and His enemies are getting nervous.
Why else are there all the rumblings and shakings happening in our world? What else can explain the monumental rise of radical Islam and its associated terror? Could it be nothing other than the fact that the LORD is getting ready to roar from Zion (Amos 1:1)?
Last week I reminded you of the lesson of the ninth of Av (Tisha B'Av)--namely, that in God's economy good always arises out of evil. Please, I beg you, remember this truth as you read the news. Remember this truth as you observe the rise of perversion in Western Culture. Remember this as you observe the rise of radical Islam. Remember that, behind the scenes, the Kingdom of God is flourishing faster than any other man-made religion worldwide--and that among both Jews and Gentiles. Remember--and rejoice!
Comments