Rapture and End Times

One key sign pointing to the end of the End Times is a Middle East Peace Agreement that allows the building of the Third Temple. Historical events are acting as a catalyst for this development:

1917 – A National Home for the Jewish People / Jerusalem freed from the Ottoman Empire

1967 – The Jews return to Jerusalem

2017 – Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

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What’s happening:

Time to Build Third Temple, Says Israeli Lawmaker / Israel Today, December 30, 2020

Yet another Member of Knesset has expressed his desire not only for Jews to be able to freely visit and express their faith atop Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, but for the Third Temple to be build “in our days.”

As one of his first official acts after being sworn in, Vaturi headed for the Temple Mount. A religious Jewish resident of the Golan Heights, it was Vaturi’s first ever visit to Judaism’s holiest site.

While there, he told an organization that advocates for building the Third Temple that “anyone who represents Israel cannot be disconnected from the Creator. We are all anticipating the Redemption.” Vaturi then openly recited the traditional Jewish prayer stating, “May we merit redeeming this place for the Shechina (holy presence) to dwell, and to build the Holy Temple quickly and in our days.”

Gulf Arabs helping Israel build Temple?

Some Palestinians are accusing Israel’s new Gulf state allies of helping the Jewish state lay the groundwork for the Third Temple.

In an op-ed published over the weekend, Dr. Adnan Abu Amer, Dean of Political Science at the Umma Open University in Gaza, suggested that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could use its newfound influence on the Temple Mount to help the Jews gain a foothold there. “This raises the Palestinians’ fear that the next stage might signal the start of building the alleged synagogue with the contribution of the UAE authorities,” he continued.

Abu Amer noted that the UAE has no problem selling land to Jews, and that the Gulf state already hosts a synagogue, as well as a Hindu temple.

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A New Muslim Vision: Rebuilding Solomon’s Temple Together / The Jewish Press, March 12, 2013

As a devout Muslim, it would be a joy for me to see Prophet Solomon’s Temple rebuilt as well. No, you did not hear me wrong. Prophet Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt in all its magnificence and glory would be a great delight for me, as it would be to any Muslim. Under different circumstances, in an atmosphere of trust, love and brotherhood, Muslims would welcome this with enthusiasm. The Temple of Solomon is also a historically important place, and rebuilding it would be a wonderful occasion for all believers to contemplate. Every Muslim, every believer, will want to experience the spirit of those days again, and strive to bring the beauty of those days back to life. Actually, it is everyone’s aspiration for that city to be adorned, to be beautified, and to regain the magnificent glory it had in the days of the Prophet Solomon.

Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt does not entail any harm to these shrines. So I beg my Muslim brothers and sisters not to take my words in a direction that I do not intend. They should not feel unease at all, because the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock will stand until the Last Day. Nobody will be able to harm them, because they are under the protection of God.

There is a broad expanse of land around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The land there is quite convenient in that respect, and the Temple can be placed just a little way from Qubbat As-Sakhrah, and a little ahead of Masjid el-Aqsa.

The Prophet Solomon—King Solomon as the Jews call him—is a prophet to Muslims too. All Muslims have profound love for him. Prophet Solomon had a superior understanding of beauty and aesthetics, and no doubt, rebuilding of his Temple in its original form would be a splendid undertaking. Decorated exactly as it was, with the same beautiful ornaments, covered in gold, adorned with fruit trees and beautiful gardens, and restored to its former glory, would be splendid!

It is of course very exciting to remember those beautiful days, to rebuild this beautiful compound, and let this beautiful prayer house be open to all. This very much excites me as a Muslim and excites other believers as well. The very thought of Christians, Jews and Muslims cooperating to rebuild this house of worship, together hand in hand, and worshipping there together, is a matter of joy.

Think of the waste of energy and resources consumed all over the world by the contention between Arabs and Jews, which could be used to beautify these holy places, to put them in a brilliant state, instead! There is plenty of space, and there are overwhelmingly sufficient resources for everyone to live there in peace and tranquility and enjoy their freedom of worship.

How have we allowed these unending wars, sporadic clashes, security walls, unnecessary discrimination and restrictions to bar us from being able to embrace each other as brothers? Why do we take it for granted that we are under any obligation to perpetuate these senseless conflicts? Why does everyone simply presume that this is the way things are meant to be? We all want suffering to end and peace to prevail in the region! Obviously we cannot achieve this peace as long as we lack the spirit of unity.

The Jews have the exact same vision, with the Third Temple being a center for all believers, not only for Jews:

“Also the aliens, that join themselves to God, to minister unto Him, and to love the name of God, to be His servants… Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:6-7)

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Freemasons, the Third Temple, and the Antichrist / Douglas Hamp Ministries, August 5, 2011

Many people have assumed that the Antichrist will necessarily be Jewish because of his intense drive to rebuild the temple. While it is true that there are many Jews that desire the rebuilding of the temple, the Masons (and other esoteric societies) are perhaps just as passionate about seeing the temple of Solomon rebuilt. In fact, the temple is of central importance and without the focus on the temple they would cease to exist. John Wesley Kelchner writes in the foreword to The Holy Bible: The Great Light in Masonry, King James Version, Temple Illustrated Edition: “The Temple of Solomon is the spiritual home of every Mason.” He also declares the following:

“The traditions and romance of King Solomon’s Temple […] are of transcendent importance to Masons. The Temple is the outstanding symbol in Masonry, and the legendary story of the building of the Temple is the fundamental basis of the Masonic rule and guide for conduct in life.”

In the Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, Albert Mackey, MD, 33rd and Charles T. McClenachan, 33rd affirm that the temple is the most important object of Masonry:

“Of all the objects which constitute the Masonic science of symbolism, the most important, the most cherished, by the Mason, and by far the most significant, is the Temple of Jerusalem. The spiritualizing of the Temple is the first, the most prominent and the most pervading, of all symbols of Freemasonry […] Take from Freemasonry its dependence on the Temple; leave out of its ritual all references to that sacred edifice, and to the legends and traditions connected with it, and the system itself would at once decay and die.”

The Man to Rebuild

Not only is the temple of central importance but there is also a need to “build up” the temple for truth:

“The great body of the Masonic Craft, looking only to this first Temple erected by the wisdom of King Solomon, make it the symbol of life; and as the great object of Masonry is the search after truth, they are directed to build up this temple as a fitting receptacle for truth.”

John Wesley Kelchner in the Temple Illustrated Version (KJV) takes the “building up” a step further by indicating that there are so many minute details associated with the Temple that all that is needed is for someone with vision to come along and rebuild the temple.

“It is known to every reader of the Bible and student of Solomon’s days, that an amazingly detailed description of the Temple and its associated structures has been carried down from the mists of antiquity by the Scriptures. Lineal measurements, materials employed, and ornamental detail are so graphically presented that restoration of the Temple, at any time within a score of centuries past, awaited only the coming of a man with the vision to recognize its historic value, and the imagination to undertake the task.”

Edward Waite writing in A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and of Cognate Instituted Mysteries: The Rites, Literature and History, declares: “in the High Grades [of Masonry] we hear of a secret intention to build yet another temple at Jerusalem.” We therefore see that there are plans to rebuild the temple and they are waiting for a man with vision to undertake the task.

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Why it matters:

The building of the Third Temple is the prophetic trip wire that is more critical than any other modern sign. What can the Book of Psalms tell us about the timing of this agreement?

The Psalms are a book of the Old Testament composed of sacred poems meant to be sung. The dating of individual psalms poses an extremely difficult problem, as does the question of their authorship. They were evidently written over a number of centuries, from the early monarchy to post-Exilic times, reflecting the varying stages of Israel’s history and the varying moods of Israel’s faith. They were an integral part of the ritualized activities that the Hebrew community developed for marking important public and personal situations.

Biblical scholars like J.R. Church have found that many of the key events for the Jewish people and for Israel are accurately reflected by the corresponding chapter (year) in the Psalms. They are in the 19th book of the Bible, and have a prophetic significance dealing with Israel for each year in the 1900s, carrying over into the 2000s.

The Psalms tell the story of the 20th century. Compare Psalm 17 with 1917, when the British liberated Jerusalem; or Psalms 39-45, when 6 million Jews died; or Psalm 48 with 1948, the year Israel was born! Psalms 37-89 picture Israel’s quest for temple worship. In 1989, religious Jews began to produce the “tools” of the Temple. The Psalms actually deliver a prophetic pattern for modern Israel.

There is one Psalm for every year.

As you study the Psalms, please keep in mind that the Jewish years starts somewhere in our month of either March or April, so there is an overlap. This is why a few of the Psalms may seem to reference events from the previous year of the Gregorian calendar.

The Psalms of Ascent were sung by Hebrew pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem, and while ascending the steps of the Temple. Psalms 120—134 are all “songs of ascent” or “degrees.” This group, in turn, constitutes the major part of the Great Hallel psalms (Pss. 120—136). The Psalms of Ascent received this title because the pilgrim Israelites sang them as they traveled from their homes all over the land and ascended Mt. Zion for the annual feasts.

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Who wrote the Psalms of Ascent?

Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple on the third day?”

Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: Should the shadow go ahead 10 steps or go back 10 steps?”

Then Hezekiah answered, “It’s easy for the shadow to lengthen 10 steps. No, let the shadow go back 10 steps.” So Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow back the 10 steps it had descended on Ahaz’s stairway. (2 Kings 20:8-11)

 

More space is devoted to the reign of Hezekiah in II Chronicles, II Kings, and Isaiah than any other king. One of the reasons for this exposure was his example of repentance after the news of his impending death. In an assurance to Hezekiah that he would be healed and given fifteen more years to live, God worked a miracle, making a shadow appear to go backward on the “sundial”. Isaiah records a song or poem that Hezekiah wrote about this experience of gratitude for God’s intervention, intending it to be a legacy to posterity. Ten of the Song of Ascents or Degrees (Psalms 120-134) were composed by Hezekiah, indicated by the degrees of the sundial. 

There is one Psalm of Ascents for every year.

The 15 psalms can be broken into five groups of three, in which the first psalm in each section describes a condition of stress, trial, or tribulation. The second psalm admonishes trust in God, and the third psalm in each section expresses praise.

There are fifteen Psalms of Ascents because there were fifteen steps in the temple, leading up from the Lower Court to the Upper Court of Israel. (In fact, these fifteen steps are still there to this day, buried intact beneath the seventh-century steps that lead up to the Dome of the Rock.) The Levites sang the fifteen Psalms of Ascents on these fifteen steps. They sang one Psalm on each step, going up.

These fifteen songs were first sung on the night before the dedication of Solomon’s temple which took place on the morning of the Feast of Tabernacles, on the fifteenth of Tishri, in the year 959 BC. The first psalm, Psalm 120, was sung early in the morning, around 1 or 2 a.m., and the last psalm, Psalm 134, was sung just before dawn broke.

After that, the Levites sang them every year for almost 1,000 years, from the dedication of Solomon’s temple in 959 BC to the destruction of the second temple in AD 70. The only break was the 70 years when the Babylonians destroyed the temple in the sixth century BC.

The hidden prophecies in the Psalms of Ascents points to the building of the Third Temple. These Psalms prophesy the time of troubles and victory, from the perspective of the Jewish people. We will explore these Psalms in light of this prophecy:

2022 and Psalm 122 – A Prayer for Jerusalem

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem—

Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,
where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh. (Psalm 122:1-4)

When they sang Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem, they were thinking of the pilgrims entering the city and seeing the new temple for the first time.

Psalm 122 was partially fulfilled in 1967, when the Jews captured all of Jerusalem.

The Six-Day War was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, backed by the Soviet Union. On the morning of June 7, the order was given to recapture the Old City. Israeli paratroopers stormed the city and secured it. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan arrived with Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin to formally mark the Jews’ return to their historic capital and their holiest site. At the Western Wall, the IDF’s chaplain, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, blew a shofar to celebrate the event.

Psalm 122 speaks of the great joy the Israelites felt when they made their pilgrimage to worship and give thanks together at the Temple in Jerusalem. It also urges us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are seeking God’s fulfillment for His city, which includes a future time when there will be complete peace when Messiah is ruling and reigning. This psalm is like a slide show of Jerusalem through the ages. Can you picture the thousands of families going up to ancient Jerusalem with great anticipation? The next scene takes place when they arrive at the city gates, at the house of the Lord. Picture the City of David with walls all around it for protection. It is close and compact like each family and community. Next a scene of the future Jerusalem flashes before us with the thrones of the house of David, established there for judgment.

The last picture is of Jerusalem in the end of days experiencing a time of complete peace, a peace that will spread out to everyone as it becomes a house of prayer for all nations.

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2023 and Psalm 123 – Looking for God’s Mercy

Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.
We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud. (Psalm 123:3-4)

The next step in the journey is Psalm 123, where the author is in a place of increasing scorn and contempt from those around him. His response is to acknowledge God and look to Him for mercy. “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us” (vv. 1–2).

We believe that the Peace Treaty and Third Temple will begin the dark one “week” or 7 year period called the Tribulation, and that this will start very shortly. Then, half way through the treaty the Antichrist (or Beast) will enter the Temple and declare himself to be God.

What did Jesus Christ say about the “abomination of desolation”?

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:15-22)

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Erdogan: Whoever is on Israel’s side, we are against them / Israel National News, July 19, 2019

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that his country will oppose anyone who supports Israel.

Erdogan made the comments while addressing senior provincial officials from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. He was quoted by Iran’s Press TV.

“Whoever is on the side of Israel, let everyone know that we are against them,” stated Erdogan.

Erdogan added that Turkey will continue to promote the Palestinian cause regardless of efforts to undermine it mainly by supporters of the Israeli regime.

“We do not approve of silence on the state terror that Israel blatantly carries out in Palestine,” said the Turkish president, according to Press TV.

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2024 and Psalm 124 – Praise for National Deliverance

If the Lord had not been on our side
when men attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.
Then the waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
the raging waters would have swept over us. (Psalm 124:2-5)

Psalm 124 recounts how God saved His people from destruction in the Exodus. Prophetically, this points to Satan trying to destroy all of the Jews during the Great Tribulation. They are airlifted to a secure location. This is symbolically detailed in Revelations:

When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.

From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent.

But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. (Revelations 12:13-16)

It ends as they acknowledge, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v.9).

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2025 and Psalm 125 – The Lord surrounds His people

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.
And the Lord surrounds His people,
both now and forever. (Psalm 125:1–2)

The psalmist praised the LORD that believers are secure in their salvation and that He will keep temptation from overwhelming them. However, he cautioned God’s people to follow the LORD faithfully—or lose His blessing because they lived as unbelievers do.

This Psalm says we are immovable if we are in Him and that He has us surrounded. Here the author has left the world and its problems behind to dwell securely in the peace of the Lord. Prophetically it looks forward to the Jews returning to their Promised Land, never having to fear pogroms or holocausts again.

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2026 and Psalm 126 – Zion’s Restoration

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Our mouths were filled with laughter then,
and our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful. (Psalm 126:1-3)

This community lament psalm of ascent appears to date from the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, when the Israelites returned from Babylonian captivity. The writer rejoiced in the Israelites’ return to the land (sometime after 538 B.C.) but prayed for a complete restoration. This psalm could also be called
a psalm of Zion.

The pilgrimage is no longer just a visit in Psalm 126, but it is the future gathering of the exiles to the land of Israel. Psalm 126 is traditionally recited before the Grace After Meals on Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and other festive occasions in keeping with its themes of joy and redemption. Prophetically, it points to the restoration of Temple worship, deliverance from the Tribulation, and the coming of the Messiah to establish the Millennial Age.

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2027 and Psalm 127 – I will rejoice in Jerusalem

Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

Psalm 127 lies in the heart of the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134) which are believed to have been sung by pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem for religious festivals. While many psalms in this compilation have references to Zion, Jerusalem, and deliverance, Psalm 127 in many ways takes on similarities found in other passages of wisdom literature. The use of parallelism is evident throughout, building the main idea with corollary examples in a similar theme.

Though Psalm 127 is short in length, it is packed with the promises of God. In simple statements regarding God’s provision for His beloved, this is a psalm that celebrates the sovereignty of God.

Psalm 127 is the interpretive center to the songs of ascent what do we learn from that particular psalm? Solomon, who built the original temple, begins with “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” This would serve as a reminder of those rebuilding. But even the mention of a “house” a “city” and “sons” would have been a great encouragement to the returning exiles. Again O. Palmer Robertson provides help as he notes,

“Placed deliberately at the pinnacle of the fifteen Psalms of Ascents, the principal terms of this psalm must be interpreted ‘by the interest of the collection.’ So the ‘house’ to which this psalm refers is the house of the Lord, as specified in Psalms 122:1 and 134:1. The ‘city’ of this psalm is not simply any city that any person proposes to build, but Jerusalem, the locale of the Solomonic temple, as mentioned in Psalm 122:3. In similar fashion, the ‘sons’ that are a heritage of the Lord are first of all the ‘sons of David,’ as more fully developed in Psalm 132:11–12, another member of the Psalms of Ascents collection.”

Some day all those who are “in Christ” will be finally home. Revelation 21 paints a beautiful picture which goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden; namely God with His people. Revelation 21 is the culmination of God’s plan to rescue all that which was lost in the fall. Our hearts’ desire to be home will finally and fully be fulfilled. But in the meantime, just as those of the post-exilic period who compiled the psalms of ascent, we wait and we journey forward.

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2028 and Psalm 128 – Blessings for Those Who Fear God

May the Lord bless you from Zion,
so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life (Psalm 128:5)

As another of the Songs of Ascents, it is natural for the singers of this psalm to think about the connection of blessing with Jerusalem. God has good for His people that will come out of Zion.

Zion is the heavenly sanctuary where God sits enthroned in glory. It was represented by the temple in Jerusalem. The pilgrims who sung this Song of Ascent did not live in Jerusalem. They traveled to Jerusalem to worship in the temple. Wherever they lived, the Lord could bless them from Zion. This is sovereign grace. You do not have to be at a particular place for God to bless you. The Lord bless you from Zion.

Verse 5 says, “May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!” The key word is “see.” It is a wish, promise, and command at the same time. This prayer is not primarily about the prosperity of Jerusalem. It is to live to be a beneficiary of it. Note how the blessing of a person is tied to the blessing of a city. Jerusalem was the religious and political capital of Jewish life. A godly man does not just think about himself and his family. He cares about the spiritual and social progress of the city.

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2029 and Psalm 129 – Protection of the Oppressed

Since my youth they have often attacked me—
let Israel say—
Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.
Plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.
The Lord is righteous;
He has cut the ropes of the wicked.

Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace. (Psalm 129:1-5)

This psalm is another of the series of fifteen titled A Song of Ascents. As the pilgrims came to Jerusalem to remember God’s many past deliverances (such as in the Feasts of Passover or Tabernacles), they prayed confidently for God’s continued protection and the defeat of their many enemies.

The psalmist presented this as the testimony of Israel (let Israel now say). The covenant descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have endured unique and evil affliction throughout their history.

The statement is repeated twice for emphasis, and rightfully so. The Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Roman Catholics, the kings of Europe, the Muslims, the Czars, and the Nazis all have done their best to wipe out the Jews. Yet they remain.

The psalmist described the many afflictions of Israel as if their enemies ran over their stretched-out bodies with a plow. This is a vivid picture of suffering and subjugation, being utterly laid low before one’s foes.

Jew-hatred has raged against them for centuries, yet the enemies of the Jewish people have never ultimately succeeded or prevailed against them.

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2030 and Psalm 130 – Awaiting Redemption

A song of ascents.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in My people.
The sound of weeping and crying
will no longer be heard in her.

In her, a nursing infant will no longer live
only a few days,
or an old man not live out his days.
Indeed, the youth will die at a hundred years,
and the one who misses a hundred years will be cursed.
People will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They will not build and others live in them;
they will not plant and others eat.
For My people’s lives will be
like the lifetime of a tree.

My chosen ones will fully enjoy
the work of their hands.
They will not labor without success
or bear children destined for disaster,
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord
along with their descendants.
Even before they call, I will answer;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but the serpent’s food will be dust!
They will not do what is evil or destroy
on My entire holy mountain,”
says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:19-25)

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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

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Reader Comments:

Very interesting and uplifting! It is also interesting that Psalm 120 starts the sub-set. Notice the reference to Russia and Moscow. Points to the ezekiel Gog attack that starts WW3. Moscow derives from the tribal name Meshech, and Tobolsk, the name of the principal state, from Tubal.

A Song of Ascents.
120 In my distress I cried to the Lord,
And He heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.

3 What shall be given to you,
Or what shall be done to you,
You false tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With coals of the broom tree!

5 Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
7 I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.

and…

Ezekiel 38
Gog and Allies Attack Israel

38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

Could Russia move from attacking Ukraine to Israel?

Benjamin731, July 31, 2022

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Rapture and End Times said: ↑
“Historical events are acting as a catalyst for this development.”

They certainly are.

Have fun watching God’s response.

I’ll share my popcorn.

Sozomen (ca. A.D.375-447)
“Ecclesiastical History”
Book V, Chapter XXII

Though the emperor [Julian the Apostate] hated and oppressed the Christians, he manifested benevolence and humanity towards the Jews. He wrote to the Jewish patriarchs and leaders, as well as to the people, requesting them to pray for him, and for the prosperity of the empire. In taking this step he was not actuated, I am convinced, by any respect for their religion; for he was aware that it is, so to speak, the mother of the Christian religion, and he knew that both religions rest upon the authority of the patriarchs and the prophets; but he thought to grieve the Christians by favoring the Jews, who are their most inveterate enemies. But perhaps he also calculated upon persuading the Jews to embrace paganism and sacrifices; for they were only acquainted with the mere letter of Scripture, and could not, like the Christians and a few of the wisest among the Hebrews, discern the hidden meaning.

Events proved that this was his real motive; for he sent for some of the chiefs of the race and exhorted them to return to the observance of the laws of Moses and the customs of their fathers. On their replying that because the temple in Jerusalem was overturned, it was neither lawful nor ancestral to do this in another place than the metropolis out of which they had been cast, he gave them public money, commanded them to rebuild the temple, and to practice the cult similar to that of their ancestors, by sacrificing after the ancient way. The Jews entered upon the undertaking, without reflecting that, according to the prediction of the holy prophets, it could not be accomplished. They sought for the most skillful artisans, collected materials, cleared the ground, and entered so earnestly upon the task, that even the women carried heaps of earth, and brought their necklaces and other female ornaments towards defraying the expense. The emperor, the other pagans, and all the Jews, regarded every other undertaking as secondary in importance to this. Although the pagans were not well-disposed towards the Jews, yet they assisted them in this enterprise, because they reckoned upon its ultimate success, and hoped by this means to falsify the prophecies of Christ. Besides this motive, the Jews themselves were impelled by the consideration that the time had arrived for rebuilding their temple. When they had removed the ruins of the former building, they dug up the ground and cleared away its foundation; it is said that on the following day when they were about to lay the first foundation, a great earthquake occurred, and by the violent agitation of the earth, stones were thrown up from the depths, by which those of the Jews who were engaged in the work were wounded, as likewise those who were merely looking on. The houses and public porticos, near the site of the temple, in which they had diverted themselves, were suddenly thrown down; many were caught thereby, some perished immediately, others were found half dead and mutilated of hands or legs, others were injured in other parts of the body. When God caused the earthquake to cease, the workmen who survived again returned to their task, partly because such was the edict of the emperor, and partly because they were themselves interested in the undertaking. Men often, in endeavoring to gratify their own passions, seek what is injurious to them, reject what would be truly advantageous, and are deluded-by the idea that nothing is really useful except what is agreeable to them. When once led astray by this error, they are no longer able to act in a manner conducive to their own interests, or to take warning by the calamities which are visited upon them.

The Jews, I believe, were just in this state; for, instead of regarding this unexpected earthquake as a manifest indication that God was opposed to the re-erection of their temple, they proceeded to recommence the work. But all parties relate, that they had scarcely returned to the undertaking, when fire burst suddenly from the foundations of the temple, and consumed several of the workmen.

This fact is fearlessly stated, and believed by all; the only discrepancy in the narrative is that some maintain that flame burst from the interior of the temple, as the workmen were striving to force an entrance, while others say that the fire proceeded directly from the earth. In whichever way the phenomenon might have occurred, it is equally wonderful. A more tangible and still more extraordinary prodigy ensued; suddenly the sign of the cross appeared spontaneously on the garments of the persons engaged in the undertaking. These crosses were disposed like stars, and appeared the work of art. Many were hence led to confess that Christ is God, and that the rebuilding of the temple was not pleasing to Him; others presented themselves in the church, were initiated, and besought Christ, with hymns and supplications, to pardon their transgression. If any one does not feel disposed to believe my narrative, let him go and be convinced by those who heard the facts I have related from the eyewitnesses of them, for they are still alive. Let him inquire, also, of the Jews and pagans who left the work in an incomplete state, or who, to speak more accurately, were able to commence it.

covenantee, July 31, 2022

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Turkey (Togarmah) only is left on the Ezekiel 38 list not yet aligned with Russia (chief prince of Meshech and Tubal). Turkey is a member of NATO, but still is majority Muslim. Russia has been trying to re-institute its government with the radical Islamic nations.

Davy, July 31, 2022