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The Growing Storm – Week 40 / October 1st
“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!”
Joel 3:9
For some time now I have written about the turbulence in the Middle East region. Something of great significance is unfolding before our eyes and one can also feel it by the in dwelling power of the Spirit of God. A new order is emerging in the Middle East that will challenge Israel and the world. Hitherto the Western World has chosen to dismiss this reality but now it is beginning to wake up to the possibility of a newly established and armed Islamic Caliphate. this new Islamic order will challenge Israel! Israel remains a serious obstacle to the credibility of its Koranic revelation and it stands in the way of completing the contiguous Islamic regional empire. Conflict is thus inevitable and this why the Prophet Joel, speaking of our time exclaims “Prepare for war!” Where then is the God of the Bible in all of this?
The answer is threefold:
1. The God of the Bible is orchestrating it.
This may be hard to understand initially but when one understands His purpose one can appreciate why He is bringing the world and Israel to conflict. He will not allow wickedness to go unpunished and He has waited patiently for the nations and even Israel to repent. The same Prophet Joel declares that in the days of Israel’s restoration God will gather all nations to the land of Israel for a great battle. (Joel 3:2)
Christians who love Israel must come to terms with this reality and quickly!
2. The God of the Bible is pursuing His plan.
That is, Israel needs to be saved, not only physically but spiritually. Her restoration process must conclude with her spiritual recovery which means that she must come to terms with her King, Jesus. It is through great weakness and the threat of destruction that she will do just this. This is Joel’s message, Israel will call upon the Lord and be saved. Note Joel 2:32. This redemptive call of desperation will trigger God’s intervention on her behalf and so Joel also writes that “for in Mt Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance.” God will deliver Israel and deliver a crushing judgment upon the nation who have divided up His land and persecuted the children of Israel. (Joel 3:2) this is God’s plan and we cannot change it but we can pray that its objectives will be attained and we should!
This is the prayer battle that God by Jesus Christ invites us into.
3. The God of the Bible will reveal Himself.
The approaching conflict in the Middle East will vindicate the God of the Bible as the only true God. Once again Joel declares, “So shall you know that I am the Lord dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.” (Joel 3:17) This conflict will humble the nations and their false gods and much of the Church which has denied God’s ongoing attachment to Israel and the great city of Zion. Indeed the nations, Israel and the Church will be humbled before this great God of heaven and earth.
So, as we face the days before us we must know that those who say “peace, peace” are propagating a delusion. The proper but unpopular message is this, “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!”
Malcolm Hedding.
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2012Devotional