SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/7/2023 9:26 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 "Disputes and Warfare Among
the Nations"
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
24:6-7a
Message of the verses: “As you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
This is going to be another one of my SD’s that I
will be quoting from the commentary of John MacArthur, and give his thoughts on
these verses.
“That clash will be a war of mind-boggling magnitude. All the forces of a confederated Europe to
the west, Russia to the north, Africa to the south, and Asia to the east will
converge on Israel for an immense battle.
“Consistent with Daniel’s description, Zechariah prophesied that the Lord ‘will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle’ (Zech. 14:2-3).
“Through Haggai the Lord said, “I will overthrow the
thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I
will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will
go down, everyone by the sword of another.
On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel,
son of Shealtiel, my servant; declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a
signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord of hosts’ (Hag.
2:22-23). It is as if Zerubbabel the governor of Judah during Haggai’s time and
a descendant of David is pictured as the Messiah, David’s greater Son, who will
send His own army to destroy the armies of the world and will then ascend His
rightful throne on earth.
“It is not difficult in our day to see how such a
worldwide conflagration could develop.
For many decades the world has lived under the threat of nuclear warfare
and the anxiety of increasing strife within and among virtually all nations.” (Now Remember that these sermons that make up
MacArthur’s commentary were preached in 1984, and we are much closer to what
will happen as we look at our world today.)
“
“The book of Revelation gives parallel and additional
details of the wars and rumors of wars in which the nations and kingdoms of the
world will be engaged during the end times.
Christ, the Lam, is portrayed with a scroll in His hand, representing,
as it were, the Father’s will and testament bequeathing the world to the Son
(Rev. 6:1). As He open each of the seven
seals, the number required under ancient Roman law to keep a will inviolate,
Christ sets in motion on the God-ordained stages of His taking the world back
for Himself.
“Opening the first seal unleashes the rider on a white
horse who will go out to deceive with the intent to conquer (v. 2). There will not be open warefare at that time,
but a false sense of world peace and security.
Just as Jesus predicted in the Olivet discourse, the first stage of
Satan’s final attack will be one of deception and subterfuge. When the second seal is opened, however, the
rider on a red horse will be allowed to take that false peace from the world, ‘that
men should slay one another; and a great sword was give to him’ (v. 4). The first rider is peace, the second is war.
“John also saw later tremendous conflict generated by
three unclean spirits, high-ranking demons of Satan, who will perform great
miracles and gather the leaders and armies of the world ‘together for the war
of the great day of God the Almighty….And they gathered them together to the
place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon [Armageddon]’ (Rev. 16:13-14,
16). Those demon-led forces will
converge on Israel and on Jerusalem in particular in an intense but futile
effort to prevent Christ, the King of kings, from reclaiming His earthly throne. Their assault will fail, and Christ will come
and destroy them all (Rev. 19:11-20).
“But before the Lord comes to accomplish that final
conquest, the Antichrist and the forces of the north, south, and east will
engage in ruthless combat and succeed in slaughtering much of the world’s
population. In the face of that
unparalleled carnage man’s last vestige of hope will vanish and stark terror
will rule the day. Only believers who
hold fast to the Lord will have the divinely-given strength and courage to
avoid being petrified with fear.”
Lord willing on tomorrow we will begin to look at Matthew
24:7b-8, entitled in MacArthur’s commentary “Devastation Throughout the World.”
12/7/2023 9:57 AM
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