Matthew 24_ 1- 3      Prophecy in the Mideast Today

Rev. David Holwick  Z                                    

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

August 20, 2006

Matthew 24:1-3


PROPHECY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TODAY



  I. Fighting in the Middle East.

      A. Have many times have you seen this?

          1) I remember 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and

                a couple Intafadas.

          2) Former congressman Newt Gingrich said in an interview

                that he thought it could be the start of World War III.

          3) This got many people to thinking about the ultimate war --

                the battle of Armageddon.

          4) (The Lebanese border is very close to the expected

                location of that final battle.)


      B. Has the Bible predicted all this?

          1) Even secular politicians are concerned.

              a) They may not believe in prophecy, but they are

                    concerned that YOU may believe in prophecy.

          2) A persistent rumor about President Bush is that he believes

                in prophecy and is tailoring his foreign policy to fit

                   it.

             His office denies this, but no President has been more

                pro-Israeli than Bush.  [current Newsweek magazine]

              a) Great differences in US and European support of Israel.

              b) Our Evangelicalism is largely responsible.


      C. The Bible does predict the future.

          1) The big question - is THIS the future that is predicted?

          2) We must turn to the Bible itself for answers.


II. How Christians have handled prophecy.

      A. Most have spiritualized prophecy.

          1) Prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus.

          2) Prophecies about Israel are fulfilled by the Church.

              a) There is no future for a literal Israel.

              b) The book of Hebrews may support this idea:


                 Hebrews 8:13 --

                 "By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first

                    one obsolete;

                  and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."


          3) They may acknowledge a Second Coming, but usually put

                little emphasis on it.


      B. A few have insisted on literal fulfillment.

          1) 1800s Christian interpreters.

              a) Every word of God will come true.

              b) Prophecies about Israel will all be fulfilled for that

                    nation, not the Church.

                  1> Israel will have its land again.

                  2> Jerusalem will be their capital.

              c) They expected this, even though Israel did not exist.


                 Dr. John Cumming wrote in 1864:


                 How comes it to pass that as a nation they have been

                    dispersed over every land, yet insulated, separated,

                       and alone amid the nations?

                 The predictions of their restoration are in words as

                    definite only not yet fulfilled.

                 As a nation they were cut off and dispersed, and it

                    is as a nation that they shall be gathered and

                       restored.                                      [1]


          2) 1948 changed the landscape.

              a) For the first time in 2000 years, Israel is a nation.

              b) Against huge odds, they have survived to this day.


      C. Who is correct?

          1) The New Testament itself spiritualizes sometimes so that

                approach cannot be ruled out.

          2) But events in the last half-century have given much weight

                to a literal interpretation.


III. What is still to come.

      A. Events in Lebanon are not mentioned in the Bible.

          1) Unless they fall under the category of "wars and rumors of

                wars."

          2) Certainly, the Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded

                by very unsettled times on earth.


      B. What many Bible scholars expect:

          1) Rebuilt Jewish temple with sacrificial system.

          2) Antichrist and 7-year Mideast peace treaty.

          3) Battle of Armageddon.

          4) Conversion of Jewish nation to Christianity.

          5) Jesus returns to earth (outside Jerusalem) and rules.


IV. The drama of the Temple.

      A. The Jerusalem Temple in prophecy.

          1) Jesus predicted its utter destruction.

          2) Jesus' disciples thought this would have to signify the

                end of the world.

          3) He said other events would have to come first, especially

                the abomination of the Temple.


      B. The temple in history.

          1) It was considered one of the most beautiful structures

                of the ancient world.

          2) The Roman army utterly destroyed it in A.D. 70.

              a) The menorah and other temple equipment was paraded

                    through Rome.

                  1> For the next 500 years, the temple area was a dump.

                  2> Muslims erected the Dome of the Rock in A.D. 691.

              b) No trace of the Temple can be found today.

              c) We are not even sure of its exact location.


  V. Will the Temple be rebuilt?

      A. Spiritualists say everything Jesus predicted about the

            Temple is completely fulfilled.

          1) Romans desecrated it in A.D. 70.     (see Luke 21:20-25)

          2) The only Temple Jesus really emphasized was his

                body, and by extension, his Church.

          3) Early Christians thought these passages were fulfilled.

          4) However, a comparison of Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 and

                2 Thess. 2:1-4 suggests it is only partially fulfilled.


      B. Literalists note the desecration brings the Tribulation.

          1) This desecration also requires an Antichrist.

          2) They look for the Temple to be rebuilt so these events

                can occur.


      C. The problem of the Dome of the Rock.

          1) This Muslim holy place is near (on?) the temple location.

          2) Ancient Islamic traditions say Mohammed rode his horse

                from this rock into heaven and back.

          3) Destroying it would start a war.

              a) Will a Muslim missile accomplish this?

              b) Will a Christian or Jewish terrorist do it?


VI. The Jews are ready.

      A. Temple supplies, ritual and personnel are in place.


         A Jewish fringe group, The Temple Mount Faithful, believes

            the Messiah's arrival can be hastened by building the

               temple now.

         They have already carved a three-ton cornerstone - without

            the use of metal chisels, as the Bible instructs.


         "The Temple Mount is our religious and spiritual center,"

            says Faithful leader, Gershon Solomon.

         "We are sorry, but the mosque must be moved."


         In October 1990 a rumor that the Faithful would be having

            a procession to the Temple Mount was started, and a

               riot ensued.

         At least 20 Arabs were killed.

                                                                #1349


      B. These groups are considered extremist by many Jews.

          1) Note when Israeli Army Rabbi Shlomo Goren blew the shofar

                and performed a religious ceremony near the Dome of the

                Rock on the Temple Mount in August 1967 just days after

                its capture, he was criticized by both the secular

                Israeli press and orthodox Jews.                     [2]

          2) Twenty years later, 18% of Israelis supported rebuilding

                the Temple.

          3) Thirty years later, 58% of Israelis supported it.

               a) Jews have prayed for it three times a day, for 1900

                     years.


VII. Are you ready?

      A. We should not force God's hand.

          1) God doesn't need any help in fulfilling his prophecies.

              a) "Temple terrorists" are wrong.

          2) Justice should be our primary goal in the Mideast.


      B. Our perception is limited.

          1) Some confident predictions by Christians have proved false.

          2) But our perception should get clearer toward the end.


      C. When it happens, it may happen very quickly.

          1) Jesus tells us to "watch and pray."

          2) Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


[1]    "The Late Great Planet Earth," Hal Lindsey with C.C. Carlson

           (Zondervan, 1970), p. 49.


[2]    "The Jewish Temple in Contemporary Christian Zionism," Stephen Sizer,

           August 2, 2001.  < http://www.cc-vw.org/articles/temple.htm>


#1349  "A Time Bomb At The City's Heart," Newsweek, October 22, 1990, p. 38.


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