As the world becomes less stable, antisemitism grows around the world, even in places no one expected, and attacks against Jews become more common. As illegal immigration changes the West, its culture and economy, and wars and rumors of war sprout everywhere. More and more believers are busy trying to explain what is happening in the world as the fulfillment of one prophecy or another in the Bible.
In all this instability, Believers become more anxious and fearful and ask repeating questions: Where are we in history’s timeline? Which prophecies apply? How do I fight Satan? How will I be ready? How will I know? In their quest to make order in the confusion, they look for the next prophet who will clarify things for them, and the next commentator who will straighten out all the wrinkles in the politics of the world. These prophets/commentators tell everyone willing to hear how God’s plan will develop in the current political, economic, and military situation, and sound like they understand God’s secrets, what He is doing, and know what He is about to do. These people sound like smart people, but they miss something important! No one, except God Himself, knows what He is doing and will do in today’s political, military, and economic situation. All that the interpreters of prophecies declare is their personal opinion.
People ask me these questions from time to time, and here are my answers in short:
I saw things on the Internet, about Israel, end times, etc. is true?
Please be very careful and skeptical of what you see online. Through AI, people make many fake stories look so credible (like snow in Gaza – which never happened in all of history). Please do not believe everything you hear or see in the media and online.
Where are we in history’s timeline?
Sometime towards the end, I am not clear exactly when, only God knows.
Which prophecies apply today?
I have no idea. Anybody who claims to know does not tell the truth. We normally recognize prophecies after they happen, not before. We know general details, very general details, but only God knows the details.
How will I know what will happen?
You will not. We do not know the details of the future; only God knows.
How do I fight Satan?
I rarely do. Satan loves attention; he does not care if it is good attention or bad attention if he gets it. Since he has already lost and God won, I try to stay as close to Yeshua as I can. This is where I am protected. Of course, it does not prevent difficult things from happening to me, BUT nothing happens to me that is outside His will, and, since He is good all the time, He has good things for me in and through the difficult times if I stay close to Him. The fights I do have a lot are not against the enemy but against my sin that would distance me from God’s presence.
How will I be ready? Now, this is a question I like, because I do know the answer. As people who belong to Yeshua, we have the privilege of being in Him. We can live in the Holy of Holies, in His presence. If we spend our days in His presence while we work, drive, rear our family, listen to the news, and live our daily lives, when things happen, we will be ready. I do not need to understand all that is happening or what will happen in order to be ready; I need to abide in Him, in intimacy with Him. This does not happen through doing things for Him or making some kind of effort, BUT through letting go and resting in who He is and what He has done.
God does not require us to understand and know what He is doing in the details of politics, economics, or this or that war. He doesn’t demand that we know what he’s going to do in the future, because that’s beyond our ability to understand.
He does demand that we trust Him, without understanding Him today.
People who are so preoccupied with the last days, in the future, about what will happen or what will not happen, are missing out on what God wants to do with them now and today.
Now and today is the only time we can meet God. Today is the time when reality comes true. “Today, if you will listen;” (Hebrews 3:7)
What are you concentrating on?
Trying to understand what God will do in the world in the future, or on living in His presence in the present, and being who He wants you to be today?
Is your drive to understand world events in the light of prophecies, or to learn to trust God now and today without having to understand Him, and to rest in His peace, no matter what happens in the world around us?
May this coming year be a year of deep intimacy with Him, and may we withstand the efforts of our enemy to remove us from that intimacy!
Image: Photo by Jay Antol on Unsplash