Sound The Trumpet : The Conflict of the Ages

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“The Conflict of the Ages”
by Art Sadlier
January 1st, 2008

When God created the heaven and the earth, it was the beginning of something that did not exist before. It was the beginning of our earth, our universe, material physical things and the beginning of beings, other than God. Prior to the beginning of all of these new things that God created there was only God, nothing else.

If you believe the first verse of the Bible, you will have no trouble believing everything else God says in His Word. You will have no problem believing Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is”. You will believe that everything, other than God Himself, was made by God in six literal 24 hour days. See Gen. 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23.

When you diminish what God says, you diminish His power, including His power to save.

Among the persons God created was the most powerful and most beautiful being of all of God’s creation, a being called Lucifer. Lucifer means “Shining One”; he was created to be “the anointed cherub that covereth”, Ezek. 28:14. In that exalted position, he evidently hovered over the throne of God, guarding the Holiness of God. He dwelt closer to God than any other. In his close proximity to God he reflected God’s glory throughout heaven, hence his name, Lucifer, “Shining One”.

As Lucifer beheld the Glory of God at close range, he saw how the angels worshipped Him and how he ruled over all of creation. In that situation as he beheld God’s Glory and Majesty, an evil desire came into his heart, the first sin to enter God’s creation.

We read about that situation in Isa. 14:14, “I will be like the most High”. He desired to be like God, to replace God. “I will exalt my throne above the stars (angels) of God”. In that moment the conflict of the ages was born. There was now a ruler of God’s creation and one who aspired to replace Him, war had broken out.

Satan had made his boast, that he could and would rule the Kingdom in place of God. God, in His sovereignty, allows this war to go on, that it might fully run its course, to prove to all of creation that Lucifer’s boast was false. To prove he could not rule the Kingdom nor be worshipped as God is worshipped.

Satan (Lucifer) proceeded to convince Adam to join him in his rebellion against God. Every man and woman of Adam’s seed has entered into that war as enemies of God, Rom. 8:7.

Every man and woman faces two possibilities:

One to carry on that war to the grave and spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan and his fallen angels.

Two to surrender unconditionally, Luke 13:3, to be translated “into the Kingdom of His dear Son”. To change sides as in Col. 1:13. That is the gospel message.

This war between God and Satan has been raging for some 6,000 years. The Bible contains the record of the warfare and we see the evidence of it all around us in our world. Scripture tells us that this war will come to a dramatic, decisive conclusion. The book of Revelation tells us that at the mid-tribulation point Satan will be cast down out of heaven, Rev. 12:7-9. At the end of the tribulation period Satan will be cast down into the pit, Rev. 20:1, 2.

God’s Word tells us that Satan will make one last great attempt to defeat God. Satan actually seems to believe that he can defeat God. Satan knows that Christ has promised to return to earth to rule on the Throne of David in Jerusalem over a redeemed Israel, dwelling in peace and safety in the Promised Land. Luke 1:31-33

Satan can read the Bible and he knows if that happens he is defeated in his ambition to replace God. He will make one last attempt to establish his kingdom.

This war of the ages is now heading to its great climactic conclusion. According to Scripture, this final conflict centers on the Jew, the land of Israel and the Temple Mount. If Satan can annihilate the Jews or drive them out of the Promised Land, he will be victorious in frustrating the purposes of God. Satan also requires possession of the Temple Mount in order to have a temple in which to be worshipped in the very same place where God has been worshipped in the past. He will then have replaced God.

We are heading toward the final hour of the present age of grace in which we live.

Are we seeing the stage being set for this final battle to unfold?

We are seeing the beginning stages of this battle already underway. Today the whole world is fanatically committed to moving Israel off her land.

Paul tells us that Satan is the god of this world in 2 Cor. 4:4. Luke tells us that Satan has, by the permissive will of God, power and authority over the nations of this world. Today we see Satan exercising his power over nations to accomplish his purposes regarding the Jew, the Land and the Temple Mount.

I want to review the positions and actions of the nations today as they relate to Satan’s work in them and through them. The following review will show that these nations and groups are being positioned to fulfill their end-time roles.

Russia has, in recent months, returned to the world stage as a military and economic power of reckoning. She is entering into a military alliance with Iran and other mid-east countries. This looks like preparations for the war of Ezekiel 38 & 39. She has pledged protection to Syria and Iran from Israeli attack. She has stationed a naval fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, which is based at Tartus in Syria. She has plainly stated her intention to be more involved in the Middle East. These are stage setting moves.

Iran is persisting in her development of nuclear weapons and has acquired solid fuel missiles with a range sufficient to reach Israel. Iran is also arming both Hamas and Hezbollah, preparing them for war with Israel. President Amahdinejad persists in his bold determination to, in his own words, “annihilate Israel”. This is without question the end-time scenario, ready to be set in motion.

Pakistan is the only Islamic state with nuclear weapons and missile systems to deliver them. Pakistan has become unstable in recent months. The possibility of a radical Islamic takeover is very real. Al-Qaeda is apparently working to bring such a takeover to fruition. If this situation should occur, Israel would be in great jeopardy.

Lebanon is in a state of political turmoil, which is bringing Hezbollah closer to her goal of taking over Lebanon. This would then be an Iranian/Syrian base for all-out war against Israel.

Hamas in the Gaza Strip has repeatedly stated that they will never accept Israel’s presence in the mid-east. Recently they sent a letter of request to the UN asking that the motion of 1947, granting Israel territory in Palestine be rescinded. They stated in the letter, that the land of Palestine from the river to the sea is Islamic land and there is no room for Jews in it. Hamas has also stated that they intend to overthrow Fatah in the West Bank, If Israel concedes the West Bank to the Fatah Palestinians, it will fall into the hands of Hamas where it will be used as a base to attack Israel, as happened in Gaza.

Fatah Palestinians have indicated they want to be reconciled with Hamas. In such a scenario, any concessions Israel makes to the Palestinians would again allow the same situation in which Hamas would have greater access to fire missiles into Israel.

The Arab World has made it clear that the preconditions for negotiating with Israel involves four Israeli concessions: 1- the surrender of the Golan Heights 2 – the surrender of the territories of Judea and Samaria 3 – the surrender of East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount and 4 – the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.

The above surrenders, in the democratic state of Israel would effectively mean the end of Israel as a homeland for Jews.

The EU claims to be the Revived Roman Empire, as undoubtedly it is. They have now adopted a new constitution which will centralize power. They have also mandated the office of a permanent President, who will have wide ranging powers. It would seem that through this office anti-Christ will ascend to rule the world. Rev. 13:7. The stage is set in Europe for the end-time events to begin to unfold.

Syria is demanding the return of the Golan Heights. At the same time she is preparing for war with Israel. Last July an accident in Syria revealed that Syria had been loading chemical warheads into missiles, when a fire broke out killing some 25 Syrians and Iranians. The war scenario continues to ratchet up.

The USA has turned against Israel by demanding Israel give up her divinely promised land. The US has committed $550 million to help establish a Palestinian State in the West Bank. President Bush has been arm twisting Israel to make all kinds of concessions to the Palestinians.

The World’s Nations have pledged $7 billion to establish a Palestinian state on Israel’s land. Tony Blair has been appointed to assist the Palestinians in organizing their new state. All of the World’s Nations are demanding a Palestinian State.

China in the last 50 years has awakened from millennia of slumber. Today China, with over 20% of the world’s population, is rapidly becoming a super-power, both economically and militarily. China is, for the first time in history, prepared to fulfill her last day’s role. Rev. 16:12

Israel is surrendering, in unbelief and disobedience, the promise of God to the will of her enemies. The following commentary is by Joseph Farah of Worldnetdaily.

Israeli leadership, if that term is not an oxymoron, has determined to let the Muslims have the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism. It has determined to partition Jerusalem. And it has determined to cut further into the current land of Israel in handing over Judea and Samaria permanently to the Muslims.

You need to understand the mindset of the Israeli political elite. Christians tend to glamorize these folks. In fact, they are very similar to our own politicians here in America – those who are selling out our own birthright our own unique heritage as a godly people and nation.

The worst fear of the Israeli political elite has always been – since 1967 when the Jews captured the Temple Mount – the rebuilding of the Temple. Most of them see it as nothing more than silly superstition that has the potential to engulf the world in war.

That’s why Moshe Dayan quickly put the Temple Mount under the authority of the Muslims immediately after it was captured, and that’s why Ehud Olmert and the rest of them will attempt to give it away permanently in a treaty.

The Israeli political leadership went so far in its desire to rid themselves of this troublesome Temple Mount they probably broke their own laws in allowing the Muslims to excavate in and around it. They would do almost anything to undermine the nascent hopes of observant Jews that their Temple might actually be rebuilt.

What a strange time for Israel to lie down before its enemies. Not only is the Jewish state worried, rightfully, about two potential nuclear threats – one from Iran and the other from a chaotic Pakistan – but there are a multitude of conventional threats as well.

Hezbollah has acquired a small number of missiles capable of targeting Tel Aviv’s international airport. This, according to sources, is what Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah is referring to in recent speeches when he warns of a “colossal surprise” they have in store in the next conflict with Israel.

As Israel prepares to turn over most of Judea and Samaria to the so-called Palestinians, Hamas – also supported by Iran and Syria – is preparing to stage a takeover of the West Bank similar to the coup it staged in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is now turning away in unbelief and disobedience as they did at Kadesh Barnea 3,500 years ago. The Lord will fulfill His purposes for Israel, even though unbelieving Jews will be excluded.

Today, as the end-time scenario is about to play out, all of the nations of the world are heading for the judgment of God for violating God’s Word and God’s will.

“I will also gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with (judge) them there for my people and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” Joel 3:2

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13