By Timothy Johnson
Preacher’s Point
2023 is fast approaching “a thing of the past” status.
News stories relate to Biblical prophecy every year, and 2023 is no exception.
The largest of those stories this year is, without a doubt, the Israeli/Hamas war. Before discussing the war, it is crucial to understand that Israel is the key to Bible prophecy. When Israel became a nation again in 1948 and, especially after the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967, God’s end-time clock started picking up speed. After the coming rapture, God will shift from working through the church to working with Israel.
Back to the war – In the early hours and days of the war, Biblical prophecy forced us to closely watch Israel’s other neighbors. Psalm 83 prophesizes an invasion of Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Amos chapters 1-2 also speak of this invasion. However, Amos adds that the “palaces of Jerusalem” are destroyed by fire. This likely means the government of Israel takes a massive hit during the conflict. So far, we can rule out Psalm 83. However, missiles are coming in from Lebanon and a few from Syria. Nothing has come from Jordan, and missiles coming over the border do not constitute an invasion. Keep in mind what happened on October 7 was an invasion.
One last thing about the current Gaza war – The world’s worst-kept secret is that Hamas is a proxy of Iran. There is another current event that has implications for a prophetic Biblical invasion involving Iran, Russia, and Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is interesting Biblically because chapters 38-39 of Ezekiel speak of another invasion of Israel. This attack has a much larger military force storming across the border than the Psalm 83 invasion. The fulfillment of this prophecy comes after the Psalm 83 prophecy takes place.
Gomer is one of the invading nations in the Ezekiel prophecy. Biblical Gomer is current-day Ukraine. Russia will lead the Ezekiel invasion. Several nations join the Russian alliance to attack Israel. Others with notable military strength are Iran, Ukraine, and Turkey. With the land of Gomer (having the borders Ukraine did at the start of the current war) joining in the fray, it appears that Ukraine is either part of Russia or at least an ally of hers. Could the current war in Ukraine be what solidifies a partnership of Biblical significance?
Since “earthquakes in diverse places” are a sign of the end times, the September earthquake in Morocco, killing nearly three thousand people, is another sign.
The hole in the sun, the size of 80 earths, is noteworthy as Jesus told us there would be “signs in the heavens.”
One news story with possible prophetic implications flying under the radar is the social score in China. From https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3096090/what-chinas-social-credit-system-and-why-it-controversial
“The Social Credit System is a national credit rating and blacklist being developed by the government of China. It is a set of databases and initiatives that monitor and assess the trustworthiness of individuals, companies and government entities. Each entry is given a social credit score, with reward for those who have a high rating and punishments for those with low scores. The goal of the system is to promote trust and honesty in society, and to encourage responsible behavior among citizens and companies.”
In short, if you agree with the government, you are trustworthy and will be rewarded. If you disagree with the government, you are untrustworthy and will be blacklisted. (Note: When I typed the word “blacklisted,” my online editor sent me this message: “The term blacklisted signals a negative value using a word that’s also used for skin tone. A different term may be more effective.”) Hmm, “a negative value.” Is my social credit score being evaluated someplace?
During the coming Tribulation Period, those refusing to worship the Antichrist or take his mark will face execution. Will a worldwide social credit score be implemented to keep track of those who do not comply with the social norm? Time will tell, but the development of this deserves watching. China has 17.72% of the world’s population, so nearly one in five people on Earth is already being scored.
Will the rapture come in 2024? Only God the Father knows. Over the last decade, many things nearly everyone said would never happen happened. The only thing we can be sure that will happen in 2024 is that stuff will happen.
Preacher Johnson is Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Website: www.preachers-point.com; Email: [email protected]; Mail: 25 W 1200 N; Kingman IN 47952. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Timothy-Preacher-Johnson-101171088326638. All Scripture KJV.
