Pastor Joe Fuiten, October 6,
2001
The Feast of Tabernacles is mainly rejoicing at the
presence of God among the people. This
holiday is the inspiration for our Thanksgiving. You can read about this and
other special days in my book “Special Appointments with God.” That book deals with the seven biblical days
that God has mandated. It is available
for purchase at the church or free online at http://www.cedarpark.org/cedarparkftp/special_appt.pdf.
Associated with this day would be the coming of the
glory of God into the Temple built by Solomon.
In other years, I have preached on the theme of light as it relates to
tabernacles both in the past, in the time of Jesus, and in heaven. Those sermons are also available online.
For me, the most important theme is God’s tabernacle
once again being among the people on the earth. Thinking about that makes my mind turn toward the coming of the
Lord. Given the momentous events of
this last month, I cannot help but connect the two.
Whenever highly significant world events take place,
and I believe what has happened is highly significant, it makes me go back
through the Bible’s key passages and see if I can find anything that the
Scripture would say about these events.
Events are known most clearly when the light of Scripture shines upon
them.
In recent days I have been busy thinking about how
all this relates to Scripture. I have
been running these events through the prophecy filter. For example, one of the
Scriptures that I turn to from time to time is Isaiah 17:1-4 (page 495) It says
“An oracle concerning Damascus:
"See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down,
with no one to make them afraid. 3 The fortified city will disappear from
Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the
glory of the Israelites," declares the LORD Almighty. 4 "In that day
the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.”
Can we imagine a scenario related to today’s events where Israel might be diminished, literally “the fat of his body will waste away,” and at the same time, Damascus turned into a pile of rubble. We know that Damascus has never been fully destroyed. It is one of the oldest inhabited cities on the earth. You can imagine that if Syria and Israel got into a serious war, Damascus could be easily destroyed. This much is not new to people who study prophecy. When I was studying this passage this week I was struck by the third verse. “The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus.” Certainly if the city of Damascus disappears so will its royal power. What I didn’t know anything about was Ephraim being significantly affected. In fact, I didn’t really register any place with Ephraim. When I got to studying maps, I discovered that ancient Ephraim is virtually at the epicenter of today’s trouble at Ramallah.
Can I imagine a scenario where Damascus and Ramallah disappear at roughly the same time that Israel is being stripped down to its last bit of land? Actually, I can. It just reminds me to keep a closer watch on Ramallah. It is already virtually under siege by Israel. Looks like at least the northern part of Ramallah is headed for smoky days. It will be wiped out.
This last week Ariel Sharon made some pretty strong statements. He basically said Israel was not going to be America’s Czechoslovakia. Meaning, he was not going to let Israel be gobbled up as the West watches as happened to Czechoslovakia when Hitler came in. They are going to fight back. The US has been pressuring Israel not to respond to the attacks they have been under because it might undermine American efforts to respond to the attacks that we are under. What an irony! We are both attacked by the same foes. In response, we seem to be in the Patty Hurst syndrome all over again. We were attacked by an enemy. Then we join with that enemy in attacking our main friend in the Middle East. We talk openly of supporting a Palestinian State. We criticize Israel. I was concerned that the US response was equally blunt. I see a further sliding toward the Moslem way of thinking. All this is current events but it sounds a lot like it could lead to our Scripture for today: Zechariah 14 (page 674). “A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured”…, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
I guess when it says all the nations, it must mean America too. In verse three it says God will fight against those nations that come against Israel. He will fight with a plague that verse 12 mentions.
3
Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the
day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east
of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west,
forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving
south. 5You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You
will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day
there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without
daytime or nighttime-- a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will
be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the
eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. 9 The LORD
will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his
name the only name. 10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem,
will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its
place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner
Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be
inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. 12 “This is the plague with
which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their
flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot
in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day
men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand
of another, and they will attack each other. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The
wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected-- great quantities of
gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and
donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. 16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem
will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up
to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. 18
If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The
LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up
to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt
and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast
of Tabernacles. 20 On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells
of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred
bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy
to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots
and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the
house of the LORD Almighty. (NIV)
What kind of a plague will it be that affects animals and
people? Could it be biological or
nuclear. Their soft tissue will
disappear as they stand there. In my
talk on the religious and military mind of Osama bin Laden, I noted that he has
been talking about the American nuclear attack on Japan in WWII. He is obviously thinking nuclear for a
future attack. We know that he has made
efforts to buy weapons-grade plutonium.
We know he has the money in a place where money is in short supply. We know he is in a region where Moslem
military people have access to nuclear weapons. Pakistan is a nuclear power and until three weeks ago were the
Taliban’s strongest supporters.
Will bin Laden be around for long? I know that his family knows how to build
strong buildings. He built one where a
dump truck could drive on the roof.
Right now he is probably in a deep bunker expecting to ride out the
storm and come back another day. If not
him, then someone just like him will be back to fight the next battle.
In the end, it all leads up to the Feast of Tabernacles
and the rule of Christ on the earth.
Let the heathen rage and plot in vain.
The Lord is also at work. His
plan is from eternity to eternity.
For our part, we need to pray like the disciples did when
they were under attack.
Acts 4:24-31
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to
God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the
earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations
rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the
people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom
you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand
should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to
speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and
perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant
Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was
shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God
boldly. (NIV)