Prophetic Pulpit: It's all in preparation for the Satanic Covenant

                                                        The Satanic Covenant

Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week: but in the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifices and offerings to cease...

With each passing day the crisis in the Middle East is getting scarier and scarier. From Israel's war with Hamas, her growing conflict with Hezbollah, the rise of global Antisemitism, the Red Sea crisis with the Houthis, to Israel's growing conflict with Iran. It is so plain to see that the Middle East is sitting on a powder keg with lit matches all around it. One event could cause the entire keg to explode, taking most of the world with it. 

And the crisis is only going to become more perilous in the soon and coming days. It is only a matter of time before Israel goes to full scale war with Iran. (Most experts are surprised she hasn't already done so.) Iran is so close to acquiring a nuclear weapon and Israel will by no means allow that to happen. Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilities with a vengeance. And when this happens, it will pull Russia into the war. Putin has already made the bold declaration to the world, "To go to war with Iran will be to go to war with Russia." Since Russia's war with Ukraine, we have watched the Russian-Iranian alliance grow stronger and stronger. And then the question becomes, Will America dare come to Israel's defense? Are we ready to go to war with Russia? And if we go to war with Russia, will China and North Korea see this as an opportunity to join Russia in obliterating the much hated United States? (Keep in mind, nowhere in bible prophecy is the United States clearly identified in any way, shape or form. Somehow she becomes a non-player in last-day world events.) 

Another thought to consider: everyone following the events in the Middle East is just waiting on that "great Northern War." Hezbollah in both Lebanon and Syria has 150,000 rockets aimed at Israel as we speak. Hezbollah has enough firepower to annihilate Israel (which we know will not happen.) However, the question is, if Hezbollah releases the fury of her full arsenal against Israel, will Israel launch a nuclear weapon to save itself? According to Isaiah 17:1, in one moment Damascus (the Syrian capital) is going to be decimated. That sounds like a nuclear weapon to me! These are just a couple of catastrophic events that could very possibly play out. There are others we could mention. 

So, will all of these things happen? Possibly and possibly not. My point is, the hotter the crisis in the Middle East gets, the more the nations of the world are going to insist that Israel and the Palestinians come to some kind of peace agreement. The more perilous the Middle East becomes, the more the people of the world are going to demand that Israel and her Middle Eastern neighbors come up with a peace settlement. For the sake of defusing a global war, you must come to a peace agreement!

In steps the Antichrist! Just when all seems lost, the Antichrist will suddenly step onto the world's stage with all the answers. He will do what no world leader has ever done, bring peace to the Middle East. He will make a Covenant of Peace between Israel and all her enemies and the world will feel "all is well and safe again." Israel and the rest of the world will follow this man in blind devotion.

Here is my point: God is using all the turmoil in the Middle East to set the stage for the coming Antichrist. When we see all the turmoil in the Middle East only getting worse, it is a clear call from God to His church, "The Antichrist is near!"

However, if the Antichrist is near, Jesus is nearer!

2 Thessalonians 2 makes it very clear before the Lawless One is revealed, the church is raptured.

So, just how close are we to the rapture? Open your eyes and really pay attention to the turmoil going on in our world today, particularly the Middle East. The answer is obvious: we are closer than we can possibly imagine.