Jerusalem - The Trembling Cup

One of the biggest and far-reaching news items this week was President Trump's announcement that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel and that the capital in the U.S. embassy will be moving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Of course, he said it is reflecting the reality that is already present because the Knesset meets in Jerusalem. The president, Prime Minister Netanyahu lives in Israel. His announcement sparked violent protests around the world. So let's briefly look at the history of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a mountain city built on a mountain fortress. It stands on the edge of one of the highest plateaus in Palestine. It's about 3,000 feet in altitude. According to tradition, Jerusalem is built around the rock that is purported to mark the center of the earth. Some call it the very navel of the earth. Jerusalem in its dual form means possession of peace. As you know, the English word Salem translated from the Hebrew means peace.

So it means possession of peace or foundation of peace. The dual form probably refers to the two mountains upon which it was built. Jerusalem is built upon Mount Zion and Mount Moriah, two mountains. Those two mountains play a very vital part in the spiritual history and also the symbolism of the Bible. The city is also called Salem, Arielle, Jabez, the city of God, the holy city. Another name for Jerusalem is Zion. I would like for us now to turn to 1 Chronicles 11.1.

There are many places that repeat part of what's here in 1 Chronicles. I chose 1 Chronicles 11.1 because it is to a large degree a summary that brings a lot of aspects in, so you wouldn't be turning to several scriptures. One of the things that I would hope to do today would be to encourage you to follow up through Bible study with all the aids that are present today on the internet and the various study aids that the church provides.

In addition to that, all of the things that we have heard and learned about Jerusalem through the years, that we would search it out, and we try to keep you abreast of what is happening on the world scene, especially those things that might have prophetic significance. In 1 Chronicles 11 and verse 1, we'll read a few verses here which summarizes much about Jerusalem, its founding, and its names, and all of that. 1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

Of course, David, a son of Jesse, and moreover in times past, even when Saul was king, you were he that led us out and brought us in Israel. 2 And the LORD your God said unto you, You shall feed my people Israel, and then shall you be ruler over my people Israel. 3 And therefore came my people Israel, and you shall be the ruler of my people Israel. Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king of Hebron.

4 And David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the eternal. They anointed David king over Israel according to the word of the eternal by Samuel. 5 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jabbos, where the Jebusites were the inhabitants of the land. For as David took it from the Jebusites, as we shall see, and sometimes in Scripture Jerusalem is referred to as Jabbos. 6 And the inhabitants of Jabbos said to David, You shall not come here. Nevertheless, David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David, which is the city of David. Zion is the city of David. And David said, Whosoever smites the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.

So Joab, the son of Zeruiah, first went up and was chief. That's how Joab became the chief army officer. 7 And David dwelt in the castle. Therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he built the city roundabout, even from Milo roundabout, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

So David waxed greater and greater, for the eternal host was with him. 9 Eventually David built a tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant on Mount Zion. If you'll turn back to Samuel 6, verse 17, we'll see that. 1 Samuel 6, verse 17. As you recall, when Israel came into the promised land, the tabernacle was pitched at Shiloh.

2 And God eventually allowed Shiloh to be destroyed. 3 And the Ark of the Covenant for a while was abiding in a person's home. And David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. But at first he had, of course, to build a tabernacle for it. 4 And for a short season there it did, that is, the Ark of the Covenant, dwelt in this person's home. 5 In fact, for one short period of time, it was in the possession of the Philistines, and they had so much trouble with it, they wanted to get rid of it as quickly as they could.

6 And so eventually David has the tabernacle finished. They're ready to move it in. 7 Samuel 6, verse 17. I must want 2 Samuel 6, 17. That's not the right one.

If I don't see it immediately, I'm moving on. 2 Samuel 6, verse 17.

And they brought the Ark of the Lord and set it up in its place, in the midst of the tabernacle, that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Eternal. So David pitched a tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant on Mount Zion.

And as you know, Solomon built the first temple, generally called Solomon's Temple, on Mount Moriah. If you were to take an aerial view of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the Temple Mount stands there fairly high, and it lords over to some degree Mount Zion. Mount Zion is toward the southwest. The Mount of Olives is to the east, and the valley of Hinnom or Gehenna, where the garbage dump was, is to the south.

So Solomon built a temple on Mount Moriah. The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Solomon's Temple, circa 587 BC. And then the second temple was built under the direction of Zerubbabel and Josidec, the High Priest, Zerubbabel the Civil Governor, and Josidec the High Priest. And the two prophets on the scene were Haggai and Zachariah.

So Haggai and Zachariah, to a large degree, are about building this restoration temple. The restoration temple was built on Mount Moriah, where Solomon's temple was built.

Now there's controversy with regard to Solomon's temple and the second temple built on Mount Moriah. Some want to claim that it was at the foot of Mount Moriah, actually in Zion, but that's another controversy. One of the people, so-called scholars that has led this, has been a person who was formally a minister in the worldwide Church of God.

So the second temple is often referred to as the Restoration Temple, and both Jerusalem and Zion are used figuratively to refer to the Church of God. So in the symbolic sense.

Would now turn to Hebrews 12, verse 19. Hebrews 12, verse 19.

And we'll see this symbolism. I've referred to this often. Hebrews comparing and contrasting the elements of the Old Covenant with elements of the New Covenant. In this case, the comparison is between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.

So we read there at the very end of the part about Mount Sinai, verse 19, verse 19, and the sound of the trumpet and the voice of words which they heard entreated that they should not be in that that he should not speak to them anymore. In other words, when they heard the voice of God thundering from Mount Sinai, they didn't want to hear that. They wanted to hear Moses as verse 20. For they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it should be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the scythe that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. But in contrast to that, remember, comparing and contrasting elements of the Old Covenant, Mount Sinai representing the Old Covenant where the law was given, and now the New Covenant and what it represents, verse 22, but you are come unto Mount Zion. Not just the geographical place, but symbolically it is the Church of God. You are coming to Mount Zion into the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Mount Zion or Jerusalem are oftentimes used in symbolic sense to denote the Church. Galatians 4-26 talk about Jerusalem being the mother of us all, the heavenly Jerusalem into an innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. So we see that both Jerusalem and Zion are used figuratively to refer to the Church of God. That second temple, the one that Jerubbabel and Joshua, I think I said Jossadeq earlier, but Jossadeq was the father of Joshua, the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Eventually, the temple mount came under the control of Islam. In that period of time, you read about oftentimes the crusaders, several crusades from the European Western Europe area, went to Jerusalem trying to arrest control of the temple mount from the Islamic people.

In 688 through 691, Omar built the Dome of the Rock over the site where Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah. So that big edifice that you see to this day with the big gold dome, the Dome of the Rock. In 1715, followers of Muhammad built the Al-Aqsa Mosque, literally meaning the Fatherous Mosque. In the interim year after the first mosque was built by the Islamic world, there was controversy with regard to who really owned that property. Who did God give the property to? Because there's really nothing in scripture regarding it being given to Muhammad, for sure, and it says clearly that the possession of it was to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob. So the Muslims during that controversy said, well, we will build another mosque on Mount Moriah. So they did, and it is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which literally means the Fatherous Mosque. And it's reportedly the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven on a great white horse after he died. Of course, there's nothing but what shall we say a story to confirm this, and we know that that is not the case.

Satan knows what the prophecies state concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem is viewed as the spiritual capital and or the birthplace of two major religions. Of course, Christianity, with Jesus Christ being born in the environs of Jerusalem at Bethlehem. Bethlehem is just a bit south, maybe a little bit to the east. I'm sorry, to the north, a little bit to the north of Jerusalem and a little bit to the east. In fact, in the UN Resolution 181, which we'll talk about later, Bethlehem is counted as part of Jerusalem. But Jesus Christ was born in that area, and of course the early disciples often met there at the temple. And you know, Paul even went through rites of purification one time when he came back to visit Jerusalem.

So it's viewed by Christianity and by Judaism, because Judaism traces its roots back to Jerusalem. And it is viewed as the third holiest place in Islam after Mecca and Medina.

Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia, and the Temple Mount, the Arabs call it Al-Quds, which means the Holiest. So the Islamic people view the Temple Mount as the third holiest place on the face of the earth. Over the centuries, the Temple Mount has been fought over and it continues to be fought over.

Right now it is not actually bullets flying, but in the world of politics and diplomacy, and of course the heated battles that do go on with the shooting wars, to a large degree, are traced back, really, when all is said and done. Who is going to control Jerusalem?

So it's the hottest place or piece of real estate, really, on the face of the earth. It's estimated somewhere around 24 or 25 acres. The geopolitical entity, currently known as Palestine, is a major key to world government and world dominion because of its religious and strategic location and importance. That area was like the crossroads of the world as the great caravans moved from Egypt up into the Middle East to Babylon and vice versa, from Babylon down into Egypt, and also a lot of east-west traffic coming all the way from Europe across Asia Minor down to Damascus and across Jerusalem and going east from there. So it is a very strategic place. Of course, the Suez Canal is near the Mediterranean Sea, some of the most crucial sea lanes and seaports on the face of the earth.

But the geopolitical significance of Jerusalem does not compare to the religious importance and the spiritual importance. Satan knows the prophecies that describe how Jerusalem will be the eternal spiritual capital of the earth. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 2. In Isaiah chapter 2, my favorite millennial scripture shows us clearly that Jerusalem will become the political and spiritual capital of the whole world, I guess you might say, of the universe.

In Isaiah chapter 2 verse 1, the word of Isaiah the son of Amuz, or Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the eternal house shall be established in the top of the mount and shall be exalted above the hills all nations and all nations shall flow unto it. Be the capital of the world. And many people shall go and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us of his ways, we will walk in his paths, for out of it shall go forth the law. And the word of the eternal from Jerusalem, out of Zion, shall go forth the law. And the word of the eternal from Jerusalem, as I said oftentimes, these two, Zion and Jerusalem, are used almost interchangeably.

And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hook. Nations shall not lift up nation or sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Quickly to Isaiah 24. So what we're showing here, the end time spiritual significance, what is going to come, and one of the main reasons, of course, Satan knows what these scriptures say, and he obviously would like to break prophecy and thwart the plan of God and destroy you and me and take over in place of God.

In Isaiah 24-23, thus the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed before the eternal of hosts, or when the eternal of hosts, shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. Also, forward to Isaiah 30, verse 19. So you see that it is the seat of government. It is also the religious seat where the law of God shall go forth. In Isaiah 30, verse 19, where the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious unto you at the voice of your cry. When he shall hear it, he will answer you. And so Satan knows those scriptures. When all is said and done, it is the spiritual importance of Jerusalem, the spiritual importance to Jerusalem for Satan, his quest to be worshiped that makes it the trembling cup for all nations. Thus we title the sermon, Jerusalem, the trembling cup.

In Satan's view, Jerusalem, and its spiritual importance, is vital to his plan, to thwart God's plan for humankind, and for Satan to become the object of worship.

Oftentimes, I think, in listening to the news and thinking about this, we tend to forget the end goal of Satan. That is, to be worshiped.

And he is behind all of the chaos and confusion that we hear in the news when all is said and done. When it's all distilled to its final cataclysmic climatic end, Satan's end goal is to defeat God, destroy humanity, and become the object of worship. So the symbolic and real importance of Jerusalem is at the very core of Satan's goal to become the object of worship.

So that is why Jerusalem becomes the trembling cup for all nations. Let's look now at Zechariah chapter 12. Remember what I said? That in that second temple, the Restoration Temple, there were two prophets on the scene encouraging the people, stirring up their spirit for them to get busy and build the temple of God. And that temple of God was reflective of that which was to come in the sense that the elements missing in that Restoration Temple are now fulfilled in the New Covenant. For example, the Ark of the Covenant and the two tablets of stone that were in the Ark of the Covenant, now the law of God is written on our inward parts through the Holy Spirit. And so each of the elements that might be missing in that Restoration Temple are now fulfilled in us. When the Restoration Temple was dedicated, the presence of God was not manifest as it was when the tabernacle of the wilderness was reared up. After Moses dedicated it and Solomon's Temple, when it was dedicated, the presence of God filled those edifices, but not so with the Restoration Temple. In Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 1, the burden of the word of the Eternal for Israel says, the Eternal, which stretched forth the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him, behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. So world opinion has definitely turned against Israel and Jerusalem, and of course a lot of people even in this country were against the announcement, the move to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Two other presidents before President Trump, President George Bush, said that he would move the capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and so did President Obama, but neither one of those followed through on it. And primarily, the reason, as I understand it, of course there are a lot of different views out there with regard to why it didn't happen under their tenure and oversight, was the furor that they knew that it would cause. Of course, there could be a whole array of other motives as well. Verse 3, And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people.

All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the peoples of the earth be gathered together against it, and at the present time it is surrounded. To the northwest, you have Lebanon, which is the stronghold of Hezbollah. To the north, you have Syria. To the northeast, you have Iraq. And also, you have, of course, almost due north beyond Syria, is Turkey. And then to the east, almost due east, you have Jordan. Jordan has basically been friendly to Israel and especially to the United States over the years. My wife and I had an opportunity in 1988 to spend several days in Jordan. And of course, we had a project there in which we were teaching at our students. We're teaching at a school for the handicap sponsored by the queen, and also teaching English as a second language. The Jordanians were very friendly to the work of God. Mr. Armstrong even had a relationship with King Hussein. So when this announcement was made, though, the Jordanians and King Abdullah protested loudly about it. And then, of course, just to the east of Iraq and Jordan is Iran. So Israel is definitely surrounded. And if you go to the south, Egypt, you remember the famous peace treaty that was signed at Camp David between Anwar's Sadat and Menachem-Bagan. So Egypt has been somewhat of an ally in some ways, but Egypt is the stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it could easily go one way or the other. So the symbolic importance of Jerusalem is very important to Satan's goal.

Satan is the god of this present evil age.

So one of the biggest parts of his strategy, I guess you would say, is to beat God and Christ to the punch and take over Jerusalem before the return of Christ. Remember 2 Corinthians 4.4, Satan is the god of this present evil age. And also, let's turn to Matthew 4.10.

In Matthew 4, after Jesus Christ was baptized, he was led away into the wilderness to be tried, tempted, and tested by Satan the devil. And Satan took him up to the pinnacle of the temple for those three temptations. And this last one here, he showed him the kingdoms of the world and said, if you'll bow down and worship me, then I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world, showing that he is the god of this present evil age. And you notice what Christ's response was to Satan the devil in verse 10. Thus says Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

So we might ask the question, then, will Jerusalem be destroyed before the Second Coming of Christ to this earth? Various Islamic leaders, both Sunni and Shiite, Sunni is a predominant one. 70-something, like 70 percent are Sunni, 20-something percent Shiite, and there are various strands and offshoots of each one. But several of these leaders, both Sunni and Shiite, have stated on numerous occasions that they will wipe Israel off the map. They will soon disappear off the world scene. Several radical Islamic groups are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. So after President Trump's announcement that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, leaders from around the world condemn the announcement, including the Pope and Western political figures. As noted earlier, in the wake of these announcements, there have been some violent protests and demonstrations around the world, President Trump being burned in effigy, pictures of him being marred and disfigured. Pope Francis stated, Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, who venerate the holy sites of their respective religions, and it has a special vocation to peace.

The Pope continued in his address, Wednesday, I pray to the Eternal that this identity may be preserved and strengthened for the benefit of the Middle East and of the entire world.

Francis continued and said, and that wisdom and prudence prevail to avoid adding new elements of tension in an already convulsed worldwide panorama marked by so many cruel conflicts.

Essentially, he was asking for status quo. On the other hand, Jewish leaders have stated it's time to build the Third Temple. Yaakov Heyman, the United Temple Movement chairman, responded to Trump's statement and used a historical progression to move toward the building of the Third Temple. He said, a number of major shifts in modern history have taken place for Israel and the Jewish people, and he began in 1917 with the Balfour Declaration.

The Balfour Declaration established Israel, that part of the world there where Jerusalem is, as a British mandate. He said it was now only a matter of time until non-Jews made a similar declaration, recognizing the Temple Mount as the site of the Jewish Temple, the temples of the past, but noted that to move forward it was necessary. Now this next part, you need to pay close attention to. I know you're paying close attention to everything, but anyhow, it is necessary for foot soldiers in the cause to take the first steps.

When Jews and non-Jews go up en masse, the Temple is inevitable. So, he's really making a plea to peoples of the world to join the movement.

Haman emphasized that all of the stages in this process required multi-faith effort, with Jews and non-Jews performing different roles while moving toward a mutual goal. The people of Israel are returning to their roots while simultaneously the non-Jews of the world are realizing the authenticity of our claim to the Temple Mount and our right to build a Jewish Temple as a house of prayer for all nations. Our right to build a house of prayer for all nations. Haman went on to explain, quote, these processes are codependent. It depends on the Jews, our actions, but the non-Jews are an essential part of the process. Our task is to act as priests to make the whole world holy. Haman said, citing Exodus 19.6, which states, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Then he says, that will only happen in a temple in Jerusalem, he emphasized. The next step, the most important step, must be taken by the Jews, he says. We need to begin going up to the Temple Mount in massive numbers. Once we do that, the Temple is the next inevitable step.

Rabbi Heliel Wiese, spokesman for the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin has been restored, but it is not active in the sense that it is making judgments and all of that.

So the spokesman for the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Heliel Wiese, was cautiously optimistic.

One year ago, the Sanhedrin called on Trump to build the Temple, as Cyrus did 2,000 years ago.

Remember, Cyrus issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the Restoration Temple. Wiese said, quote, he has clearly moved in that direction, but there is still a long way to go in many pitfalls that could prevent that from happening. He went on to say that Trump is facing enormous political pressures. Rabbi Wiese noted that the borders of Jerusalem are still open to negotiation. The Temple Mount is not a settled issue, and the United Nations is working hard in trying to convince the world the Jews have no place there. The United Nations. If Trump is to succeed, the Jews have to come together in unity in order for him to remain strong. It should be noted that there is a controversy among the Jews with regard to building the Third Temple. Some claim that the Temple must be built before the Messiah comes. Others claim that the Messiah is the only one who can build the Temple. Based on several prophecies, it seems that at least a Third Temple or an altar of some kind will be built before the Second Coming of Christ. So let's look at those prophecies regarding that. And of course, the teaching of the Church through the years has been that at least an altar or some kind of Temple will be built and sacrifices offered. So we look at Daniel. These are three or four of the most important end-time prophecies really in the Bible. Back somewhere around the year 2000, we went to New Zealand, and I was on a talk show there in Tannam out II. At that time, Larry King was the big media guru talk show CNN here in the US. And so it was their version, I guess you would say, of Larry King. And events that just occurred in the Middle East, and they asked me about it. And so I went through basically this scenario we're about to go through of the Jews building an altar or temple and offering sacrifice. And he said, have you lost your mind? You think the people of the world are going to allow their lying down now and blocking the roads, protesting the cutting of trees, and all kind of protests against mistreatment of animals? And you think they're going to offer sacrifice? So what do you have to go on? Well, you have to go on the Word of God. So in Daniel 11, let's look at what it says. In verse 31, "...an arm shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate." Now, some people want to say that that was that which was done by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC when he offered swine's blood on the altar and polluted it and set up a statue of Jupiter Olympus.

But Jesus Christ, as we shall see, also refers to the abomination of desolation.

Now you look at Daniel chapter 12. In Daniel chapter 12, and there's no question that Daniel chapter 12 is about the end time.

In Daniel chapter 12, and at that time, what time? Well, the time of verses 44 and 45, where the bees plants its headquarters in Jerusalem between the two seas in the holy mountain.

So in chapter 12, verse 1, "...at that time, Michael shall stand up the great prince, which stands for the children of his people, and there should be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the book." It says that at that time, they shall be delivered.

"...And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake the resurrection. Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they shall turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. But you, O Daniel, shut up the words of this book, even at the time of the end." And that word for end literally means what it says. In the time of the end of this current evil age, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased at the end of the days, the time in which you will be resurrected. Now we go to Matthew 24, the Olivet prophecy, and Jesus Christ Himself refers to this prophecy. So you may tell me if you're going to deny Jesus Christ what He says. In the middle of the Olivet prophecy, remember that the context for the Olivet prophecy has to do with, tell us what shall be the sign of your coming in the end of the age.

Matthew 24, verse 15, When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, I just read it. When you shall therefore see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whosoever reads, let him understand.

And so Jesus Christ Himself validates the prophecy of Daniel.

The armed forces of other nations continue to draw a tighter news around the tiny nation of Israel.

We've already talked about how they were surrounded by the other nations. In addition, virtually every Arab nation on the face of the earth is hostile to Israel, especially Iran.

The Bible tells us that these tensions will increase to the point that Jerusalem will become the trembling cup, as we read from Zechariah chapter 12 verses 1 through 3.

This tells us that Jerusalem is not going to be destroyed through the cataclysmic and evil events that are prophesied to come. The Bible makes it clear, now let's turn to Revelation chapter 11, the Bible makes it clear that Jerusalem will be besieged and trodden down by the nations.

In Revelation chapter 11 verse 1, And there was given unto me a reed that unlike unto a rod, and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple, leave out, measure it not, for it is given unto the ethnos, the nations, and the holy city shall they tread underfoot for 42 months, 360 days.

And so the Bible prophesies, or says, that the city would be divided. Now, back to a little bit of history. I would encourage you to go to Google or whatever search engine and look up UN resolution 181. UN resolution 181 gave the details, it's quite long, concerning the partition of the British rule Palestinian mandate, which remember Harkins back to the valfour, declaration of 1917.

A Palestinian mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947.

33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions, and one absent. So the UN voted that there would be two states, the Jewish state and Arab state. And this resolution called for international control of Jerusalem. I'll read a part of it, taken directly from the resolution.

The city of Jerusalem shall be established as a corpus separatum, meaning a separate body, under a special international regime, and shall be administered by the United Nations.

The trusteeship council shall be designated to discharge the responsibilities of the administering authority on behalf of the United Nations. And then it gives the boundaries, it includes the surrounding little villages and towns. The Arabs rejected this plan, they launched an attack in May of 1948, and Israel, with the help of the United States, quickly defeated the Arabs. And many of the Arabs were displaced, called Palestinians.

So you hear about the Palestinians today. The ring I have on my right hand was bought from a Palestinian in Amman, Jordan in 1988. And he briefly told the story of fleeing. Our Arab guide, when we went to Jerusalem, told the story of them fleeing during that event. But regardless of that, God did promise that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be given this territory. Of course, it is misused in many different ways by anything from zealous Jews to evangelical kind of Christians. Scripture states also that Jerusalem will become Sodom in Egypt.

And perhaps the reason that Jerusalem becomes Sodom in Egypt is because it becomes the seat of the beast. I was given a similar kind of sermon Bible study in Sydney, Australia in the year 2000 and stated that. And one person said, Oh no, where do you get that in Scripture?

Well, I turned to Daniel 11, read verses 44 and 45. Look at Revelation 11, verse 7. See at the same time that the beast power is doing his thing from Jerusalem. The two witnesses are there testifying on behalf of, of course, the way of God. So let's read into this from Revelation 11, verse 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, they shall prophesy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. Now that is a reference to the vision of Zechariah chapter 4. We'll turn back there quickly. Zechariah chapter 4, verse 12. And I want to start in 11. Zechariah 4, 11. Then answered I and said unto me, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? There was a big menorah with seven candles in the middle of it and pipes going down and oil in the bowl. And I answered again and said unto him, What are these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? Of course, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

So the two witnesses are filled with God's Spirit and they're stirring up the people of God speaking on behalf of God and they are supernaturally protected.

And he answered me and said, Don't you know what these are? And I said, No, my Lord. Then said, These are the two anointed ones, the two sons of oil that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. So this reference here to in Revelation 11 where it says, These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, those two pipes going down into the bowl, standing for the God of the whole earth.

Verse 5, And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, they must be killed in that manner. These have power to shut the heaven. In other words, no rain. That it rain not in the days of their prophecy, and have power over waters to turn them to blood, similar to the plagues of Egypt, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pitch shall make war against them, shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall be in the street of that great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. So no doubt Jerusalem. So while that is going on, the two witnesses are there. Let's read Daniel 11, 44 and 45. Daniel 11.

Daniel 11, verse 44, and tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him, that is, the willful king. Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas, between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. In the glorious holy mountain, why is it glorious and holy? It is because God placed his presence there. Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Jerusalem is going to be desecrated by the nations. It will be trodden down, but it will not be destroyed.

The kings of the earth, coupled with a great religious power, will eventually try to control Jerusalem, and they will be permitted to do so for a short period of time.

The pseudo-Messiah will sit in the temple. Look at 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. The pseudo-Messiah will sit in the temple, proclaiming that he is God. The pseudo-Messiah.

2 Thessalonians 2, verse 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day will not come, except there come an apostasia of first, false teaching. And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. The greatest false teaching probably is this one saying that he is God. And do you know that everybody whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be deceived?

We'll read that verse in just a moment.

That day shall I come, except there come a false teaching, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself, proclaiming himself that he is God.

Verse 10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they receive, not the love of the truth that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them grand delusion, strong delusion, that they should believe thee lie.

What is the lie? That that one claims to be the Messiah. He is not. Now look at Revelation 13.8. We'll start with verse 6. Revelation 13.6.

And he opens his mouth and blasphemes against God, this one, these power, false prophet, energized by Satan, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and overcome them.

And power was given unto him over all kindreds and tongues and nations.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 24.24 says, if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived.

Eventually, this unholy triad of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet will fight against the returning Christ at the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

And the forces of God will fight against the beast and the false prophet.

Let's go to Revelation 19, verse 14.

In the battle of the great day of God Almighty, the nations are gathered together at a place called Armageddon to fight that great battle.

How will this great deception take place? The deception that is coming is going to be so great, as we just read, that everyone whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life will be deceived. Revelation 19.14. In the armies which were in heaven followed him, Jesus Christ, upon a white horse, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, which symbolizes the righteousness of the saints. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treads the winepress of the fiercest and the wrath of Almighty God. And he hath upon his vesture and upon his thy a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And it is truth of spoken word that people's flesh is going to melt right off their bones.

Verse 19, and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and the armies gathered together to make war against him that set upon the horse and against his army. And that is described in Revelation 16. So here we are, brethren, in a very interesting time in prophecy.

With this declaration being made, who knows what the outcome will be, but we do know what we have read here today from Scripture, that God is very zealous for Zion and for Jerusalem.

Let's look at Isaiah 31 and verse 5. Two or three more verses here, just showing that God is going to protect Jerusalem, not be utterly destroyed, in Isaiah 31 and verse 5.

As birds flying, as birds flying, Isaiah 31 verse 5, so will the eternal host defend Jerusalem. Defending also, he will deliver it, and passing over it, he will preserve it.

We have that promise from God. Now look at Daniel 7.27. Daniel 7.27, what we have to look forward to in conjunction with this, and Daniel 7.27 summarizes so very much. Daniel 7.27, And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all the minions shall serve and obey him.

So, brethren, that's what we have to look forward to. One more scripture in Micah chapter 4. Micah chapter 4. Micah chapter 4 is very similar to Isaiah 2 verses 1 through 4 that we've already read.

But this summarizes so much, and we'll end with this scripture today.

This is Micah 4.1, But in the last days that shall come to pass, the mountain of the house of the eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains.

Shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.

And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways. We will walk in his paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off.

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Eternal of Host has spoken it. For all the people will walk every one in the name of his God, he will walk in the name of the Eternal our God, for ever and ever. May God hasten that day, as we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.