2015 – A Year of Terror

As the news media throughout the world reflect on 2015, a common theme emerges, terrorism. The cancellation of New Years celebration fireworks in Paris, the entire celebration in Brussels, and the shut down of the train station in Munich are all stinging reminders of the terror of the past year.

The war on ISIL has taken centre stage following the terror attacks in Paris. France and Germany’s participation with Russia in the war on Isis in Syria and will continue for some time into the future.

Arutz Sheva columnist Yochannan Visser, stated the following:

More than 70 nations are now involved in the war against ‘terror,’ a politically correct euphemism for this battle against Islamic State and affiliated Jihadist groups that is still used by many Western leaders including the president of the United States. Three separate coalitions were formed this year to fight Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Each of them has its own objectives, and none of them uses its full military potential to wipe Islamic State from the face of the earth.

His analysis places the root cause in the religious vision of ISIS:

The biggest problem with the current situation in the Middle East is that Islamic State has a plan and is working in accordance with a clear apocalyptic vision that is visible in its actions. This vision is based on Sunni end-of-times prophecies that include three major battles in the territory of al-Sham (Syria and Israel in this case) and one in the vicinity of Rome in Italy.

Statistics on World Terror

As the analysis of the year is tallied a striking fact emerges. There are several sources that catalogue terror attacks throughout the world. A total of 378 separate incidents causing death or injury were catalogued by Wikipedia from various news sources. The tally indicated a total of 5,409 deaths and 9,676 injuries, excluding the perpetrators during 2015. These ‘statistics’ can not begin to convey the tragic circumstances and stories to each of the families touched by such barbaric and cowardly acts.

According to the statistics provided 87.9% of the terrorists attacks were of Islamic origin.  The 54% of the incidents of terror were centred in the Middle East, and of these 39% took place within Israel.

The world population has been set at approximately 7.4 billion by the end of 2015.₁ Israel’s population stood at around 6.3 million Jews by September 2015.₂ That is .085% of the world’s population, and 21% of all the terrorist attacks in the world took place against Jews living in Israel.

Terror in Israel

A more in-depth analysis from a statistical website₃ compiled by Israeli analyst Nehemiah Gershuni-Aylho indicated a total of 3,641 terror attacks in Israel during 2015 when including stone throwing, petrol bombing, stabbings and shootings. 99.4% were perpetrated by Arabs and only .05% were perpetrated by Jews.

In interactive map of the Incidents in Israel is available here.

The World’s Response

One might imagine that in the face of such a high proportion of Terror, Israel might receive a little support from world leaders. Perhaps with the attacks taking place in France and North America, and terror rings being discovered in Germany and Brussels, the United Nations might change its tune on Israel.

UN Watch reported the following last year:

GENEVA, January 22 – The U.N. General Assembly’s current 2014-2015 session has adopted a total of 20 resolutions singling out Israel for criticism — and only 3 resolutions on the rest of the world combined. See the texts and votes below.

The three that do not concern Israel are: one on Syria, a regime that has murdered more than 200,000 of its own people, one on Iran, and one on North Korea.

Not a single UNGA resolution this year (69th session) is expected to be adopted on gross and systematic abuses committed by China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Yemen, Zimbabwe, nor on dozens of other perpetrators of human rights violations.

Again, on November 24, 2015, UN Watch reported the following:

The UN General Assembly today adopted six non-binding resolutions, drafted by the Palestinians and Syria, singling out and criticizing Israel, and no resolutions on China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, ISIS, or any other human rights situation.

So as we look back at the events of 2015, we see the Jews in Israel, who make up .085% of the world’s population, being the recipient of 21% of the terrorist attacks in the world this past year, yet being condemned of 90% of the resolutions by the United Nations singling out nations.

How can you make sense of this?

Madness that Gathers the Nations

Logically speaking there is not answer, other than the world has gone mad. However, that is exactly the answer. The book of Revelation describes the forces that will gather the nations to the Battle of Armageddon, in the Middle East:

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:13–14)

 The doctrine, or ‘unclean spirit like frogs’ are described as the spirits of ‘devils’, (Greek daimon, or daimonion). Throughout the New Testament, this word is used to describe mental illness, such as schizophrenia afflicting the man called Legion, with multiple personalities. Jesus was described as having a devil and being mad by those who opposed him in John 10:20.  Worldly thinking is described in James 3:15 as being ‘earthly, sensual and devilish’ (Greek demoniacle). It leads to ‘confusion’ meaning anarchy and ‘tumult and every evil work’ (v16). These the forces that drive the nations to the Battle of Armageddon – they are absolute madness.

These mad doctrines come from out of the mouth of the Dragon (Russia), the Beast (Europe) and out of the mouth of the False Prophet (the Vatican). We looked at the Vatican’s “sanctifying” of war last week.

The same anti-Israel message has to come from Europe and Russia as well. We read the words of the prophets:

“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; And the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; And half of the city shall go forth into captivity, And the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” (Zechariah 14:2)

It is all nations that will gather against Israel. The United Nations, has been overwhelmingly showing its intention over the past several years voting to condemn Israel in the face of reality. It has showed it is an organization infected by the madness of the frog spirits, blindly calling for liberty, equality and fraternity with the terrorists attacking Israel, while at the same time trying to chase them out of their own lands. How else could you describe this sentiment, except for a spirit of ‘madness’.

Joel describes the gathering too:

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3:1–2)

God tells us he will gather ‘all nations’ into the valley of Jehoshaphat, (the judgments of Yah), and will judge them because of what they do to His heritage Israel – who the will scatter again, and divide the land in the coming invasion.

Who do they come against? Is it ISIL, Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah or any of the terrorist organizations? No, it is against Israel themselves:

“And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:16)

So as the intensity of terror increases in the land, the world turns more and more against Israel, in a completely hypocritical stance, that can be defined as nothing more than madness.

The World Hates Those God Chooses:

It is worthwhile to recall, the world has always been at enmity against God since the beginning of time. Since the reasoning of the serpent was adopted by Adam and Eve there has been enmity between God’s people and the world:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

The world was at enmity with Christ, who was put to death at the hands of the dominant superpower of the day, the Roman Empire, as prophesied throughout Daniel. Christ warns that the world would hostile to the people of God, who are chosen out of it:

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18–19)

The Apostle John reminds the disciples that they would experience the enmity of the world:

“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:11–13)

The more Israel is separated from the nations and turns back to God, the more the world will hate it. It does not like the fact that God has chosen Israel to be his witnesses:

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, And my servant whom I have chosen: That ye may know and believe me, And understand that I am he: Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)

America is not God’s chosen people, nor Britain, Canada, Australia, Europe, Russia, or any other nation upon the Earth. God Chose them from the beginning, as Moses states:

“Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” (Deuteronomy 4:5–8)

The close Israel gets to following the righteous statutes and judgments of God, the more the world will hate them. The fact that God has given the land to them to “go to possess it” makes the nations irate. However, God will not repent of the promise he made to Abraham, and no nation can change his purpose with Israel:

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:29)

The nations have to learn where true salvation lies, with God’s people and their coming king, as Christ told the woman at Jacob’s well in Shechem:

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)

The Coming Judgment of God:

God brings the nations down into Israel, not to destroy Israel, but to establish his righteous reign upon the earth:

“Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.” (Psalm 2:6–7)

The nations will be called upon to submit:

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:10–12)

In the book or Revelation it describes the decree that will go out to all nations:

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6–7)

The Bible also tells us that many of the nations will rebel, as it describes in the book of Revelation, including the nations of Europe:

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14)

This is the rebellion of Psalm 2:

“Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1–3)

The response of God is clearly seen:

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure.” (Psalm 2:4–5)

So as we see the nations being prepared by the spirits of madness to rebel against Christ we must double our efforts to speak the truth to our neighbour, so that when the day comes they do not rise up with the powers of Europe against the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who will lead Israel to subdue the nations:

“Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, And I punished the goats: For the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, And hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, Out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.” (Zechariah 10:3–4)

The end result will see those who are left, looking to Israel to bring them back to God:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, Even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah 8:23)

The events of this past year clearly show that the times of the Gentiles are rapidly coming to a completion, the nations are turning against Israel in a spirit of madness; therefore, the return of the Lord is upon us, so let us double our efforts to prepare ourselves and our families for that great day.

For the Bible in the News, this has been Jonathan Bowen joining you.

Footnotes:

_{1 World O Meters, http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/}

_{2 Jewish Virtual Library (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/newpop.html)}

_{3 Israeli Analyst Nehemiah Gershuni-Aylho, 2015 Stabbing Intifada Stats (https://goo.gl/lFBkrH)}