Рет қаралды 48
The Bible prophesies about “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) - presumably focused on the land of Israel - and it prophesies a final assault of the nations against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 39:2, 4, 17; Daniel 11:45; Joel 3:9-16; Zechariah 12:1-9). But these “wars and rumors of wars” are explicitly not signs of the end - that is, Israel (if not the entire world) will experience many wars throughout time, starting with the primary “war” for Jesus’ listeners, the first Jewish revolt against Rome and subsequent subjugation of Israel and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. On the other hand, the current crisis could lead to the final war, the gathering of the nations to Har-Magedon (or “the mount of assembly,” Rev 16:16; Isaiah 13:4; compare Isaiah 14:13). Before it were to do so, however, I would expect to see the “abomination of desolation” that Jesus referred to (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 7:25; 8:13; 11:31; 12:7, 11) and that Paul apparently understood to be “the man of lawlessness” (or Antichrist) taking his seat in the Jerusalem Temple and proclaiming himself God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Daniel 11:36).