We are entering the very last stages of the end times in which Israel will be a "cup of trembling" to the whole world. We may have thought this worldwide emotion had already peaked. If so, we were wrong because it has only just begun. The victories of the war in Iraq have served to enflame the emotion of every enemy of Israel. Several months ago I said that the war to liberate Iraq was more for Israel than for America or anyone else. No, I do not believe that President Bush or his advisors believed that or even considered it. It was a sovereign thing; the prophetic action of our God who has already written the script in Biblical prophetic truths contained in Scripture.

It's breathtaking to sit in the earthly audience, even to help others look upon the prophetic stage, and to watch our God fulfill every nuance of His Holy Book. Israel will be hated, not because our God wants them hated, but because they through their own unbelief and evil ways have laid a foundation for judgment. As that judgment is acted out, it will cause their God that loves them and who has a plan for them to become angry towards their enemies and to start the process of their redemption. Apostle Paul said it better than I could ever say it, "For God hath concluded them (Israel) all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all." (Romans 11:32).

Zechariah prophesied of this very day, and he painted a clear picture for us to read. You can see the emotion of God Himself as He called for this day and prophesied, "...the burden of the Word of the Lord for Israel." (Zechariah 12:1) It did not please the heart of God to announce their terrible time of suffering. God, the Father speaks these kinds of truths because He is perfectly just, and because His chosen must pay for their unbelief and sin just as justly as the wicked pay. He always draws a contrast between holy things and the profane with every aspect of His Word. Listen as the Holy Spirit speaks the Word of God by Zechariah. "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth 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. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." (Zechariah 12:1-3).

Not only will Israel be hated by the unbelieving world; but also, multitudes will be killed. Suicide bombers will continue to strike. There is no way to stop the terror that will reign until the Rapture and the seven years of wrath are complete. Jerusalem, the holy city loved by God Himself, will continue to be "trodden" down from within by angry Gentile terrorists and fanatic Islamics. No one can change the Word of God. Not even God Himself will alter His words spoken by His prophets. He said, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89).

Isaiah spoke to the fact of Israel's sorrows until the Day of the Lord should come. "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out." (Isaiah 51:17). They must drink the last dregs and then wring them out to the last drop. But, as they finish their hour of sorrow, God will step forth to punish those that added to their sorrows and failed to rightly divide the truth of His love for them. Isaiah made this very plain. "Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over." (Isaiah 51:22-23). You can see in those last words the very compromise of the Israelis toward the Palestinians occurring right now. Notice the words that sound like Arafat, "Bow down, that we may go over" and when they do, "and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over." We keep asking why Arafat is not dead and the answer it right in these very words of the prophet. As much as it breaks my heart to say it, their sorrows are not over yet. Woe to the person, the national entity, or the religious crowd that trashes the Jewish people because their sufferings are not yet complete.

The "Christian's" Hatred of Israel
Nothing is more heartbreaking to men as faithful believers and lovers of Holy Scripture than when a professing Christian bashes Israel and denies their rightful place in prophecy. Professing Christians set the tone for Hitler and prepared Germany for the genocide of six million Jews. This same kind of language is exploding on the radical religious right. A friend from the past who is an excellent author on the New Age movement has descended into this Israeli hatred. His name is Texe Marrs.

A recent article in Texe's publication, Power of Prophecy, identified Jerusalem as the "most wicked city on earth." He calls Jerusalem the "Cauldron of Abaddon." Here are his exact words in describing Jerusalem and its Israeli citizens.

"What is the most wicked city on earth? From this evil place spews witchcraft and sorcery. Its merchants produce the world's most destructive child pornography. This city's hidden rulers are the drug kingpins of the planet. Their mafia controls the world's most frenzied gambling establishments. Cruel violence, sexual sin and perversion, murder and gangsterism rock this city and reverberate around the world. This city's inhabitants have spread their tentacles across the globe. Their grotesque debauchery and unparalleled crimes are holographed in New York City, Moscow, London, Bangkok, and dozens of other locales.

"Jerusalem Identified as 'Sodom and Egypt' - The prophetic Scriptures identify this city with Mystery Babylon, and spiritually call it 'Sodom and Egypt' (Revelation 11:8). The Bible says this is the great city 'wherein our Lord was crucified.' This city is in fact, the very 'Cauldron of Abaddon,' a fiery boiling pot of sorcery and vice stirred by Satan and his minions. Have you got it yet? Do you know the name of this terrible place--the most wicked city in the world in the end-times? The city I am describing is, of course, Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, a place so evil and corrupt that The Jerusalem Report (November 13, 1997), a strongly pro-Israel publication, labeled the city 'Lawless.'" (Power of Prophecy by Texe Marrs, June/2003).

No one defends the gross sins in the cities of our world, including Jerusalem. Satan is having a field day spewing his filth on the world's population, and Israel has certainly not escaped. The present moral condition of Jerusalem is totally different than the prophetic plan to make this city the capital of the Israeli state and the whole world during the thousand years of Christ's reign. Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, will occupy the "Throne of David" in this breathtaking city and will rule the world in righteousness. There is indeed going to be a New World Order and Jerusalem will be the center. No wonder Satan is accusing them of planning a One World Order now. Believe me, it will not be "wicked, unconverted Jews" that establish the city of Jerusalem and the "true" New World Order after the seven years of wrath. It will be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Writing on prophecy and having a web site which is read by tens of thousands, as well as our prophecy publication, enables me to get a tremendous amount of response from all viewpoints. The large number of anti-Israeli publications, which are written and promoted by people that believe they are representing the Bible, overwhelms me. A man named Ted Pike has produced a video entitled "Why the Mid-East Bleeds?" The ad for this video says it dramatizes several ideas. Let's look at them to see how this vicious approach attacks both Israel and America.

They say this video dramatizes:

• The Talmudic basis of hate and racism that fuels Zionist aggression
• What really happened in the West Bank under Sharon's 2002 invasion
• How loss of freedoms under "homeland security" directly results from unconditional support of Israel
• How U.S. takeover of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia etc. actually sets up Israel as ruler of the mid-east"

The worst publication I have received was entitled The Truth at Last. It was sixteen tabloid pages of distortion that could easily enflame anyone unlearned and susceptible to dark theories. One article was entitled "Palestinian Children Are Being Killed." The article started with these words, "Without massive U.S. foreign aid this occupation would not last another day. The Jews would be forced to withdraw behind the 1967 border as established by the U.N. These are American tanks, helicopters and missiles, which are killing innocent Palestinians daily. We have made enemies out of 300 million Muslims who were once our friends. Our tradition has been as a protector of the oppressed against the oppressors. In this case we are on the wrong side." (The Truth at Last, published by Dr. E. R. Fields, p. 3.) The picture of Palestinian children, some alive and some dead, all assigned to the alleged butchering by Jewish soldiers is too graphic to describe. The Bible says, "Truth is fallen in the street." (Isaiah 59:14) These words fit perfectly.

One article I received said that America has invested three trillion dollars in Israel. Another article in the above publication put the amount at 1.6 trillion dollars. Three trillion dollars ($3,000,000,000,000) would be approximately ten thousand dollars per American citizen (Dr. E. R. Fields). There is no question as to the false facts included in this article, but would not it be wonderful if we had invested this much in the fifty-five years since the Heavenly Father resurrected this nation out of her two thousand year old grave. What we have invested is absolutely part of the reason for our national wealth.

Ezekiel, the prophet of God, spoke of this supernatural miracle thousands of years ago by the Holy Ghost. God did not forget what the prophet said, and it has all come to pass in our lifetime. And it is not finished. The Word said, "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD." (Ezekiel 37:11-14). Those who fight against this supernatural God-ordained revival of ancient Israel are simply fighting God Himself. They have no possible chance of winning.

Hatred of Israel: Dark Shadows of the End
And the new beginning! God has a further plan and He put it in the Second Covenant of His Holy Book. Yes, Israel, as a nation, was reborn by Divine Sovereignty. Her rebirth is yet in part because there had to be a finishing of Israel's chastisement. Probably this period of Israel's transition from a people dispersed around the world to a national entity has been the hardest for people to understand. There are many among us that believe Israel should already possess all of her land and simply settle down in peace, but that would be totally impossible. Israel is in transition from no nation to the Kingdom of David, ruled by Jesus Christ. God's timetable is the final word, and we were not given how long or exact events along the way.

The new beginning for Israel is tied directly to the finishing of the Gentile age of human government. The text we must investigate is Romans chapter eleven; but first let's listen to the Son of God as He sets the time. Luke records His words. "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:20-24).

This event shows the end of the age of the Gentile government and the beginning of the Lord's kingdom age. The seven years of wrath is visible as He shows the suffering preceding the moment of His glory and the rise of Jerusalem to its time of prominence.

Israel's blindness to the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, has lasted over 1,900 years. They failed to recognize His first coming and have suffered untold agony. Apostle Paul was jealous for Israel and carefully defended God's love for them. Yet, he also knew the truth and spoke it plainly. He said, "(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy." (Romans 11:8-11).

They have been jealous against Jesus Christ and His church for all these centuries. But, the apostle did not stop at that point. He further said, "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?" (Romans 11:12). The church must open her eyes to see that Israel as a nation has been reborn, but her spirit is still blinded. Only a Sovereign God can know the day that a spiritual rebirth for Israel will occur. That's where we have a grave responsibility.

They were cast off because of unbelief and we were grafted in. We are sons and daughters of Abraham by faith, but only by the heritage of Jesus Christ. We have no right to set ourselves over them or in their place. Our salvation is by grace and pride is a grace killer. The truth is clear. "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." (Romans 11:20-21). The time is quickly approaching when the nation of Israel will be more than a political entity. It will soon be a theocratic kingdom under the rule of the King of Kings.

This "deliverer," who is soon to appear, is already in the minds of many Jewish people. His appearance cannot occur until all is ready. The Rapture, the time of wrath, and the Battle of Armageddon must precede the redemption of all Israel. The Apostle Paul set this straight. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Romans 11:25-26).
Now, We Must Show Mercy to Israel

God has so ordained that by the mercy of His covenant saints in the New Testament church, Israel shall obtain mercy and be redeemed. Listen to these heart-thrilling words from this key text of Romans, a letter to the saints. "Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?" (Romans 11:31-34).

This is incredible truth. No wonder the devil tries to invade the church with anti-Israel rhetoric. We are now responsible to show mercy to Israel even while they are still enemies of the Gospel. "As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11:28-29).

This is God's plan for redeeming His severed olive trees, the people of His own "womb brethren." How matchless is His plan that we, the "wild olive tree," should now after almost 2,000 years be His partner in reclaiming the chosen nation that gave the Son of Man to all the world. I'll tell you right now, "I'm on His team to get ready for the rebirth of spiritual Israel to the family of Jesus Christ."

Conclusion
Hatred of Israel will reach the crescendo during the seven years of wrath. As we await the Rapture, we will be unconformable witnesses to a continuing rise of this dark shadow. Our duty is to stand tall, never for one moment give our praise or comfort to the hatred of Israel. If you send your money to an Israeli basher, you are as guilty as the basher himself. Be willing to show mercy in action and prayer for the "peace of Jerusalem." Accept the fact that Israel is still in unbelief and that you by mercy and grace toward the Jews are "preparing the way for the Redeemer to appear."

Could it be that the Father is even now holding up the Rapture while He awaits the "mercy" of the saints toward the "womb brethren?" It is no wonder that the Bible says, "Ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:13). Help prepare the way by showing mercy to Israel.