GOD S PLAN FOR ISRAEL, MISSIONS, AND THE CHURCH SAMUEL WHITEFIELD Session 4: Understanding the Geography of the End Times I. INTRODUCTION A. The Scripture gives us a lot of information about the geography of the end-times. These passages provide practical information to help us understand what will happen before and during the siege on Jerusalem. The Scripture does not tell us everything that will happen in the regions of the earth, but it is important that we understand what He does tell us. B. God has given us information about specific regions so we can partner with the Holy Spirit and what He is doing to prepare for the end of the age. By understanding the passages we can anticipate the move of the Holy Spirit in specific regions of the earth. II. THE END IS JERUSALEM-CENTRIC A. We have already seen that Jerusalem is the central point for God s plan and for the rage of the antichrist. He will bring military action against Israel that will result in a siege on Jerusalem that has global implications. B. This is one reason why the Back to Jerusalem movement is so significant. God wants a vibrant, strong church in regions of the earth that are currently hostile to Jesus and His plan for Jerusalem so that, when the trouble comes, they will partner with God for His purposes. It is also an expression of God s heart to increase the witness of the church to Israel. C. God is so committed to His plan for Jerusalem, and His plan for the Jewish people, that He will prepare the nations for this event so that they can serve His purposes and serve his people in the hour of trouble. When we understand God s plan to prepare the earth for the crisis that is coming to Jerusalem, we can better understand the movement of the Holy Spirit across the earth in our generation. The Holy Spirit directed the ministry of Paul to specific regions in the first century, and He still has specific agendas for specific locations. 6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. (Acts 16:6 7 NKJV) D. As we have seen, this crisis has global implications, but there are specific regions that Scripture describes related to this crisis and we should be aware of what God has said concerning them. 1. When we begin to look at the regions that Scripture highlights we will find that God is already orchestrating large church movements and national revivals to prepare the nations to serve His purposes in the end-times. 2. We will also find unusually strong resistance by the enemy to God s plans in many of these regions.
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 2 III. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EAST A. Scripture prophesies a significant role for the nations of the east indicating that they will resist the plans of the antichrist and will instead serve God s plan for Jerusalem. B. Daniel prophesied that news from the east and the north would trouble the antichrist so much that we would respond with great fury to annihilate this threat to his dominion. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. (Daniel 11:44 NKJV) 1. It will not be possible for the east to be so troublesome to the antichrist without the presence of a strong church that has influenced the rulers of the region to stand against this wicked man. This indicates the witness of Matthew 24:14 will be especially effective in these regions. 2. Right now many of the nations east of Israel violently oppose God s plan for Jerusalem. This verse is a confirmation that God will do something historic in the nations east of Israel. The Back to Jerusalem missions is part of God s plan to transform these nations before the end-times. 3. Revelation builds on what Daniel predicts by telling us that the antichrist must send unusual signs and wonders to draw the kings from the east to Jerusalem. 12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. (Revelation 16:12 NKJV) C. There are many nations east of Israel that God will use in unusual ways as a part of His plan. We are already seeing His movements in the east from the current revival in Iran, to the strength and endurance of the Chinese church, to the amazing prayer and missions movement in South Korea. Where we see the strength of the gospel east of Israel we have to understand it as part of God s preparation for nations from the east to trouble the antichrist. D. If these nations stand against the antichrist and his purposes, then it means they will also cooperate with God s plan for Jerusalem. Because the antichrist will persecute Jews on an unequalled scale (Daniel 7:21, 25), we can understand that God is preparing these nations to resist His persecution of the Jews. God is preparing believers in these nations to shelter and protect the Jews as they resist the antichrist. 1. It is critical that there are strong believers in these regions. This is why God is mobilizing believers in many nations to cooperate in the labor of missions to see a strong gospel witness in this region. 2. It is also important that the believers in these regions have understanding of what is coming and what God has called the church in these regions to do. The ones who have understanding will do great exploits during this season (Daniel 11:32-33).
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 3 E. Isaiah also makes a specific prophecy concerning a location known as Sinim. While the exact location of Sinim is difficult to determine, it was a location that was very far from the land of Israel either to the south or to the east and there is some evidence that indicates that it could be a reference to the nation of China. 12 Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, and these from the land of Sinim. (Isaiah 49:12 NKJV) 1. This prophecy gives us more information about what may be going on the east because Isaiah 49 is set in a very specific eschatological context. It describes the return of Jesus and predicts that He will liberate and minister to oppressed Jews returning the Far East. 8 Thus says the LORD: In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That You may say to the prisoners, Go forth, To those who are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. 10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. 11 I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated. (Isaiah 49:8 11 NKJV) 2. The fact that Jews are coming from afar and that a location that is far east of the land is mentioned is a very strong inference that east Asia may be an area that shelters large numbers of Jews who flee the antichrist s oppression to the east. 3. Isaiah tells us that the path along which the gospel spreads from China to Jerusalem will become a road of escape in the end-times for oppressed Jews. F. The desire of the Chinese church to go back to Jerusalem is clearly a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit, and when we consider such a sovereign move in light of what we see in the prophetic Scripture, we must ask what this means as a sign of the times and how we can cooperate with what God is doing. When God starts moving on the largest church in the east for the sake of Jerusalem, we must take it very seriously. 1. God cares deeply for the unreached people between China and Jerusalem. He wants a vibrant remnant of believers who know and love His Son in these regions. The Bible tells us there must be a remnant from these people groups before the throne (Revelation 5:9; 7:9). 2. He also is preparing the nations for His purposes in the end-times. He wants these nations prepared through a missionary witness to serve His purposes and to labor with Him for the salvation of all of Israel and to shelter and protect Jews during the end-times. He wants them to have His burden both for the salvation of the nations and the salvation of all Israel.
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 4 G. It will be a sign and a wonder and an extravagant demonstration of the reality of the one new man (Ephesians 2:15) when Asian believers will give their lives, not only to take the gospel to the unreached, but also for the sake of persecuted Jews. Many of these people are hostile to God s plan for Israel now, but in the end-times many of them will give their lives for Jews and this will be a sign and a wonder. 1. The road back to Jerusalem is a two way street. It is both the relentless march of Christianity through some of the hardest and darkest place in the earth and an escape route from some of the hardest and darkest places for Jews trapped at the end of the age. 2. It is God s glorious plan that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and many others will turn wholeheartedly to Jesus and then express His love and kindness to Jews seeking refuge. Many who now would just assume annihilate the Jews will, due to the work of missionaries, end up willing to surrender their own lives to preserve Jewish life as a tender and sacred expression of YHWH s love. H. The labor of believers in the east will actually fulfill the Scriptural promise that God will be able to regather Jews to Israel from the east after the reign of the antichrist. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west; (Isaiah 43:5 NKJV) I. The aggressive expansion of Islamic radicalism in Asia must be understood in light of God s plan for Asia. Islam s attempt to control many of these nations is ultimately the enemy s attempt to prevent the east from serving the purposes that God has for the region. IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF AFRICA A. In addition the east, the Scripture repeatedly highlights the significance of Africa in the endtimes. Passages like Isaiah 11 emphasize the return of the Jews from Africa at the end of the age because it is a significant place of refuge for them as they flee from the antichrist. 11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt. (Isaiah 11:11-12, 16 NKJV) B. Regions in Africa are highlighted throughout the prophetic Scripture when it discusses the end of the age. 7 In that time a present will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin, and from a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation powerful and treading down, whose land the rivers divide to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, to Mount Zion. (Isaiah 18:7 NKJV)
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 5 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria a blessing in the midst of the land, (Isaiah 19:23 24 NKJV) 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13 NKJV) 14 Thus says the LORD: The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God. (Isaiah 45:14 NKJV) 10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia (Literally Cush ) my worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering. (Zephaniah 3:10 NKJV) 31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia (Literally Cush ) will quickly stretch out her hands to God. (Psalm 68:31 NKJV) 1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. (Hosea 11:1 NKJV) 1 10 They shall walk after the LORD. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling from the west; 11 they shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses, says the LORD. (Hosea 11:10-11 NKJV) C. When we understand the biblical significance of Africa and Egypt, we can better understand the unparalleled movement of the Holy Spirit in Africa in the last several decades. There has been over a century of significant missionary investment in Africa that is out of proportion to its share of the global population. 1. This investment reached a crescendo when the Holy Spirit suddenly put the exclamation point on Africa through the massive crusades of Reinhard Bonnke where over a million people have gathered in a single evangelistic meeting. 1 Hosea highlights a long time pattern of Israel descending to Egypt in a time of trouble and being brought back up to the land when the trouble has passed. The first example was Joseph s forced descent into Egypt that ultimately preserved the fledgling nation during a seven-year period of trouble. The second fulfillment, that Matthew highlights is Jesus own descent into Egypt to preserve His life and therefore all the promises made to Israel. In light of other verses, it is reasonable to assume that Hosea 11:1 also applies to the end of the age when a significant number of Jews will return to the land by coming up out of Egypt. This return from Egypt could be because they were imprisoned in Egypt or they are coming up through Egypt from various locations even deeper in the African continent or for both reasons.
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 6 2. Such an unusual evangelistic movement in Africa is unprecedented in church history and only makes sense in light of God s end-time purposes for Africa. D. At the same time, God is not the only one who is making a substantial investment in Africa. There is also another competing revival movement going on in Africa that is rapidly gaining ground: the dark force of radical Islam. In the last few decades we have seen an increasing radicalization of Islam in Africa. Islam, once primarily dominant in North Africa, is driving deep into Africa with force and violence, not content with anything less than domination of the entire continent. E. Christianity and Islam are battling for the soul of Africa because radical Islam is bent on control of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Jewish state in the land, and ultimately the elimination of the Jews. Understanding these basic tenets of radical Islam helps to frame the conflict in Africa because God had designed Africa to serve His purposes for Jerusalem by providing shelter for persecuted Jews. V. THE MIDDLE EAST A. Both Daniel 8 and Daniel 11 highlight the region that was controlled by the Seleucid Empire as the foreshadowing of the kingdom of the antichrist. When Daniel 8 references the antichrist empire, it introduces it as the latter days of the Seleucid Empire. This is a large region that extends from eastern Turkey all the way to Afghanistan. 22 As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. (Daniel 8:22 23 NKJV)
SESSION 4 Understanding the Geography of the End Times PAGE 7 B. The Lord is giving us a clear warning about the general area where the antichrist will center His kingdom so that we can prepare the nations through missions and evangelism with understanding. Scripture indicates that the Jews will face fierce trials in this region. 11 It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11 NKJV) 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13 NKJV) 7 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that they shall no longer say, As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, 8 but, As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land. (Jeremiah 23:7 8 NKJV) C. The challenge in the Middle East is very real. Islamic radicalism is aggressively expanding, violently persecuting Christians, and spreading anti-semitism. It is laying a foundation of intense opposition to God s plan for Jerusalem. D. At the same time, we have the promise that God will pour out His Spirit in the most difficult hour of human history (Revelation 12:10-12). We also have the prophetic promise that, when Jesus returns, nations throughout the Middle East that have been Israel s enemies throughout generations will actually be united together in God s purposes. While only the return of Jesus can bring this dramatic transition to the Middle East, the growth and endurance of the church in these areas is connected to the promise of God s future for this region. 24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance. (Isaiah 19:24 25 NKJV) VI. UNDERSTANDING GOD S WORK IN THE MIDDLE EAST A. There are great challenges in the Middle East and in the nations that surround the Middle East. These challenges are directly related to God s purpose for Jerusalem and His purposes for these nations. We can see that, in virtually all of these regions, there is intense conflict and opposition to the gospel. Though there is conflict, there are also great promises about the transformation that God will bring to the Middle East when His plan is finished. B. Already, in virtually all of these regions we are already seeing very unusual growth in the church and the work of the Holy Spirit in national revival. Even as the enemy is seeking to oppose God s plan for Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit is preparing the church and the nations for His glorious plan for the Middle East. Though the end-times will be a difficult time, it will ultimately give way to glory as God finishes His plan for this age and His Son rules from His throne in Jerusalem.