Les Young, Director http://www.endtimesencouragement.com/
(860) 376-5278 pastorles@comcast.net

June 17, 2009

“In the Twinkling of an Eye”

Most people connect that phrase from the Bible with the rapture, and rightly so. 1 Corinthians 15:52 (NKJV) 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Leading up to that moment in time, “things” will happen on planet earth with ever-increasing intensity and frequency. Needless to say, this will include some amazing events seemingly take place almost instantaneously, right before our eyes. It’s not that these things won’t be accompanied by signs, and it’s not that after they take place they won’t evoke a hind-sightful “Aha!” It will be like the expecting couple that went through nine months of physical and hormonal change, viewing their precious baby in those first few minutes following delivery and exclaiming. “I can’t believe it! He (she) is really here.”
On Sunday, June 14th I concluded my message (Part 1 of “The Order of Revelation”) in Revelation 11. The first two verses state: Revelation 11:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
I was sharing how this seems to paint a vivid picture of a reconstructed (albeit down-sized) temple in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, as it is today. It also paints a picture of a divided or internationally controlled Jerusalem. Later in the day, I was wondering whether recent events in Israel actually portray a climate that is moving away from such an eventuality. Then, two days later I received this news from Jerusalem:
ISRAEL'S PM CALLS FOR DEMILITARIZED PALESTINIAN STATE: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel could accept a peace agreement with a "demilitarized Palestinian state" as its neighbor. In his first speech accepting the concept of a two-state solution for the Middle East conflict, Netanyahu set rigid conditions for moving forward. Among them: unequivocal Palestinian recognition of Israel as the Jewish national state with Jerusalem as its capital and full demilitarization for a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said: "Above all else, the Palestinians must decide between the path of peace and the path of Hamas. The Palestinian Authority will have to establish the rule of law in Gaza and overcome Hamas. Israel will not sit at the negotiating table with terrorists who seek their destruction." (CNN, June 16, 2009)

It appears that the USA, pressured by the Saudis, in turn pressured Israel to take steps towards a peace agreement or face the possibility of lessening support. So, hard-line, right-wing Israeli PM Netanyahu has taken a step. Admittedly, it has not been well received by the PA or Hamas, or the EU for that matter, but a step has been taken. And sometimes a step, or even a quantum leap, can happen “in the twinkling of an eye.”

Encouraged by the Promise of His Coming,

Les Young

Jerusalem, A Cup of Trembling

www.endtimesencouragement.com

June 9, 2009

Jerusalem has been labeled as the "epicenter" in Joel Rosenberg's book by the same title. The prophet Zechariah calls the city a "cup of trembling" and a "burdensome stone" in Zechariah 12:2-3. The Apostle John declares that the court outside the (rebuilt) temple and the holy city (Jerusalem) will be given unto the Gentiles and it shall be trampled underfoot for 42 months. (Revelation 11:1-2)

In 2003, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed a new peace plan which "promised normal relations" with Israel. In 2003, the U.S. administration unveiled a new plan for peace in the Middle East, known simply as "The Road Map." Both the Saudi plan and the Road Map included the so-called "two-state solution" and a divided Jerusalem, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the new Palestinian state. Had either of these two plans followed their original timetable, the matter would be history by the space of four years. Instead the conflict and the rhetoric continue.

Just yesterday, JNN News (www.visionforisrael.com )reported:

SAUDIS: US MUST CUT AID IF ISRAEL DOES NOT AGREE TO PEACE TERMS: Saudi Arabian FM Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week, following Obama’s Cairo speech, the US should cut off all aid to Israel if the Jewish state does not accept the terms of the 2002 Saudi Peace Plan. He also made it clear the only concession the Arab world can make to Israel is diplomatic recognition, meaning all other terms of the Saudi peace initiative are non-negotiable. The Saudi Peace Plans calls for the 22-member Arab League to recognize Israel as a country, but not necessarily as a Jewish state, on condition that it surrender all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, including numerous neighborhoods in Jerusalem and the Old City, where the proposed PA state would be headquartered.

The pressure is building. President Obama is more insistent than his predecessor that Israel stop construction in the West Bank and give up land for the formation of a Palestinian state. Now with the demands of oil-rich Saudi Arabia being raised again, who knows where this will lead. Bible prophecy students know that it will lead to a temporary peace and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, but how convoluted the process may be to that point......well, just keep your eyes on the Word of God and the City of God......as we "look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12),

Pastor Les

The Ten Toes

In the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a collosal image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet of both iron and clay. When Daniel interprets the dream, each part of the colossus represents a world kingdom; gold = Babylon, silver = Medo-Persia, bronze = Greece, iron = Rome. The feet of iron and clay depict a kingdom yet future from our perspective, made up of a mixture of iron (the old Roman Empire) and clay. Daniel comments that "they will not adhere to one another."

Here is a thought for you to ponder, especially in light of President Obama's visit to the Middle East and Europe. Could it be that the mixture of iron and clay represents a coalition between the revived Roman Empire (now Europe, and the EU) and Islam? The way things are going, it certainly seems possible. President Obama's combined trip is symbolic of that possibility; and the changing demographics of Europe point towards such a probability.

And what could it be that would cause these two dissimilar elements to be joined together? Could it be a common goal of forcing Israel into an exchange of land for peace deal? What interesting times we live in. As the prophetic scene unfolds, take courage in the fact that God is in charge and that all man who choose can access His grace to obtain strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

For more insight and encouragement, please visit my website at http://www.endtimesencouragement.com/

God bless,

Les Young