As the events in the Middle East take on some historic proportions, I am reminded of the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising) which began in 1987 here in Israel. It brought such an earthquake of change in the whole perception of the conflict here, and its consequences world-wide, that I had to seek the Lord for His answer in the Scriptures. And the Holy Spirit led me to Gen. 27:40b specifically, but within the whole context of the conflict of the “two nations” born to Isaac and to Rebecca. When I perceived the significance of the prophetic word here spoken by Isaac to Esau, it was both exciting and fearful. I asked an Arab brother what this verse means in Arabic, and particularly the Hebrew word tarid (which is the same root word for rebel and for dictator), translated as “become restless” (NKJV; NASB), or “shall have the dominion” (KJV) in English. He looked in his Bible, and told me “intifada“!
The time had come for these events spoken of nearly 4000 years ago to openly and aggressively begin to come to pass in our generation! Those who think or feel or believe that they are unjustly or unnecessarily under the yoke of another ‘family’ member, of another religious moral code, of a political form of government — the time will come when they will do all in their power to shake and throw off the ones holding the reins of control, the reigns of power. We have seen it in the two Palestinian uprisings; we see it in Islam seeking to overthrow Jewish-Christian-Western supremacy over their people and cultures; we see it in lawless agitators stirring up the multitude to overthrow normative rules of law and order, especially in those countries where the few elite have abused those rules to subvert whole nations under their military, political, or religious dictatorships; we see it in the overthrow of all moral restraint with respect to normative marriage and families, the feminist movement, the homosexual agenda to make that which is sinful and unnatural to be accepted as equal with God-blessed and natural.
Intifada is something that we as believers need to be concerned about within ourselves. Are we continuing in rightful and whole-hearted submission to the Lord Jesus and to His word, or are we casting off restraint to do what seems right in our own eyes, or to what ‘feels good’, to what satisfies the fleshly or soulish pleasures, the lust of the flesh? (Tit 3:1-8) There are those who express themselves publicly as having “No Fear”: when we cease to fear God, we cast off restraint, not keeping the law! This is the very word written in Proverbs: “Without a vision, the people become unruly; but happy is he who keeps the Law.” (see also Lk 12:42-46; Ex 32:23-25)
The Scriptures are clear that in the last days, lawlessness will increase. Intifada does not stop at overthrow of those keeping unbounded liberty in check; it takes on a violence which takes away any sense of peace and security, and produces fearfulness and anxiety, and a vexation of righteous souls. (Gen 19:4-9)
Ps 2:2-3 The kings of the Earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against YHVH and His Anointed One (His Messiah/Christ): ‘Let us break their bonds in pieces, and cast away their cords from us!’
2Thes 2:6-12 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only that which now restrains will do so until it is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2Tim 3:1-5, 12-15 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! . . . Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Messiah Yeshua will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you (we) must continue in the things which you (we) have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you (we) have learned, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you (us) wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Cancer is a fearful and dreaded scourge in our generation, and begins hidden within the body before it erupts in a destructive and lethal manner if it has not been diagnosed and subjugated in time. T. Austin Sparks has written with great insight, “What is cancer? Well, I cannot answer all the research on that matter , but I can tell you what is known: that cancer exists because of the loss of one central governing and regulating authority. It is something that has broken away from authority and ignores controlling and regulating authority in the organism, and becomes an authority in itself, becomes some thing that is something in itself, and has absolutely refused that central authority regulating and governing within the organism. It has taken things into its own hands. It is cancer, the great scourge!” (taken from “The Second Man…The Last Adam”)
These are the end times of the last days. Even our bodies are fomenting an intifada, the deadly revolt of sin overthrowing what God has fearfully and wonderfully made.
When will true believers in the Anointed One of YHVH God begin to earnestly seek the only one who is a truly benign Dictator; (Ps 2:8-9; Rev 2:25-29) the only one who is truly a King whose throne is established by righteousness and justice (judgment); (Ps 45:6-7; Heb 1:8-9) the only one who is truly a good Shepherd to His countrymen (Ezek 34:20-31; Jn 10:7-16), and a good Father to His people? (2Cor 6:14 – 7:1); the only one whose yoke is easy and His burden light; the only one who heals all of our diseases and sinfulness; the only one who is holy, holy, holy?! Even so, Come, Lord Yeshua! (see 2Tim 4:8)
