“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with (surrounded by) armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Then let them which are in the midst of it depart out: and let not that are in the countries enter thereinto.

For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”  LUKE 21: 20-22

Many wonder why Israel is so important, and why we should be ever aware of what is taking place.

It is truly mind-boggling how many today who profess Christianity outright hate Israel and voice opinions contrary to Bible teaching concerning the sovereignty of God concerning Israel and her people.

I thought we would start there.

Read the verse above and answer me this?

Does it say when you see America, or China, or Canda surrounded by armies?

Does it instruct those in areas of New York, California, or Timbuctoo to flee and no one else to enter in when these things come to pass?

No, these instructions are for God’s chosen, and true believers who may reside there and specifically Messianic Jews who are residing in Judea at the time of the fulfillment of these things.

Jesus’ teaching in this passage is for those living in Israel who also follow him and his teachings. as no other nation is addressed by these instructions.

They are given specifically to those residing in Judea.

Israel is the center of the end-time events and the culmination of all human existence as we know it on this earth.

Jehovah surely loves his adopted children and welcomed us and blessed us beyond measure with ease of entry into his family with the simple requirement of belief and acceptance.

We are not required to first partake of Judaism but are accepted merely by grace but that in no way nullifies his relationship with his Hebrew children and the great battle which will ensue revolves around Israel not America nor any other nation, Israel and Israel only.

“Remember the days of old. consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” DEUTERONOMY 32:7-10

The arguments going forth against Israel by some who again profess Christ, whose action prove otherwise, proving them to be nothing more than modern day Pharisees as the lot Jesus was often met with who displayed such arrogance against him, pointing to their supposed relationship to God, when God himself in the form of man stood in front of them and not only did they not recognize him but fought against him.

“Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us doubt? if thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed me not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

I and me Father are one.” JOHN 10:24-30

And as we should know the reference to touch the apple of someone’s eye, it is a horrifying proposition to have that thought in context to the eye of God.

I would suggest to just turn off these loudmouth mockers who are only further condemning themselves and not give them the attention that they seek by ridiculing God’s chosen for popularity and prestige, they are turning many hearts against the truth of God.

And for those who follow after them, taking their false claims as true Gospel allowing themselves to be led into a net that will catch not only repercussions from God in this life but their soul also,

As he has told us in his word, he will not be mocked, and these will reap as they have sown but do not allow your own peace to be threatened by constantly listening to lies and false accusations because it will snare your soul with unrest.

We got that covered, now to the fancy pants and big britches.

No one is above repentance.

Amazing how all these world leaders are suddenly descended like ravenous birds of prey upon Israel, because in the spirit realm that is indeed exactly what they are.

The opinions of leaders constantly changing, so much so that only God himself knows what they really feel, think, or believe.

Some of the things that have been said lately by those leaders really make me wonder what other deities also are praised behind closed doors, is this like give honor in accordance with the company that is being kept.

You know, kinda like Harris and her ever changing accents on the campaign trail.

People aren’t stupid, they notice things but many refuse to admit that what they are seeing is exactly what is really there.

Is it intentional?  Is it the group of counselors either leading completely wrong cherishing their position above the truth or is it to usher in the evitable?

There will be no true peace in the Middle East until the return of Jesus Christ.

There will be a seven-year peace deal signed at some point, but that deal will only be ushering in the time of the rise of the anti-Christ.

As it is his desire to rule and reign from Jerusalem and the temple as that is his agenda, a useless attempt to propel himself above God and be worshipped.

We are seeing all this play out, it could be tomorrow it could be years down the road, but we are seeing those things that Jesus warned us of.

Don’t you just love these old sayings, idioms for arrogance, fancy pants and big britches and it is so ironic because the big britches is actually one of my least favorites, however, it was on my heart for this post, so here we are!

I am sure it would ring into the ears of most everyone who had been reared by a grandma, no matter how far they may have moved on from that past life.

Arrogance.

Arrogance has been the downfall of many a person and many a ruler.

“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”  DANIEL 2:20,21

Nebuchadnezzar, that is whom the above passage was addressed to.

He was an absolute trip, the world at his feet, conquest after conquest and at this point he held the children of Isreal captive in Babylon.

Many of these stories I am sure you are familiar with, and I really wish we could get into all but for sake of reading time we can’t but please go back and study the Book of Daniel, it chronicles his journey and how the Lord kept him and performed many miraculous works while he was in that captivity.

Nebuchadnezzar could certainly be described as fancy pants; he often had dreams, and God had given Daniel the interpretations, and it seems as though rather than heed the dreams and be humbled by them, he instead grew more arrogant.

To highlight his really bad ideas, he had a dream of a great statue of many materials and once it was interpenetrated and he being revealed as the head of gold decided that rather than view this as a foretelling of the downfall of civilization, he would consider it a personal compliment and construct a golden statue inviting all his cronies the world over to come see his wonderful accomplishment.

And command that when the music played, the statue be worshipped every day by the good citizens of the original Babylon or face the punishment of being thrown into his furnace.

And of course, we have we the three Hebrews who refused to worship the image and were indeed thrown into the furnace which he had cranked up seven times hotter than normal, so hot in fact that it killed those who were charged with throwing the young men in.

But they were not alone, God sent an angel to protect them, and Nebuchadnezzar was shocked to observe four men in the furnace rather than just three and gave God glory and released them perfectly unharmed.

You would think he would have got it about right there but no; he is still incredibly special in his opinion and the arrogance continued to grow until it reached the ears of heaven itself.

Nebuchadnezzar had yet another troubling dream and I for sake of your reading time will go straight to the interpretation and what followed, as Daniel describes it, please also notice that even with this warning, he did not change his heart toward God or repent as Daniel had advised him, I placed an asterisk at that verse.

“Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

The tree which thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth:

Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat (food) for all; under which the beasts of the filed dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of heaven had their habitation:

It is thou, O King, that are grown and become strong: for they greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the ends of the earth.

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field: and let it  be wet with dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beats of the field, till seven times pass over him.

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon the lord the king:

That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whosoever he will.

And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

*Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor;  if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility (peace).

All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar.

At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

While the word was in the king’s mouth (before he even finished speaking), there fell a voice from heaven, saying. O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times (years) shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

That same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle’s feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned to me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.” DANIEL 4:19-34

He does go on a few verses to exalt the Lord, but for sake of time I stopped there, but please go back and read those.

Misery loves company and bad ideas seem to time-travel.

Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar, (not to be confused with Daniel’s Babylonian name) came into power, he had a big ego and even worse ideas than his father and once he was drinking and partying and trying to impress his buddies, he called for the sacred vessels of gold and silver  that had been taken from the temple of God when Babylon had taken Jerusalem, so that he, his wives, princes, and concubines could drink wine and praise their gods of silver, gold, brass, iron, tone, and wood while doing so.

I’ll hit and miss verses, but it will highlight the story.

“In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Then the king’s countenance (demeanor) was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one another (his knees shook).” DANIEL 5:5,6

The story goes on that the queen remembered that Daniel, who was still in exile, had interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar so she suggested he brought to the king, as no other could interpret the writing.

The king went on to tell Daniel that no one else could understand the message and offer gifts for the interpretation, to which Daniel refused, as this was God working not Daniel himself.

Daniel then tells him the account of his father and what happened when his heart was lifted up within him, and we will pick it up there.

“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drank wine in them; and praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know.

And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting (lacking).

PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” DANIEL 5:22-28

He and his kingdom ended with that because he just couldn’t resist an arrogant show of false bravado. And we know it was false as we are told the details of his knees actually shaking with fear, as any persons would under those circumstances.

Now think about that, he was just having a good, old pagan party, but God was still very aware of what was going on.

God takes care and watches over all that pertains to him, his people and his kingdom.

We could also go into several stories, again of rulers that just lost it to arrogance while wearing their fancy pants and big britches.

God sees it, God hears it and God will answer it.

Pray that advisors will advise the truth and that the truth will be heeded.

Israel is not just another country to be intimidated and pressured into self-destruction and used for purposes that are against the will of God.

“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” PSALMS 121:4

Φλογιζω NBJ 2025/ Rev. N Brown Johnson