“Who’s Doomed in the Mideast?” – FBC Morning Light (9/19/2024)

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What a good Thursday morning to you. Today in our Bible reading we're finishing the Old Testament book of Zechariah, and I'm reading this passage today, and I'm thinking about all the stuff that's going on in the

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Middle East and with Israel, of course, at the center. And this current

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Mideast crisis related to Israel is yet another occasion when it seems that her neighbors are eager to destroy the nation of Israel.

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They'd love to see it completely wiped out and become nothing but a huge large

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Palestinian state. That seems to be the goal of some of those who are so antagonistic toward the nation of Israel.

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Well, my question is, are they going to succeed? Will they be able to do it? Now, I don't have the answer to that question related to the nation of Israel as it currently exists in the

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Middle East. I'm not sure. I don't know. And yeah,

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I know there are a lot of guys who do know, at least I think they do, and you can go on the internet, you can go on YouTube and so forth, and you can find them.

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They're all quite confident that what's going on right now is that which is happening at the time of the end, and they may be right.

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All I know is that what we read here in this passage is that they will not succeed, all these nations that want to destroy

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Israel, if this is the day that the Lord will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Israel.

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And we read about that in verses 2 and following here of Zechariah 12.

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It says, the Lord says, Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem, and it shall happen in that day that I will make

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Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

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In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness, I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and I will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

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In other words, the Lord says, if this that's going on in the Middle East right now is this day that the

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Lord is talking about, then no, these nations that are coming against Israel will not succeed.

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But there's more. If this is that day, then it's also going to be accompanied by a great spiritual revival that will result in salvation.

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So we see this in verse 7 and following, chapter 12, verse 7. The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.

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In that day, the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the

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Lord before them. It shall be in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and, keep reading,

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I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication.

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So if this is that day, it'll be accompanied by the outpouring of God's Spirit and a great spiritual revival.

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There will even be brokenness over the piercing of the

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Redeemer. Verse 10 goes on to say, Then they will look on me whom they pierced.

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Yes, they will mourn for him. This is Christ, of course. They will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn.

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Yes, if this is that day, that the Lord delivers Israel from all her surrounding enemies and destroys them, it'll be accompanied by salvation, a great outpouring of repentance and brokenness for what was done to the

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Redeemer. Chapter 13, verse 1 indicates that there would be, that there will be great cleansing.

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Verse 1, it says, In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

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And all of the idolatry and false religion that is right now dominant in the nation of Israel, it will be purged.

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Verse 2 says, In that day, says the Lord, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land. They shall no longer be remembered.

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I will also cause the prophets and then clean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, and his father and mother begot him, will say to him,

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You shall not live because you've spoken lies in the name of the Lord. All the error and the falsehood of current religion and irreligion in the land of Israel will be eradicated.

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And it seems that all of this will occur as a great process of refinement.

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Look at chapter 13, verses 7 through 9, and it says, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my companion, says the

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Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Then I will turn my hand against the little ones, and it shall come to pass in all the land, says the

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Lord, that two -thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one -third shall be left in it.

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I will bring the one -third through the fire. I will refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold is tested.

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They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is my people, and each one will say, The Lord is my

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God. Well, you know, I hope this is that day.

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I pray that it comes. I pray that it comes. I pray that all the conflict that's going on in the

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Middle East will not result in anything short of this great refining and revival of God's people.

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So our Father and our God, again, even as we prayed yesterday, even so come, Lord Jesus, and we pray that you would indeed bring about this revival and refinement of the nation of Israel, and make the people who claim to be the people of God the people of God indeed, and not just in word.

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And we pray it in Jesus' name, and for Jesus' sake, amen. All right, listen,