Episode 33: Israel | Hamas | The End Times - What Does it Mean?

“Why should I care about Israel?”

This week we are beginning our study through 1 Thessalonians and connecting it to the war in Israel and why as Christians we should care.

We cover the timeline of Israel and the ongoing conflict over the land in Israel.  “The Pour Over News” gives a great timeline of the dispute over the land in Israel dating all the way back to the book of Genesis.

We discuss questions like “Why should we be in support of the Jews and the nation of Israel?” and “how does the history affect us today?”

But before we look at 1 Thessalonians, we examine the words of Jesus in Luke 11:8-27 and the prophecy of Jesus and what would happen in the world before the end times began.  Then, we jump ahead in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and discuss what we call the rapture of the church and what Paul describes as “being caught up in the clouds.”

What’s the purpose?

God has not left us in the dark.  We know what the signs will be when the rapture is nearing. The purpose of this prophecy from Jesus is to bring us hope.  Hope that as followers of Christ we will be saved.  We will be resurrected at the coming of Christ, whether we’re still alive or whether our bodies have been put in a grave, we will live again but until then we can hold our heads up looking for the return of Jesus at any moment.

What’s the challenge?

Be ready!  Be ready to go when Jesus comes back but not only that, do what 1 Thessalonians 4:18 and 5:11 says “comfort one another with these words.”

And then let’s live out the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20