Greetings friends, and welcome back!  I am spending time meditating on Anne Graham Lotz’s  911: An Urgent Call to Pray for Jerusalem, and you’re invited to meditate along with me!

Anne’s prayer includes these words:

“In this present worldwide climate of unbridled evil, we are becoming desperate!  Nations are unraveling.  Wars are raging. There are rumors of more wars breaking out. Kingdom is rising against kingdom. Our spirits feel the turmoil and agitation that surely is a reflection of the warfare being waged in the invisible realms.  We need You!  For everything!  But our hearts are now burdened for the Epicenter of the world. For Jerusalem and all that she represents at this critical, strategic last hour.”

Indeed, unbridled evil is seen in ISIS, Hamas, Russia, Iran, and within many other people groups and nations.  Wars are raging and rumors of war abound.  However, I want to focus on the idea of nation rising against nation.  Anne’s thoughts here are obviously taken from Matthew 24:7 which says (in part), “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”  Jesus is responding to questions from His disciples about the last days.

Matthew 24 is filled with nuggets of gold for the student wanting to understand end times.  One of those nuggets is found in verse 7 where Jesus talks about nation rising against nation.  The word “nation” is translated from the Greek word “ethnos,” from which we get our English word “ethnic.”  Thus, this verse could be translated “…ethnic group will rise against ethnic group…,” which is exactly what we are seeing today!

For centuries, conventional warfare was fought primarily between what we view as nations.  However, in today’s world, though nations indeed still rise up against nations, we see a turn toward ethnic groups rising against ethnic group.  For example, Palestinians live in Israel, yet we see them rising against another ethnic group, the Jews.  We see Sunnis rise against Shiites, such as ISIS’s intent to overthrow Iraqi Shiite leadership.  We see various terrorist groups rising not against nations, but against those who do not agree with them.  Ethnos rising against ethnos.  We’re seeing Bible prophecy being fulfilled.

I believe Anne’s suggestion that the turmoil and agitation we feel is a reflection of the invisible warfare being waged in the invisible realm is spot on.  The apostle Paul warns us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Believers, though we see evil abound in our world today, we must be aware that what we see through earthly eyes is nothing compared to the battles that are being wages in the spiritual realm.  Indeed, what we see is a reflection of warfare in the heavenlies.  But we can be sure that our Lord God is a Mighty Warrior and has given angels charge over us, to guard us in all our ways.  (Psalm 91:11)

To summarize, two truths come to mind:

1. Evil is alive and well, and it is our responsibility to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6).  In addition to being “suited up,” we are to be diligent in prayer.  Pray for the protection of Israel, and for innocent citizens in the Epicenter.
2. Our God is a Mighty Warrior and, in the end, He will stand to defeat the enemy once and for all!  As believers, we stand on the side of the Almighty and He shelters us under His wings (Psalm 91:4).

The battles will grow stronger as we approach the end of time.  Let’s continue to petition our Mighty God on behalf of Israel.  He stands first and foremost for His chosen people, so let’s pray that His chosen people will see their Messiah!  (Use Anne Graham Lotz’s prayer to guide you.)