Prayer walks are common for me and the objective is to begin the walk with a clear mind, giving the Lord total freedom to bring to mind whatever He desires. I respond in prayer. So, it is like a conversation with a good friend!

Sometimes it is light-hearted as He reaffirms His goodness and blessings. Sometimes it is burdensome as He brings to mind needs and challenges I or others may be facing. Sometimes it is worshipful as He brings to mind His character. Sometimes it is contemplative as Scripture passages flood my mind. A recent prayer walk was like that a few days ago as my mind dwelt on Zechariah 12 particularly these key verses:

² “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. ³ And it shall happen in that day that I will make 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.
~Zechariah 12:2-3 

Hmmm…what is “that day” the prophet speaks of? Kinda sounds like today, doesn’t it? Israel, the tiny nation the size of New Jersey, increasingly dominates the news cycle. Indeed, in current times, nations are gathering against Israel and finding the Jewish state to be a very heavy stone. Some are obsessed with Israel and cast blame on them for regional and global problems! Israel is routinely the whipping boy in the UN, racking up almost 3 times more condemnation than all the other countries on earth combined!

Indeed, Jerusalem has become a cup of drunkenness, and the woundedness of those trying to heave the heavy stone comes not from Jerusalem’s aggressiveness (they don’t seek conflict), but from the efforts of other nations or regimes who attempt to control or eliminate Israel.

Another prophet, Daniel, described a vision of a male statue of gold, silver, bronze, and iron; then feet of iron and clay. (Daniel 2) In that vision, those materials represented successive empires, culminating in one represented in end times made of iron and clay…two elements that do not mix.

While most of the elements are identifiable as specific empires (Gold = Babylon, Silver = Medo-Persia, Bronze = Greece, Iron = Rome) who indeed ruled in succession (thus fulfilling that part of Daniel’s prophecy), Bible scholars don’t all agree on whom the iron and clay represent. Not surprisingly, that part of the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, but will be in the last days.

As I mulled these things in my mind during that prayer walk, I wondered (as some scholars believe) if the iron and clay might represent opposing ideologies of Judeo-Christianity with diametrically opposed ideological forces such as Marxism, Communism, and Islam. Those are definitely ideologies that do not mix!

So, when I returned home, my mind was abuzz with current events, and I sat down to consider them in light of Scripture. What the Lord enlightened me to was not a “new revelation,” but rather a reminder and a deeper understanding of how things are shaping up in our world today in light of Bible prophecy.

I’ll share those thoughts with you tomorrow. Meanwhile, go on your own prayer walk, or just sit and mull those thoughts and ideas in your own mind. Whip out your Bible and see what you find! What do you think the iron and clay represent? What things do you see in today’s world that lend themselves to the characteristics of those elements?

Meet you around the virtual study table tomorrow!