What Is Going To Happen in the Middle East?

Dr. Couch, what is going to happen in terms of the Middle East and all that our President is now doing? ANSWER: I would not want to give dates but there is no question that we're moving in the direction that all premillennialists have taught. The Bible is clear! We are getting close to the Rapture of the church, the removal of the believers before the wrath of God falls on the earth. I also believe we are already into the time of the Apostasy, the falling away from The Truth and The Faith! Note what is stated in Psalm 129:5. "May all who hate Zion, be put to shame and turned backward." Too, the world will despise the Jewish people. They will also begin to despise Christian Zionists—That's Me! In the Hebrew text, the word "Sa'Nay" is a very strong word. It means to be "unable to put up with, to treat as an enemy." The world disdains the Jewish people. In his commentary Unger says: "The Spirit of prophecy through the prayer of the psalmist announces the doom of the wicked, who manifest their hatred of God and His Word by their hatred of the Jew." God promises to someday restore the Jewish people to health. He will "heal you of your wounds," Jeremiah says (Jer. 30:17). Because the world will say "You are an outcast. It is Zion; no one cares for her." Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch

Other Ministries Informing Us About Israel and the Middle East

Dr. Couch, you do a great job keeping us informed about Israel and the Middle East, and the end times. What other ministries have websites doing similar reporting?   ANSWER:  I don't keep up with all of them, though there is a bunch doing the same thing. Evangelicals who believe the Bible are seeing the light, in contrast to the covenant guys who are out to lunch, who deny the literal words of Scripture, who replace the church with Israel. We are no doubt already into the apostasy of the church prophesied by Peter and Paul.    In my opinion, we will not turn all this around. Europe long ago departed from its Reformation heritage and roots, so the same with England. And now, the departure is accelerating in America!    I believe the departure will grow even more diabolical just prior to the tribulation, and about the time of the rapture of the church. Paul tells of these times when he writes:    The antichrist, "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and will all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thess. 2:9-12).    And more: "Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived …" (2 Tim. 3:13). "For the time will come when they will not endure sound (healthy) doctrine (teaching), but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths (the lies)" (4:3-4).    We are there!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

What Is Going On In The World Today?

Dr. Couch, what is going on in the world today?

ANSWER: Everything is happening that I was teaching some forty years or more ago. Dispensationalists certainly do not know the timetable of the rapture or the tribulation but we can look clearly at the Bible and see patterns being formed that are there in Scripture. We are now in the period of the dress rehearsal, the prelude, the forming of the storm clouds that will soon overshadow the world and bring on the tribulation, the terrible wrath of God.

But of course, the church will not be here. It will be raptured away before the wrath comes. See 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:1-9.

Note how the world is interlinked together more than ever before. And everything is aiming at the Middle East and Israel. The economic and energy crisis will at some point bring the world to the brink in which the people of earth will all together seek earnestly for a strong man to get them out of the mess.

America could fall much quicker than we can imagine. And selfishness and greed will be the catalyst. The average American family owes over $15,000 in credit care debt. One woman interviewed, owes over $80,000 and pays $600 each month on interest. There is no way the country will get out of that mess. Trillions of dollars are now owed on credit cards. In some places food costs have risen some 80%.

The Word of God gives the full scope of doctrine, including the larger picture of history. We would be smart to pay attention!

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

What in the World is Happening in the Middle East?

Dr. Couch, what in the world is happening in the Middle East?

ANSWER:Only those of us who are premillennial/dispensationalists have anything to say about Israel and the Middle East. The Covenant-amillennial-allegorical guys are silent! They don't have a clue! They do not believe Scripture and the literalness of coming Bible prophecy.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has put the death sentence on Bush's (Ha, ha, what a joke!) "Road Map To Peace." Only when the Prince of Peace comes and brings worldwide peace, and rules with a scepter of iron, will this globe have peace! But again, only dispensationalists truly understand this.

Bush has abandoned the rule of thumb that the Palestinians must stop their terror before true negotiations can take place. Rice recently said, "The administration has abandoned the most fundamental condition of its support of Palestinian statehood—namely, an end to Palestinian terror." At one time Bush said, "A Palestinian state will NEVER be created by terror" but now says this is not a prerequisite for statehood! If Bush has his way the Eternal City of Jerusalem will be divided between the Arabs and Israel. This will not be Peace! The world will tumble further into the abyss! Christ said if the tribulation is not stopped "No flesh would survive!"

Remember, when the tribulation begins and the church has been caught away into glory, the antichrist will make his move and bring about a false peace. He will broker a contract between Israel and the Arabs. I believe the Jews will be given permission to rebuild their temple on the northern side of the temple mount platform. The Dome of the Rock and the temple will coexist side by side. But half way through the seven year period, he will enter the temple and proclaim himself God. He will proclaim himself even above all gods on the earth. (See 2 Thessalonians 2)

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

What is Going on in Psalm 120?

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Psalm 120, especially in verses 5-7? Could this have to do with some of the things going on in the Middle East with Israel even today?

 

There are many prophecies that more and more seem to apply to issues of today, that maybe we overlooked in the past. I believe this is possible with this Psalm, and Dr. Merrill F. Unger concurs. 

The Psalm may be about the Jews returning to Jerusalem from Babylon but there is more. Verses 5-7 seem to indicate a future time when the Jews would be surrounded and even overwhelmed by those in the pagan nations. Unger points out that the reference to "sojourning in Meshech" in verse 5a is a reference to possibly being scattered among the European nations. Meshech was a descendant of Japheth from which the Europeans derive (Gen. 10:21). Meshech is also part of the leadership that rises up with a surprise attack on the Jewish people who are living in the Holy Land—the famous Ezekiel 38-39, "The Coming Russian Invasion of Israel." (I believe we are coming near to this event right now!) 

Then there is the reference to Keder (v. 5b) who was a descendant of Ishmael who was a son of Abraham. The descendants of Ishmael were part of the larger body of Arabic peoples, who loved strife like their father (Gen. 16:12). And of course they have been in perpetual conflict, and even a state of hatred, with the descendants of Abraham-Isaac-and Jacob, who are the present day Jewish people of the Covenant!

The last two verses are interesting and sound very much like what is happening even today. "Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war" (vv. 6-7). Unger writes:

How true this situation is today. The Jews are scattered throughout the world among the Gentiles, and the State of Israel is surrounded by overwhelming numbers of hostile Arabs (Ishmaelites), who plan their extinction.

In the Hebrew text the expression "I am for peace" is actually "I peace." Unger paraphrases this with the Jews sighing in this last verse: "My very nature is peace; but when I speak to foster peace, they breathe only war." There will be no peace in the Middle East until the Messiah, the Peacemaker, comes! 

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Thanks for asking.

Dr. Mal Couch

What Will Happen to the Nations Surrounding Israel?

Dr. Couch, what is going to happen to the nations surrounding Israel who hate the Jews and want them destroyed? Even the lost world today knows that something will happen soon in the Middle East that will throw the world into terrible confusion and danger. So where is it all going with these antagonistic nations? 

 

   God is going to have the last say, and it’s all recorded in the prophetic Scriptures. For example, read Ezekiel 28:24-26. The passage will knock you over! 

    God makes it clear that He will "execute judgments upon all who scorn [the Jews], this is, those who live round about them" (v. 26). This will of course be at the end of the tribulation when the second coming takes place and Christ comes back to judge the nations (Matt. 25) and begins His earthly Davidic reign that will last for one thousand years! 

    Even though he usually interprets OT prophecies as if they are about the church age, amillennialist and allegorical guy, Charles Ellicott, has to fess up and admit the passage is about the return of the Jews to their promised land. He writes:

The course of God’s providence is very distinctly marked out in these verses of promise. The judgment upon Judah has already come, in the fall of their holy city and the captivity of the people. … Then comes the promise of the return, and the judgment of the ungodly enemies who have despised Judah (verse 26). This, too, shall be accomplished in its time, and then peace and prosperity shall return to Israel. The immediate point of this prophecy is the return of the Jews to their own land.

    When the day of the millennial blessing arrives "there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any [of the nations] round about them who scorned them; then they [those nations] will know that I am the Lord God" (v. 24). 

    God will then "gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered." His holiness will be visible "in the sight of the nations, they [the Jews] will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob" (v. 25). "They will live securely." 

    In remembering His covenant forever (the Abrahamic covenant) "He will make known to His people (the Jews) the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations" (Psa. 111:5b-6). 

    On Ezekiel 28:24-26 Unger writes that the Jews will be regathered

at the end time for Kingdom blessing, converted Israel (Rom. 11:26) will live securely in the Holy Land (Jer. 23:6; Ezek. 34:25-28; 38:8) and prosper in the land (Jer. 32:15; Amos 9:13-14) when the Lord executes judgments upon their enemies.

    It is such a blessing to take the Word of God at face value and with a normal and literal interpretation. Preterism and amillennialism actually goes up in smoke when you do that! And it is so clear to see that the Lord has a distinct plan and purpose for Israel and then for the church! I feel sorry for those who are partially blinded as to what the entire Bible is teaching! 

Thanks for asking.

Dr. Mal Couch

What is Happening Presently in the Middle East?

Dr. Couch, what is your take on what is happening presently in the Middle East? 

 

   Here are some frightening statistics that will answer your question:

• Fatah’s constitution calls for the demolition and eradication of the nation of Israel.
• The West is funding the Palestinians so they can pay salaries to their Fatah forces.
• Former President and amillennial/allegorist Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter blamed Israel for Palestinian terrorism.
• Arab members of Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, openly sided with Israel’s Arab enemies.
• Last week, rockets fell on the northern Israeli town of Sderot. Little was said about it in the media. What would America do if this was happening to our cities?
• The road to peace is a joke. Connie Rice is getting nowhere with her shuttle diplomacy!
• Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S.
• Only a handful of Arabs are moderate or against the terrorists. And these fear for their lives if they speak out.

   It is still the American Christian public, mainly those who are premillennial, who hold back the tide of disinterest for the Jewish people. When this support goes we will be on the doorstep of the coming World War III, or the tribulation itself. 

Thanks for asking.

Dr. Mal Couch

Who Are The Kings of the East?

Dr. Couch, who are the kings of the east in Revelation 16:12 who invade the Middle East in the second half of the tribulation? 

 

    This happens when the sixth bowl of wrath is poured out by the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven upon “the great river Euphrates.” The waters are dried up “that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east.” 

    Ellicott, the allegorist and amillennialist says the Euphrates is but symbolical. He is wrong of course! The literal Euphrates will play a key role in prophecy in the future. In the past it was a boundary that partly prevented the forces of the orient from coming into the Middle East. Ellicott does make an interesting statement: he points out that it was a kind of protective barrier for Israel in ancient times. 

    The kings of the east in Greek actually is: “the kings from the rising of the sun.” 

    More than likely the kings are the nations of the far east of Israel: Possibly China, India (the Rajs). Most people do not realize it but these nations were ruled by kings and emperors less than one hundred years ago! The June 4, 2007 edition of The Washington Times reports that China is on the move and has worldwide ambitions. They are gearing up their military forces “generating capabilities for other regional contingencies (the Middle East), such as conflict over resources or territory.” That means the Middle East because China is oil poor. She is gobbling up world natural resources and quickly becoming a world super power. Her philosophy presently is to offer support to the Arab nations in that region of the world. When the nations of the world collapse in the middle of the tribulation there will be an international rush by the most powerful nations left to secure the oil for themselves, that presently belongs to the Arab powers. 

    We are on the edge of prophecy being fulfilled! 

    Thanks for asking,

    Dr. Mal Couch

Are the Arabs Descendants of Ishmael?

Dr. Couch, Are the Arabs descendants of Ishmael? 

 

    The Arabs in the Middle East today are a mixture of many peoples, but there are three groups that play heavily on the biblical texts. Yes, they would include far descendants of Ishmael (Gen. 17:20-27), but also the sons of Esau (25:24-on) and Abraham’s later sons from his wife Keturah and his many concubines (25:1-6). Nearing death, Abraham became guilty and fearful about the many sons from the concubines. The Bible says that "Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east" (v. 6). 

    All of these children were not of the covenant through Isaac and Jacob and his sons. This is partly why there is war today in the Middle East over the Jews, and over the Promised Land. Abraham’s family mistakes have to a degree brought about competition, envy, and jealousy. 

    Thanks for asking.

    Dr. Mal Couch

What Is Happening In The Middle East?

Dr. Couch, what is your take on what is now happening in the Middle East, as it may relate to Bible prophecy? 

 

    There is no question that what is happening is another piece of the prophetic larger picture. We do not want to be a date setters but only a fool, or an amillennialist, would deny the significance of where this is all going. 

    In a Waco, TX newspaper, a crowd of pastors interviewed made it clear they did not believe in a coming apocalyptic period on earth. They allegorize the Word of God and lambaste those who take the Scriptures in their normal, literal interpretation. 

Dispensationalists and premillennialists are daily being proven right concerning Israel and her role in Bible prophecy. Again, it must be clear, that we are not saying what is happening are “fulfillments,” but they are indeed steps toward the great tribulation, the wrath of God upon a sinful and denying world. 

    Doubters need to read Jeremiah 30. The “birth pangs” section is quoted by both Christ in Matthew 24, and the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5. The tribulation, the birth pangs, is yet future, and it they only take place when God has regathered Israel back into the land in the last days. 

   Thanks for asking,

   Dr. Mal Couch