President Trump’s Gift To Christians

Many evangelical Christians are rejoicing over President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin planning to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv. The decision has sparked uproar among Muslim nations, but not just them, but also in Europe and China. 

The decision to do this was a strategic move on the part of Trump whether he realized it or not.  Now more than ever, the world waits for the man of sin, aka – the Antichrist to appear to set up a peace treaty with Israel among the Muslim nations.

Daniel 9:27:  The ruler (the antichrist.  The Book of Revelation calls him the Beast – Rev. 13) will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven (i.e. for seven years). 

This peace pack is designed to bring stability to the Middle East and to put the nations of the world at ease. But this peace pack with Israel won’t last the full seven years. At the middle of the seven years, the Beast breaks his promise and “puts an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration,  until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him” (Dan. 9:27).

In other words, the beast will enter the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem, and inaugurate himself as God (2 Thess. 2:4). 

But here is another important item to zero in on. Bible prophecy shows that before Christ returns, sacrifices will begin again in a holy place – a temple rebuilt in Jerusalem (and that a world-dominating religious authority will stop them). Christ prophesied that “the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, [would be] standing in the holy place” (Matthew 24:15). He was referring to Daniel 11:31, which said: “Then they shall take away the daily sacrifices (in the temple), and place there the abomination of desolation” (a picture of the antichrist who sets himself up as God).

It’s possible and probable that religious Jews will have a much stronger desire and determination now more than ever to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem now that the U.S. has officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But, surprisingly, offering sacrifices doesn’t necessarily require the presence of a temple. See, for example, what the Jews did under the leadership of Ezra (Ezra 3:1-3). They simply set up an altar and began to offer sacrifices on it.

However, the apostle Paul did refer to “the man of sin,” an actual person who claims to be God in the flesh sitting in the “temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). If “temple of God” is to be taken literally here (and I believe it should), then this would imply the temple will be rebuilt.

Now, the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem where Jews will perform their religious sacrifices and the coming of the Beast where he will use the temple in Jerusalem as the place to set himself up as deity – all will occur during the Tribulation Period that shall come upon the whole world (Rev. 3:10), all of which occurs after the Rapture of the Church. Therefore, if the events for the Tribulation are already in place that occurs after the Rapture of the Church, then the Rapture itself is near – very near! 

Even so come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20).