The Hunting Season(Part Two)

Dr. Mike Murphy
March 9, 2019

Sir Isaac Newton once said, “About the time of the end, in all probability, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamour and oppositions.”  We watch today as men and women boldly proclaim what this world, and way too often this Church, do not wish to hear.  They profess a reality that can only be found in God’s Word, and a truth that can only be found in His reality.  His Word tells us that He will bless those who bless His people and He will curse those who curse His people(Genesis 12:1-3).  History shows us the truth of that statement, and as we discussed in the part one, His coming judgment shows us the reality of just how true those words will one day ring.

The second coming of Christ has, is, and will always be connected to the nation of Israel.  That is not just a truthful and realistic statement, but one as literal as Sir Isaac Newton said would once be proclaimed.  As the Lord looks at this world, He does so with a watch in both hands.  And if we were to look closely, we would see the time on both of those watches are set on Israeli time. His first watch stopped the very second the Messiah was cut off(Daniel 9:26). His second watch, He keeps close to His vest, and it is only for His eyes to see. It is made up of the souls of those who have called on the name of Christ, and been washed by His blood.  It is a watch that ticks away, counting down the seconds until the glorious moment He shall appear in the clouds to call home those that believe.  As the countdown on that watch ends, the ticking of the first watch will again begin.  For seven years that watch will again tick away, until the Lord himself will place His foot squarely on this earth, saving His people, and judging the actions of every nation.  But through it all, one thing remains consistent, both watches are on Israeli time.

We now live in a day when that second watch is ticking fervently.  And as we look to the clouds, and anticipate the approaching season, we fail to see that the hunters are already gathering.  The anticipation of the hunt is beginning to overwhelm them, and they now look to begin this hunt before the season officially begins.  The truth shows us, the hunters are not willing to wait for the start of the season.  And the reality of the day tells us, the nations of this world are already calling out the hunters.  

All around this world today, we can see that the hunters are gathering their stride, increasing in number.  Most do not realize, but the most persecuted people in this world today are now Christians.  Each year, over two hundred million Christians face persecution. In the vast majority of the nations of this world today, Christians are persecuted daily for their faith.  Eighty percent of all persecution in the world today is directed at Christians.  The numbers show us that the hunters are not just looking to target His people, but also those who call on His name.  The trophy rooms of the hunters are quickly being filled with both, and by all signs, their ammo is far from running short.  And with this we must remember, the hunting season has not officially started, the worst and most deadly of days is still to come.

So if the Lord has both watches in hand, and the hunters are already out because they see the hunting season rapidly approaching, when will this season officially begin?  To answer this we need look no farther than the words of the prophets and the words of Christ.

In Genesis 1:14, the Lord proclaimed, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years”.  The Hebrew word we see used in this verse for the word “sign”, is the word “oth”, and it means “a remembrance, a warning, a token of proof”.  We see from this that the Lord gave us the seasons for more than just the days, but as a remembrance of all He has told us.  As a warning of all He has shown us would one day come.  And as a token of proof, helping us to show those around us that His Word will be fulfilled.  In Psalm 2, David writes the words God gave him of such a season.  He speaks of a time when the nations of this world will rise up against the Lord, and His Anointed One.  A day when Christ will overturn the evil that has rose from these nations, and shall rule this world from His throne in Zion(Israel).  

With each word of the prophets, and with all that Christ told us. Israel is the sign that will help us to remember, to warn us, and as a token of proof that this season is quickly approaching.  Many in the Church today look at Israel, and look at His chosen people, and tell us they are an issue for a day that has already passed.  They will tell you that His focus today has shifted to the Church, no longer on Israel.  But God’s Word tells us something completely different.  It tells us that Israel has never left His thought, and will never be forgotten(Romans 11:15-24).  The season that we see approaching reminds us of the promises that God gave us about Israel, warns us of what Israel and this world will soon face And as Israel stands before us as a nation again today, offers us a token of proof that every word He gave us will be fulfilled.  Israel is not a sign, Israel is the sign! And it is just as strong of a sign today as it was at the very moment He created the watches He holds in each of His hands!

When Christ spoke of this coming season, He gave us an incredible passage about that day.  ”Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.  Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”(Matthew 24:32-35).  Christ told us that to recognize the coming of that day we needed to look to the trees!

Throughout the Word of God, Israel is referred to as the fig tree, the same as Christ did in the words quoted above.  Hosea 9:10 tells us, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree."  From Joel(Joel 1:7, 2:21-25) to Jeremiah(Jeremiah 24:3), the fig tree is representative of Israel and the chosen people, and was taught as so to every Jewish boy and girl at the time Christ walked this earth.  When speaking of the Last Days, and of the coming season, it was by no surprise that Christ would use the fig tree as an example in His parable.  It was quickly recognized of what Christ was speaking when He used the words, and those same words should be just as recognizable to each of us today.

The fig tree was not only the symbol of Israel, it was at the very heart of Israel.  The fig tree was as much a part of Israel as Israel was the fig tree.  And if we look closely, I believe the fig tree has always been at the heart of God’s Word and His plan.  Remember back to the garden of Eden, and remember the actions of Adam and Eve as they realized they had sinned.  When their eyes were opened to their shame, they sewed together fig leaves to cover themselves(Genesis 3:7).  Years later, from the fig tree(Israel) would come another covering of their sins.  Would come One who would offer a permanent covering of their sins, and who would make their sins no more 

When we look at the fig tree, we soon recognize that it is different from all other trees.  The foliage and the fruit of the tree act differently from all the other trees we see in a garden.  The fruit of a fig tree will generally begin to appear before its’ leaves do, and because the fruit of the fig tree is green, it blends in with the leaves until the time it is almost ripe.  The fig tree is one of the last trees to bear its’ leaves each spring.  When you see the leaf of the fig tree, it is a tale-tell sign that summer is ready to begin.  

The presence of a fruitful fig tree was seen as a symbol of prosperity, and a symbol of blessing throughout the land of Israel.  A fig tree that was decaying, or not putting forth fruit, was also seen as a symbol, one of coming judgment and of rejection.  It is for this reason that we saw Christ curse the fig tree(Matthew 11:12-25).  As Christ cursed the fig tree, we would soon watch the nation of Israel disappear from this earth for almost two thousand years.  But although the fig tree was cursed because it was not producing fruit, the roots of that tree did not die.  We have watched, in this generation, that fig tree bloom again.  Israel is again a thriving nation in our presence, just as the words of Christ told us it would be so many years ago.  As we look at that fig tree today, we see it’s fruit blooming, and we see it bearing its’ leaves.  And if we look closely at the fig tree, it becomes obvious to see, that summer is near.  The season is upon us.

This is a season that will be like no other, one unlike any this world has ever seen. A day when Esau will look to take back his birthright, and will hunt down Jacob as he never has before.  A day when the hunters will smear their faces in a blood that will cause the Heavens to weep, but a blood that will bring a smirky smile to the faces of Satan and his demons.  A day the world will no longer wish to just ignore or just send away those that are called His chosen people, and those that call on His name.  It will be a day when they will look to replace our suitcases with our coffins.  A day this world may long for, but a day they will long after regret.  A day this world may bring in with screams, but a day that will end with a glorious shout.  A day this world may see as the beginning of the end, but will actually be the end of the beginning.

As I stand here today, I think back on the words the Lord once spoke to Rebekah, and to the struggle she felt in her womb so many years ago.  A struggle that has not yet finished.  A struggle that her oldest child is just not ready to give up.  A struggle that the hunters are right now preparing their weapons for.

May the Lord keep you from the midst of that struggle.

The Hunting Season

Dr. Mike Murphy
March 8, 2019

“How could they be twins?”, she thought.  “So different, no one would ever believe they were even brothers.”  Each moment she had carried them she felt their differences, and she felt their struggle.  A struggle so strong that it had brought her to her knees in front of the Lord.  The answer the Lord gave her was not one she was prepared for, far from the answer she had expected.  An answer almost as unexpected as the twins she now carried.  She had come to think she would never have a child.  She had come to accept the disappoint she saw in her husband’s eyes, and the anguishing pleads to the Lord that often filled his nights. The realization that she was pregnant was a blessing beyond any she thought the Lord was capable of, but one that filled her with joy that His hand had moved beyond her wildest expectations.  A gift from the Lord that filled her husband’s eyes again with the delight that she had once known in him.  But as she sat there that day, feeling the struggle that felt like a war in her belly, she again remembered the words that the Lord had told her.

The words the Lord told her she could not even imagine, could not see how they could be fulfilled.  But just as she had seen His hand move inside of her, she knew that His words would one day be fulfilled.  Two nations were both inside of her.  Two nations that would feel this same struggle.  Two nations that would be at odds, as the older of her sons would one day serve her younger.

As the twins grew up, they continued their struggle, growing up as if children from two different families.  Her youngest was a quiet child who loved to spend his time around their home, content with the everyday life that was found in their tents.  Her oldest, was a completely different boy.  A hunter, who loved the open and wild land.  Who was rarely seen in the presence of their home.  

As she looked again on these same boys, who had so struggled in her womb, she again remembered the words the Lord had spoken to her.  She knew in her heart that the words He told her would be made true, but for the life of her, she could not see how this dominant and wild older son would ever find himself at the knee of her younger one.

We have all grown up being told the story of Jacob and Esau.  We know how Esau sold his birthright, and how Rebekah helped Jacob to deceive his father, Isaac, into placing his blessing upon Jacob.  We know of the anger that came to Esau, and how he threatened to kill Jacob and to hunt him down.  We know how this anger drove Esau to flee from the presence and the love of his father and his mother.  We know how this event drove the lives of both brothers. And we also know how the two brothers would come together again in hope of reconciling their past.

God would change the name of Jacob to Israel, and he became the father of the twelve tribes that would make up the nation we know as Israel.  From his name the world would one day be forever blessed.  And from his name the promises and the future of this world could be seen.  Esau would also see his name changed, to one we know as Edom. From him would also come a nation, a nation that would always plague Israel and seek its’ destruction.  In the name of one brother is found the hope, the promises, and the future the Lord has made to this world.  In the other brother is found the desires that drive this world, physical pleasure taking its’ place over spiritual blessings(Hebrews 12:15-17).  In two brothers, we can see our past.  And in two brothers, we can see our future. 

If  we look closely today, we can again see the struggle that Rebekah once felt.  We can watch as the two brothers again take center stage.  We can watch as the focus of this world is again finding its’ way to the younger brother. And if we listen closely to the sounds around us, we can hear the traits and the stirring of the older brother again.  We can hear the weapons being sharpened, and we can hear the hunter growing restless in anticipation of the hunt that lies before him.

The Lord once spoke to Jeremiah and told him, “Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,’ declares the Lord, ‘and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks”(Jeremiah 16:16).  For years we have watched as the fishermen found their way into this world.  Men who heard the call of God, like the words He once spoke to Peter and Andrew(Matthew 4:18-19).  Men who were taught in the ways of the Master Fisherman.  Men who knew well the waters in which they were called to fish, and knew the nature of the fish they sought.  Men who were lead to cast their nets in the stillness and gentleness of the seas, and knew how to recognize the coming signs, when the waves would crash into their boat, and the waters that surround them would soon become rough.  

As we watch today, we see the storm approaching.  We see the peaks of the waves rising, and see the lightning streak across an ever nearing sky.  In a distant, we begin to hear the thunder, and we feel the wind increasing as it blows across the sea.  As we make our way off the waters, we see the hunters gathering.  Sharpening their weapons, painting the camouflage on their faces, and preparing for the approach of the hunting season.

So what prey do these hunters seek?  And how do we know that the hunting season is soon to begin?  To answer what prey the hunters will pursue, we need to look no farther than the words the Lord spoke to Joel.  And to know when this hunting season will begin, we need to look no farther than the trees.

To best understand the prey, and who these hunters will stalk, we need only to look at the landscape on which these hunters will be hunting. Centuries ago, the Lord showed Joel what this landscape would be.  In three simple chapters, the Lord laid out for Joel details that should be held tight in our mind today, details that a not so distant tomorrow will one day see.  In chapter three, the Lord gives a wake up call to the nation of Israel, and to the Church today. He tells us details about a coming “Day of the Lord”, a time when Christ will return to this earth, and judge the nations for the actions they have taken.  A time when the fortunes of Israel will be restored, a time when the remnant of Israel will be saved(Romans 11:26).   A day His promises will all be fulfilled, a day when the sins of Israel will all be forgiven and His chosen people will be restored to the land that He once promised to Abraham(Isaiah 10:27, Jeremiah 30:19-40). A day when the arrogance of man will be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted(Isaiah 2:17).

As the Lord paints for Joel a picture of that day, He also tells him of the conditions that will bring man to judgment, and of the arrogance that will bring this world to its' knees. In Joel 3:1-2, the Lord tells us, “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,  I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.  Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.”  In these two verses we see three actions that the Lord will judge this world for. Three arrogant atrocities that will drive mankind during these days.

First, His judgment will come because of the action this world has taken against His chosen people.  Second, because of what they have done to His inheritance.  And finally, because they have sought to divide His land.  In these three warnings, we see the role these approaching hunters will play, and we see the prey that the hunters will so arrogantly seek.

As we look at the world today, we see the ugly hatred of anti-Semitism again raising it’s head.  We hear the words, and we see the actions, as this world focuses its’ hatred on God’s chosen people.  In Europe today, over half of all racist actions are taken against the Jewish people.  We are watching a hatred form in Europe that is on a level that was found in the days that led up to the Third Reich, and the atrocities it brought to this world.  But unlike the days of the past, we are watching as this hatred is spreading beyond the boundaries of Europe, spreading rapidly like a plague throughout this world.  We now see incidents of this hatred in Asia, in South America, in Australia, and yes, even in this country of America, as we watch political leaders in this country use names of hatred against the Jewish people without consequences.  We watch as a whole religion uses words that refer to them as pigs and apes.  Who calls for their annihilation, and who cheers in the streets as they are massacred.  We find ourselves in a world that is starting to find it easier to despise and ignore His people, than to honor and to respect them. We watch as the world is pointing out to the hunters their prey, and placing a bounty on each of their heads.

As the world growingly hates His people, they seek ways to take the land He promised His people(Genesis 15:18).  We watch as the world gathers, offering resolutions to appease those that hate Israel, those who look to destroy Israel. We watch as His land, and as His city Jerusalem, is felt as an anchor around the neck of this world, a greater burden than they now wish to bear(Zechariah 12:3).  The world finds it increasingly easier to ignore the wisdom in the Lord’s promises, and to seek the failed logic found in their own solutions. The world now finds it easier to accept the lie, then to seek out the truth.  They find it easier to take the land and divide it, than to read the details in the deed of the One who owns the land.  They prepare to send out the hunters, ordering them to clear the land of the obstacles that stand in their way.  Obstacles of spiritual blessings, that they now wish to replace with their own physical desires.

And as the hunters clear the land, and as they seek their prey, they look to destroy any trace of His inheritance.  Of the promise this land holds on a future day.  Of the One who will reign over this world from that land, and of those who serve for and with Him in that land.  A land filled with people that have been grafted together, those who are called His people and those who have been blessed and saved through His glorious name.  The day is quickly coming when the hunter will seek both, both seen as obstacles that stand in this world’s way.  A day this Church should be aware of and preparing this world for, but a day the Church has turned a deaf ear to.  Choosing not to hear what they do not wish to face. But the day is coming when the Church will have no choice but to open it’s ears and again hear.  They will hear the yells of the hunters who have snuck up on them, readying their weapons as they seek to plunge them in deep.  

The world today is calling forward the hunters.  And the world today sees a season of open hunting that is soon approaching.  A season that will seek the blood of those who call themselves His people, and of those who call on His name.  In part two, we will look at when that hunting season will begin.  And will will look at what that hunting season will look like for those that will be seen as the prey.

Praying the season will not come and find you as prey.