In preparation for a more in-depth study of eschatology, we have been taking a bit of time to lay a foundational understanding of why certain events are going to come upon the world in the last days. We must understand these if we are going to be prepared for them.

As those of you who have been a part of our Word for the Week studies know, I do a lot of reviewing for the sake of hammering some issues home. Repetition is required for a high level of retention, and we are doing these studies for more than just gaining some understanding—we want to be a force and a factor for the kingdom of God in our times. As you probably have also noted, with each review we also dig a little deeper, so I encourage you to read these when they come up.

In a major portion of the prophecies in Scripture which address the end times, we will find Israel, if not at least mentioned, as the main focus of the prophecy. It is not possible to really understand the prophetic events of these times without understanding Israel’s place. Why?

This is one of those ultimate questions for which we need to ask, and find an answer. I intend to approach it kind of like the way the Lord taught about the kingdom—by looking at many facets and aspects of this question because it is a broad, with an extensive answer. However, as we pursue understanding of this, the understanding to many other important issues will also come to light.

It has been abundantly foretold by the prophets that Israel would be the hub around which many of these events would unfold, and we can be sure that it will continue to be the center of agitation and controversy. In fact, as we will see in the Scriptures, the nations will be judged by how they relate to Israel.

As we have stated, the main principles we need to understand if we are going to perceive the reasons behind coming events is God’s righteousness and justice. However, to these must be added the factors of grace and mercy. When we come to understand the Lord’s standards of righteousness and justice, we can also understand how to appeal for grace and mercy so as to avoid judgment, if possible.

I want to elaborate more on how this practically works out. Last week I mentioned the story of how Haim Solomon, a Philadelphia Jewish banker, expended his personal fortune to support George Washington and the Continental Army. He did this because he foresaw that the new American nation would be a haven for persecuted Jews. I also mentioned previously that I believed if the sum he had given, with appropriate compounded interest, were repaid to his descendents, the Jewish people, that it would at least equal the aid that the United States has given to Israel.

From information I have received, it appears that Haim Solomon gave nearly $2 million to the support of George Washington and the Continental Army. This was a huge sum in the currency of the times, equal to many millions in today’s money. To repay this debt to his heirs, with compounded interest, has been estimated to be around $4 trillion. I have not been able to confirm these figures yet, but it seems that they are accepted by a number of people who have studied this.

Historians also seem to confirm that it is unlikely that George Washington could have succeeded without the aid from Haim Solomon. It came at possibly the most critical time of the Revolutionary War for the Americans, while the Continental Army was trying to hold together after repeated defeats, and was almost completely without supplies or other sources of support.

To understand many of the things that are going to unfold in these times, we must understand God’s righteousness and His justice. His standard of justice is far superior to that of any human court. He also views things from His own perspective, which is an eternal one. In His justice, He has established the law of sowing and reaping, and His justice is eternal. This means He never forgets a debt, and we can therefore be assured that all accounts will be balanced. As the apostle Paul put it in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

If men are not just to repay their debts, the Lord will intervene to be sure it is done for their descendant. This is why, when Moses led Israel out of Egypt, they carried the gold and silver of Egypt with them. They were carrying out their wages from the four hundred years of slavery. This is also why the salaries for modern athletes have skyrocketed the way they have. Most of this is going to the descendants of slaves. They should receive this for playing games after their forefathers and mothers suffered so much under the drudgery and toil of slavery.

This may seem a bit far-fetched, but this “justice” is clearly established in the Scriptures. It is crucial for us to understand the times because the end of this age is basically a settling of accounts for all of the deeds that men have done, and seeds that they have sown, both for good and evil. This is also explained in Proverbs 11:24:

Withholding what is justly due does result in want. Sowing seeds rightly brings a righteous return. If by the standards of God’s eternal justice America owes the Jewish people because of Haim Solomon’s sacrifice to help found our nation, our nation is now repaying that debt to Israel. If we stopped giving it, we could kiss our prosperity goodbye. If we withhold it, it would result in want.

When we come to understand this basic principle, we will do everything we can to pay all debts, be honest with our taxes, but first and foremost, pay our tithes, giving the first fruits of our income to the Lord, as we are told in Malachi 3:8-12:

This is the only place in Scripture where the Lord tells us to test Him. I have yet to meet anyone who has been faithful in this that has chronic financial problems. Whenever we have to counsel someone for chronic financial problems, the first question we ask is if they are tithing, and the answer is inevitably “no.” We have an abundance of testimonies of those who corrected this one thing and within a reasonable period of time were delivered of their chronic financial problems.

Many have been deceived into believing that tithing is the Old Covenant law that we are no longer under in the New Covenant. They are tragically mistaken. The patriarchs tithed long before the law was given. In the New Covenant, we are told that we are a part of the Melchizedek priesthood, and that Melchizedek received tithes (see Hebrews 7:1-10).

As Proverbs 11:24 states, withholding what is justly due will result in want. Withholding what is justly due to God results in more loss than we can probably imagine. From Abraham forward, there is a continual testimony that those who tithe are abundantly blessed just as He promises in Malachi. The Lord has ordered that the tithe is His just due, which is given for the support of His temple, the church. Offerings are what are given beyond the tithe. The reason I am bringing this up here is found in Acts 11:28-30:

Now Agabus prophesied that this famine was going to be all over the world. The way the disciples prepared for it was not by hoarding, but by taking up an offering for the brethren living in Judea! How would that help them prepare for the coming famine that was going to be “all over the world?” The answer is in Romans 15:26-27:

Again, this is justice. Those through whom we have been so greatly blessed in spiritual things deserve to be helped by us in material things. Why am I bringing this up here? To help you prepare for what is coming upon the whole world in the last days.

For years we have taken up offerings for this same thing, and will continue to do so. We know by doing this, we are doing the very best thing we could do to prepare for what is coming upon the earth. I encourage you to do the same.