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260625 Middle-east post 02
It must be noted that, no matter what it looks like today, the yet-future Armageddon will establish Israel forever with all her enemies defeated. But all wars must start somewhere. For Israel, this final phase of her struggle for existence began in 1917 with the Balfour Declaration that set aside a large portion of Palestine for Israel’s future use. This portion was then whittled down until only a small amount existed by 1948 when Israel took possession of the meagre portion yet allowed her. Because satan hates God and therefore God’s people Israel with a vengeance, satan caused his followers to violently oppose Israel’s possession of that land (which was still only a small part of the land given to her via the Abrahamic covenant around 4000 years ago). If Israel had followed the religion of most of Palestine, she would not have been opposed so vehemently. After all, it had little to do with the land taken (small as it was to begin with). But, because Israel was not of their religion, she was hated and had to be destroyed. Even though God sidelined Israel for rejecting their Messiah 2000 years ago, He never cast them away (Romans 11:1-8; 20). God’s promise in Daniel 9:24 is that they will certainly one day be redeemed and granted everlasting righteousness. One day, when the gentile Church is taken away (in the Rapture) Israel will then return to being God’s ministry people once again (Romans 11:25-27). They will return to serving the one true God as His people. And this is why they are hated by others in the land around them: because they belong to the God of the Bible and one day will worship Him as His people forever (Ezekiel 37:21-28).
The book of Joel in the Bible, though seemingly written about God’s judgement upon the sin of Judah 3000 years ago, is actually a picture of the tribulation conflicts of the end-times leading up to Armageddon (as noted in Joel Ch.3). In Joel 3:4 he writes about what appears to start the conflicts, or rather, the peoples who will lead the first attacks upon Israel; they are named as Tyre, Sidon, and all the coasts of Palestine (or today we would say southern Lebanon and Gaza). It was terrorists from Gaza and southern Lebanon who initiated the attacks on 7th Oct 2023 (hezbollah was involved in the planning and preparations for Oct 7th and commenced firing rocket barrages into Israel on Oct 8th in support of Gaza). The Bible also prophesies against Gaza and the land of the Philistines (where Palestine is actually the land of the ancient Philistines). Gaza will be forsaken; no inhabitants will remain; those coastlands will be for the use of Israel (Zephaniah 2:4-7). Tyre (the old city as it was in ancient times) also is condemned to be levelled (Ezekiel Ch.26). It is clear that those who mess around with God’s people (even before Israel has repented of her sin and returned to Him) will be in serious trouble. Zechariah 2:8 warns that “he that toucheth you (Israel) toucheth the apple of his eye (or the centre of His attention)”. It is a serious warning to leave God’s people Israel alone.
After Gaza and Southern Lebanon commence attacks on Israel, a group of nations (including Russia, Turkey, Persia [Iran], Libya and Ethiopia) will combine to invade Israel (Ezekiel 38), not because they want to but because God makes them do so.
260624 Middle-east post 01
Israel today is under attack today by anti-God forces. These forces opposed to Israel are under the control of satan who hates the true God with great intensity. It is my contention that we are in the end-times of this world as we know it, and that these middle-east conflicts are but the beginning of the time of Jacob’s trouble as foretold in Jeremiah 30:6-9. If so, then the middle-east conflict will just continue to grow and expand to eventually take in the whole world in a final war that will end with Armageddon when Christ the Messiah returns to destroy the enemies of His people. There is so much that can be said about this time, so much that it would take a large volume to explain it all. I will commence today by merely setting out some initial points to ponder. More detailed discussions will follow on in further posts.
Israel has always been God’s chosen nation, promised by an everlasting covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8). That is, unless God has told a lie, the Abrahamic covenant remains in place; it will never be annulled nor altered in any way. (And God will never lie Numbers 23:19.) One day Israel will indeed be God’s people forever, and He will be their God forever (Ezekiel 37:21-28). One day Israel will be free from sin with everlasting righteousness granted to them; that is, they will be one day without sin forever (Daniel 9:24). All this is by promise of sovereign God who never lies and always keeps His promises.
Therefore today, while Israel may seem to be facing the prospect of being wiped out, God has promised that they will be His people forever. This guarantees their eternal existence in the face of all those who would seek to destroy them. Israel was granted a timeline in Daniel 9:24-27, a timeline that stopped seven years short of their eternal redemption when they rejected their Messiah; when He came they refused to know Him (John 1:11). Consequently Israel was sidelined for their unbelief. Thus the gentile (non-Jewish) Church was brought into existence to be God’s people, to bring salvation to the world. But one day the Church will be fulfilled (completed their calling), after which Israel will once again become God’s people to bring salvation to the world. Soon the Church will be taken away in an event known as the Rapture (= the snatching away) (Romans 11:25-27) and Israel’s final seven years will begin the countdown to Armageddon and the return of their Messiah.
We are now approaching the end of the Church today to make way for Israel to take over once again the task of being God’s ministry people. The people of satan, the avowed enemy of God and Israel, are combing to try and destroy Israel before she reaches the end of her final seven years. Jeremiah called this the time of Jacob’s trouble, a time of tribulation and affliction far worse that Israel has ever experienced before (Matthew 24:21). All those who oppose Israel will be destroyed and Israel will go into Christ’s millennial reign of peace under the rule of their Messiah.
More on this next post.