So, it happens again…
Vile, barbaric people have attacked the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. So far, around 1,200 Israeli’s have been brutally murdered (including 120 or so soldiers), over 3,000 have been wounded, and thousands of rockets have been fired into Israeli territory.
This is not a new thing…to the point that 50 years ago, almost to the day a coalition of Arabic nations/groups launched a surprise attack on Israel. This attack became the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
But it goes back further than 50 years, in fact it goes back all the way to when God promised that whole region (and beyond) to Abraham and his offspring. Genesis 17:7-8 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
Furthermore, after God has led the Hebrews through the desert and back to their Promised Land once more we see that covenant spoken of by God, especially in Deuteronomy 7:6-9 which says, “For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.”
Ever since that time, Satan and his forces of evil have sought ways to destroy the family of Abraham, and all of the descendants from that line which lead to Jesus the Messiah.
Currently, it is Day 3 of the newest war that Israel must fight - which is now known as “Operation Iron Sword” by the Israelis. The statistics run something close to 700 dead (the vast majority of whom are civilians), nearly 2,000 wounded (against predominantly civilians), and approximately 100 have been kidnapped and taken into Gaza - this has been a coordinated attack on the elderly, the women, the children and the families of the Israeli people. The dead bodies of young women have been paraded like some gruesome trophy, children are being humiliated and beaten, as too are the elderly. Children are being murdered in front of their parents and siblings.
What is happening in Israel today, echoes what was happening to the Jewish people during the time of their exile and the time of Esther. Esther 3:6 informs us, “Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” - conspiracies to murder the Jews is not a new thing, and will be the aim of the Devil until Jesus returns.
So, why should we care, especially after decades and decades of almost constant conflict after the year 2000?
Why should we care about Israel at all?
The simple answer is that the nation of Israel still matters, not only in world events, but in God’s timeline. Ezekiel 2:8 talks about Israel being the apple of the Lord’s eye. This is not a mere throw away statement, rather it is a statement made by an angelic figure, who is on a mission from God to defend Israel.
I will be producing a series, with an accompanying document that explores the following:
The biblical and historical relevance of Israel as a nation both in the ancient past, and as a modern state. Including addressing a commonly held Christian theology called ‘Replacement Theology’.
The issue of Palestine and the Palestinian people.
The future importance in relation to biblical prophesy and the Kingdom of God being set up on Earth.
I hope that you all will stand with me in prayer for Israel and the people within it - Jew and Arab alike - that they come to call out to God, and that the Holy Spirit guides them to salvation through believing in and following Jesus Christ as their messiah.