Shalom Dear Friends,
What is Going On: Politically
Last month the world, through the United Nations, voted to upgrade the Palestinian Authority to the status of a “state.” Unfortunately, that vote was an absolute and complete farce. The “State of Palestine” has no borders. The borders drawn by the UN in 1948 were rejected by the Arab nations (there was no Palestinian State then). The “State of Palestine” has no economy. It is totally dependent on Israel and the world for its income (which is squandered and stolen by its “leaders”). The “State of Palestine” has no government. 60% of the territory (the West Bank) is ruled by Fatah and 40% (the Gaza Strip) is ruled by its violent rival Hamas. The Arab, dictator-dominated UN is supposed to recognize peace loving countries and yet the “State of Palestine” is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and last month fired thousands of rockets into Israel’s southland. The UN at its worst!
What is Going On: Biblically
Many wonder if the current events have Biblical significance. The answer is “yes” and “no.” “No,” in the sense that these current political events are not mentioned specifically in Scripture. However, “yes,” in the sense that these events have prophetic significance when you observe the direction that prophecy indicates the world should move.
- Israel is getting more and more isolated politically. She is becoming a burdensome stone to the nations of the world (Zech. 12:3). The vote in the UN was 138-9 with 41 abstentions. Only 9 nations in the UN were willing to stand their ground and say, “The Palestinians do not meet the criteria of an independent, peace loving nation.”
- This isolation will continue to grow more and more acute until isolation deteriorates into passive inaction. The inaction that Israel will have to endure will be most apparent during the Russian Coalition’s Invasion of Israel (Ezk. 38-39). In Ezekiel 38:13, when the coalition invades, there will be a group of nations that protest, but do nothing. Unfortunately, our nation will probably be among those who protest the invasion, but do not lift a finger to help. Therefore, God steps in directly and saves Israel from destruction. However, that Divine intervention will not diminish the hatred the world will express toward Israel and the Jewish people.
- The height of Israel’s isolation will culminate when the nations of the world move from passive inaction to overt aggression. Zechariah 14:2 states, “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.”
This will occur in the middle of the Tribulation Period when Antichrist begins the campaign of Armageddon in one, last, desperate attempt to destroy the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.
Why is this Going On?
We must always keep in the forefront of our minds the Biblical reason why all this is happening. The Biblical reason is Satan’s anti-Semitism.
Satan’s ambition is to be like God (Isa. 14:14). Satan is very aware that God has made a covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people and that God has obligated Himself to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. The result lies in the fact that once the Abrahamic Covenant is fulfilled, Satan’s career is absolutely over. Satan will be judged and tossed into the Lake of Fire after the 1,000 year Messianic Kingdom reign of Jesus (Rev. 20:10).
However, if Satan can somehow prevent the Abrahamic Covenant from reaching fulfillment, Jesus cannot return to be the Messianic King who will reign over Israel and the world.
Two of the three promises of the Abrahamic Covenant are the Davidic Covenant and the Land Covenant. First, if there are no Jewish people in existence then Yeshua cannot return as the Davidic Messianic King over them and the Davidic Covenant remains unfulfilled. Therefore, Satan relentlessly attempts to destroy the subjects of the King (Satan already tried and failed to destroy the Messianic King Himself).
Second, if there are Jewish people in existence but they are scattered throughout the world and have no homeland, then Satan’s career is likewise safe. The Land Covenant remains unfulfilled. As a result, Satan relentlessly attempts to destroy the modern State of Israel because it has been re-established on the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendents.
The reason why this farcical UN vote occurred is Satan’s influence over our current, evil, world system. He is the Ruler of this World (Jn 12:31; 14:30) and the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). He influences the direction the nations go (1 John 5:19), within God’s sovereign oversight. Satan possesses an unremitting commitment to save himself from the Lake of Fire. Israel is the most important and most dangerous nation in his sight because the modern State of Israel is a harbinger of the coming Messianic Kingdom and Satan’s doom. It does not matter how much of a blessing the nation of Israel is to the world, Satan hates it because it foreshadows his doom. He is behind anything, great or small, that will undermine or destroy the Jewish people or the State of Israel. Last month the nations of the world, through their vote, threw all common sense aside and yielded to the influence of the Ruler of this world.
Our Response
Our response should not be to take refuge in the Rapture and comfort ourselves with the thought that all this evil will be over for us when the Rapture occurs. I believe in a Pre-Tribulational Rapture. I look forward to the Rapture. However, the Rapture is not the end of the story! Our heart needs to beat with the rhythm of God’s heart. God has obligated Himself to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant and bring glory to Himself. That means that we need to be working for the salvation of Jewish people today. That’s why Romans 1:16 states that the Gospel goes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We also need to support the Modern State of Israel. Not because the modern state is totally righteous, but because its existence is part of the outworking of God’s plan for Israel, for the Jewish people, and for mankind.
Thanks for your partnership and have a great new year!