The original "Israel Under Attack: The Real Battle", was getting a bit long, so I broke it into two parts. This is Part 1. Click here for Part 2.
I was stirred to begin writing these comments in October 2023, in the midst of the evil, murderous attacks on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and others. They're supported by the leaders of Iran. These are wicked, demon-driven attacks.
Around the world, calls for destruction and violence against Jews are loud and spreading. In this episode, I want to clarify God’s thoughts on all of this.
If you don’t like what I’m saying, take it up with the Bible.
Let me be very clear.
Attempts to destroy the Jews are nothing new. What we're experiencing now--the current wave of murder, warfare, terrorism and violent hatred for Jews and the nation of Israel--is a direct continuation of Satan's murderous spirit realm agenda that began long before the days of Moses. That story is found in Genesis.
As bad as things are in this physical world, the primary battle is in the spirit realm. Yes, the spirit realm.
- Satan and his ancient army of demons are driving this nearly timeless evil.
- It's easy to think of this as physical-realm warfare with a spirit-realm component. But that would be wrong.
- In reality, this is spirit-realm warfare with a physical-realm component.
Century after century, Satan's evil spirits have used people who are alienated from God. These folks are fallen and deceived, rejecting God's reconciliation through Jesus the Messiah. Satan finds them compliant. Satan uses them in his effort to destroy the descendants of Abraham.
They won't succeed.
I’m making two main points in this Episode.
- First, that hatred for the Jewish people is driven by Satan and his army of fallen angels.
- Second, God Himself “deeded” the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham.
Let me go into those two points a bit more.
Satan hates Israel. Why? Because God made a covenant with Abraham that, through his descendants, He would bring the Messiah into the world, bringing Satan and his followers one step closer to their ultimate doom. As part of that covenant, God gave the land of Canaan to the children of Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Genesis 48:3 & 4 tells us what the Lord spoke to Jacob.
Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.
He's not going to change his mind. Talking about God’s call upon the Jews, Romans11:29 tells us that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Anyone who supports attacks on the Jewish people and the nation of Israel are doing Satan's bidding. They have become Satan's PR Department and worker bees. They are Satan's puppets, serving Satan's agenda. And that’s not good. It's a very foolish thing to fight against God.
Here’s a hypothetical illustration that I think points to a big difference between Israel on the one hand and her enemies on the other.
- Pretend for a moment that Israel’s enemies disarmed and became peace-loving. Israel wouldn’t attack them. All Israel wants is to live peacefully.
- Pretend
for another moment that Israel disarmed and became
defenseless. Her enemies would in
short order overrun and destroy the Jewish state and slaughter as many
Jews as they could.
- Israel is not
driven to destroy its neighbors. Israel's neighbors want to destroy the Jews. Israel just wants to be left in peace.
My
point is this: Those who would destroy Israel are
driven by unseen demonic forces that won’t stop. It’s not a rational
hatred. It’s a demonic hatred, directed from the realm of evil spirits.
Now, I’m not saying that everything about today’s Israel is above reproach. It’s not. No country is fully above reproach. God is against injustice wherever it may be found, in any nation, even in Israel. But none of that erases God's covenant with Abraham. That covenant still stands just as strong as the day God spoke it.
Many Jews have become Jesus' followers, calling themselves Messianic Jews. But most Jews don't recognize Jesus their as their promised Messiah, at least not yet.
The fact is that all people throughout the world need to turn and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is the only way to be reconciled to God. Being born again and following Jesus wholeheartedly is the only real path to fixing injustice.
I'll say it again. Whatever excuses modern-day Jew haters use to justify their actions, Israel's issues aren't really what’s driving these attacks. Here’s the truth: these attacks, century after century, are all driven by Satan’s hatred for God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6 is a powerful chapter, but I'm just going to quote verse 12 here:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I’m
not taking this side or that side; I’m taking God’s side. We need to find out where God's taking a
stand and join Him. It’s clear in the Bible where God stands on all of this. In any battle, if you're smart, you'll be on God's side.
As part of the covenant with Abraham, the Lord told Abraham that “To your descendants (that is, through Isaac, then Jacob, and so on) I have given this land of Canaan.” He also said “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you”. I'm not going to read all of these references here, but you can read more for yourself in
Psalm 2:1-3 asks the question "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?" It then tells us that the kings of the earth and the fallen angels who work with Satan take counsel together against the Lord and Jesus the Messiah. They say"Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us."
Psalm 74:8 adds that they say in their hearts, "Let us destroy the Jewish people altogether."
Let's continue with Psalm 2:6-8. In spite of their rebellion, God the Father has set His Son, Jesus, in the ultimate place of eternal authority. Rebellion against God will inevitably end with the destruction of the rebellious.
Here’s the bottom line: Through Jesus, all people can get right with God. Without Jesus, they can’t. God wants all people to get right with Him through the Gospel of Jesus.
No matter how these earthly battles look and feel in the short run, the underlying spiritual war between Satan's hordes on one side and the Lord Jesus on the other will end one way and one way only.
Jesus wins a complete and total victory.
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