Friday, September 25, 2009

The Enemies of Israel are the Enemies of God

The enemies of Israel are the enemies of God, what an extreme statement. But if you believe the bible, then this statement must be accepted as truth. This statement explains my interest in politics; I’m interested only in how it relates to God’s will. I don’t want to discover, at some point, that I’m fighting God. The only available source for knowing the will of God, of course, is his word delivered to us by his Israelite prophets.

The bible is about the promises God made to Abraham and his children, the Jewish people, and within this story salvation is made available to the gentiles as branches are grafted into the spiritual tree of Israel.

Physically, Judah had been stripped of it’s branches as predicted Jer 11:16 The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken. V17 The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal. Only a stump would remain. Isa 6:13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land." This all happened.

Israel would be abandoned from the time of Jesus came until the time he comes. Mic 5:3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until (G5704 also means during, while) the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. V4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

From the time of Jesus to the present, simple belief that Jesus can and will save you allowed the owner of the orchard to add the believer to his tree, and to be transformed by his Holy Spirit. Believe Jn 1:12, 3:16, 5:24, 6:29, 7:38, 12:36, 13:20, 16:8-9, 17:3, Mk 16:16; Lk 8:12; Acts 16:30-31; Rom 10:9-10; Rom 10:13; Gal 3:22; Eph 1:13; 2Thes 1:10 1Tim 1:16; Heb10:39, 1Jn 4:15; 1Jo 5:4-5, 10-11.

God told Israel that disobedience would lead to being dispersed throughout the world: Deut 28:62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God. V63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. V64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.

The tree of Judah was cut down physically, but a shoot was to come up Isa 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. V2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear (H3374 also means reverence) of the LORD.

I have a fruit tree that died because of drought, but a sapling came up from its roots and is taking the place of what is dried up and dead. In the same way, Israel had a sapling spring forth in fulfillment of prophecy in the person of Jesus. Among the natural branches on the resulting tree, the wild (gentile) branches may be grafted in. Rom 11:17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, V18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

The physical promises to Abraham are not rendered invalid, the physical tree of Israel was promised to be restored, and those who try to spiritualize this away should open their eyes, for what God said would happen in clear language has indeed happened without ambiguity. Je 30:3 The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the LORD."

Je 32:37
I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. V11 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. V12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. V13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

Ezek 11:16
Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone. V17 Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'

Ezek 36:8
'But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. V9 I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, V10 and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

Isa 14:1
The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.
These prophesies are being fulfilled before our eyes.

The time of Judah’s destitution has come to an end, but is not complete. Two wars in Europe left the USA, by default, as the most powerful of nations; coincidentally, just in time to act as the guardian of Israel, as a tool of God in fulfilling his word; Isa 66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. V10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.

The power of the US appears to have no other relevance to what God is doing other than to facilitate Israel’s rebirth; therefore, when the US no longer serves this purpose, I believe the blessing of God’s favor will be removed.

In the finale of Israel’s story, the nations of the world attack Israel, and apparently, no one stands up for her. That means the US abandons her. I hate this, and my feet are plowing furrows in the ground in resistance to this abandonment.

The US politicians who heap praise on the glory and goodness of this country, and then disregard, or disrespect Israel, and negate this nation’s duty to God as Israel’s defender; these politicians are all in the same category. I can only view them as standing in opposition to the sure promises of God to restore Jacob’s children to their rightful place, so I have no kind words for them. God forbid that anyone should find themselves in opposition to God. If our nation were a car, the politicians who wont stand up for Israel are parking it on a railroad track in front of an oncoming train.

The USA has fought wars that have held back the tide of forces that would have crushed God’s newborn nation. The people who spew venom on US foreign policies are blind to God’s hand working behind the scenes.

Now we see attitudes changing in Washington, and this has implications that pertain to the whole world. Those who hate Israel, and by extension, the will of the Almighty, will soon be turned loose. The vehemence against God’s nation pours out like a river, and the people of the world are swept up in the propaganda they spread. They will soon act, seeking to destroy her.
Ezek 38:8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. V9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. V10 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. V11 You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people--all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.

During the interim, this verse seems to describes the present situation; Zech 12:2 I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. V3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

Those who come against Israel will no longer rail against her, and be her accusers. God will make it clear that those who speak against Israel are fools for not believing his copious predictions of Israel’s restoration. Who can belong to Christ and stand in opposition to his will, this is oxymoronic. The enemies of Israel are the enemies of God. They will come to an ignominious end.
Joe 3:1 In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,V2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

Ezek 39:21
I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. V22 From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.

Isa 29:6
the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. V7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel (Jerusalem), that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night—

Isa 34:8
For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause. V9 Edom's (aria South of the Dead Sea) streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!

Zep 3:8
Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them-- all my fierce anger. The whole world(H776 eretz land) will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

Zech 14:2
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. V3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. V4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

8 comments:

angel said...

AMEN!

Awesome article, Luc. I almost stood up and put my hand over my heart! I'm in agreement 100%!

I'm horrified every time I hear our gov't urging Israel to give up her land, and saddened to know people have so much compassion for the Palestinians but none for Israel.

I recoil from those that teach God has transferred His promises to Israel to the Church; to me that is tantamount to calling Him a liar because it is very clear that the land of Israel was given to them FOREVER, and it was unconditional. Their removal from the land on several occasions was directly related to God's covenant with the descendants of Abraham in which they agreed to be obedient to His laws, and is not to be confused with the covenant God made with Abraham himself.

For anyone to try to claim these promises for themselves makes me shudder.

Luc said...

"I almost stood up and put my hand over my heart!"

LOL....Thanks Angel

Luc said...

Telling people what the bible says seems to generate some anger. I guess that's to be expected.

Byker Bob said...

"Telling some people what the Bible says seems to generate some anger..."

Boy, does it ever!!!!

There is much empirical evidence in our modern time to demonstrate the prophetic nature of the behaviorally-based blessings or cursings of nations interacting with Israel. People of a certain mind-set have a vested interest in debunking or ridiculing anything which would confirm the existence of God, so it comes as no surprise that their reaction to a prophecy which we can see unfolding would be so visceral. We're not just talking about fanning the flames of a bogus prophecy here, as the COGs do with HWA's speculations. We can see a direct cause and effect relationship between the effect of our policies on Israel, and events which happen in the USA, right down to the destruction of New Orleans!

It's my understanding that there are two covenant peoples, existing concurrently during our times, not mutually exclusive. Israel is God's original covenant people whom He will never abandon. Christians are God's spiritual covenant people, through Jesus Christ, the descendant of Abraham. God blesses people who bless each, and curses people who curse each. And we get to watch this occur live and in Technicolor!

BB

Luc said...

Thanks for the comment BB, always good to hear from you. The following is one list that's been assembled relating the treatment of Israel By the US to events here at home.
Correlation between US disaster and Israeli foreign policy

Byker Bob said...

I've seen that list, or ones similar to it in times past, Luc, and it is pretty darned convincing, isn't it? The first time I saw it, I was still agnostic, and I have to admit that it caused my mind to go through some intricate processing!

This is but one of many bits of evidence in favor of God. Non-believers attack us on all fronts, I've found. Even if we acknowledge one of their favorites, evolution, and admit belief that God uses evolution as one of His natural laws in creating and sustaining our world, we still get treated as if we can't even read or spell. Then they proceed to write very verbose reponses, vigorously defending their positions. It would be hilarious if it weren't so sad.

We just have to remind ourselves that it is not our fight, and we can't get our own egos invested into it. People do help people, and it's nice that God allows us to get in a helpful word now and then. In a way, I see us as standing in front of the gates of Hell, trying frantically to redirect traffic.

BB

Dallas McDermott said...

Hear hear - just came across your blog - my sentiments exactlly Here it is 2011 and the evidence is even more outstanding. Your nation USA under the Muslim Hussein Obama id really under the hammer now. My nation Australia is starting to buckle under our current anti-Israel pro UN government.
When I refer to these evidences from the bible I too incur hostility. God Bless you and the other commenters

Connie said...

I too just ran across this blog. Pres. Obama is going to vote to legitimize a Palestinian state and as I write, Hurrican Irene (600 miles wide) is going to slam the east coast from Cape Hattaras to New York City and further. Yup, can see the handwriting on the wall.