Here’s my contextual overview of the war in Gaza.
During such globally intensive times,
it is easy to lose our perspective
of the much bigger, unfolding picture.
Let’s continue praying for peace,
knowing full well, it will only be fully achieved
When The Prince of Peace arrives on Earth.
In Zechariah 12:1-4, Jesus, The Lord God, promised to make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to surrounding nations, and a heavy stone to all nations. While there may be differences of opinion as to when this prophecy occurred, or will occur, in many respects, this appears to be exactly what has been happening since May 1948, not only in Jerusalem, but all across the land of Israel. Moreover, predictions are that these conditions will increasingly apply once the final anti-Christ man is revealed. Anyone who has been following developments in Israel since the last election there (November 2022), and who has insights into the history of ancient Israel, will no doubt perceive both strong and weak correlations to how The Lord responded in the past to her deepening acts of unrighteousness. (See any of the prophetic books of The Old Testament)
I was led to write a Letter to 3rd Age Christians, prompted by seeing so many totally un-balanced, Christian responses to recent events across Israel, notably the violent incursions into Palestine territories to steal lands, and even kill Palestinians, so ‘settlers’ could take over. These incursions were encouraged and supported by Israel’s new, extreme right-wing government, and they were backed by its army. Now, following the invasion by Hamas, questions abound about why so much of the army was ...so mis-deployed!
My letter, supported with many Bible Scriptures, linked such behaviors to the exact reasons The Lord kicked both ancient Israel and Judah (2 separate nations) out of the small sliver of the massive lands promised to Abraham’s descendants. Recall, ancient Israel refused to conquer ALL of the promised land, the eastern border of which was the Euphrates River! Thus, today, Abraham’s descendants, through Ishmael (Arabs), possess most of the promised land! Yet many American Christians are narrowly, and perhaps unfortunately concerned about one verse in The Book of Joel about ‘dividing The Lord’s land’, while supporting apartheid-type atrocities committed against Palestinian civilians. In recent years, Israel has had a modicum of success in reaching peace deals with a few Arab nations. It is mutually unfortunate, for a series of negative reasons on both sides, that peace within her borders has been impossible to achieve since 1948.
Europeans did to the indigenous Americans and Australians, what Jewish ‘settlers’, on a far smaller scale, have been doing in Palestine. Across human history, such has been happening since time immemorial. And some of it has actually been sanctioned by The Lord, Himself. Recall His ‘genocidal’ commands against the Canaanites, given to Moses shortly after the Exodus. These were folks who, for thousands of years, had deepened their sinfulness, and were 'long past ripe' for The Lord’s promised judgments. So in one way or the other, The Lord’s ‘3 point strategic plan’ outlined in Jeremiah 9:23-24, has been, and remains in play. Sadly, folks don’t take notice ….until He moves from point 1, to point 2 of His strategy. 😢
For reasons known to Him alone, The Lord ‘allowed’ this recent invasion into Israel, just as He undoubtedly ‘allowed’ the holocaust! But please know this: There are dozens of Scriptures in which He promised to do, or allow exactly such things!! Imagine that… Most Christians may be totally unaware (largely ignorant) of such, yet there these Scriptures are, in indelible ink across the pages and ages of The Bible -- The Lord's promised intense judgments against His people, His inheritance, for their increasing, gross, unrepented sinfulness. Moreover, He promises more of such in the coming ages, especially: (1) at the end of the next age, the age of tribulation, and also (2) at the start of the 5th age of history, His long-promised Millennial Reign. So folks, brace yourselves as The Lord’s apparent ongoing ‘shakeout’ continues.
And to balance things out, please keep in mind Ezekiel 14:12-23, in which The Lord promises the same thing to ANY land in which people practice deepening, un-repented sinfulness, not just Israel!!! Every land, people, and nation, has an equal opportunity to receive His Grace, an equal opportunity to repent of sinfulness and turn toward what He calls righteousness, and an equal opportunity to feel the weight of His judgments. So if we detest what's unfolding in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia or any other land, best we search ourselves, personally and collectively, to eliminate our own contributions to deepening, unrepented sinfulness in our lands.
Bottom line: In this 3rd age of history, Jesus, The Lord God, still promises long-term Grace to all peoples (not just to Israel), followed by short, intense judgments upon us who refuse to repent and turn toward more righteous living. Trust me, He is extremely persistent in achieving:
1. His short-term objective, which is to extract from long periods of Grace and short periods of judgments, a more righteous remnant group who will survive His judgments.
2. His long-term objective, which is to extract (reap/harvest) from humanity, a mixed group of peoples whom He deems to be ‘righteous in His sight’. To this group, He will show eternal Grace and Mercy as resurrected, immortal, glowing saints on a brand new, eternal Earth. This will include every aborted baby, and every child who will have died before reaching His ‘age of accountability’, knowing right from wrong. All other humans who will have ever been conceived, and who lived past His age of accountability, will be resurrected, judged, then cast into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone (sulfur), in their promised very sentient, immortal bodies. This confirms EVERY human who will have been conceived (i.e., endowed with spirit), will be resurrected to stand before Jesus, The Lord God, as our Ultimate Judge.
Of course, I recognize, to many readers, it may be quite a challenge to confront these unsettling Bible Truths. As far as I can determine, the earlier, the better. Our ignorance or disbelief of them certainly won't change them, neither will denying and debating... Is Jesus God?
Connecting the dots between Psalm 122:6, Zechariah 12:1-4, and Revelation 22:20, points to praying for The Lord's timely arrival on Earth.
Knowing The Lord’s Truths really matter, eternally!
Pray for peace, and for the spiritual eyes of folks on both sides
of this current, and all future conflicts, to be OPENED.
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