By Mark Swarbrick

Israel Under Attack

 It started this past week with over a hundred missiles raining down on Israeli cities. In self-defense Israel launched a counter attack against Hezbollah, the terrorist group in Lebanon which fired the missiles. Hezbollah responded with an all-out missile attack. Terrorists have now fired over one thousand missiles into the cities of Israel, killing and injuring innocent civilians. The Lebanese government has allowed these terrorists free reign in their country to the point that Hezbollah now controls Lebanon, with Iran and Syria pulling their strings. Hezbollah is the group that was responsible for the two explosions in Beirut on October 23, 1983 that killed 241 American Marines and 56 French servicemen sleeping in their barracks. Hezbollah’s founding charter calls for the annihilation of Israel, and also for the destruction of the United States for its role in stopping the spread of Islam. They call the U.S. the Big Satan and Israel the Little Satan.

A few days ago a missile fired from Lebanon struck an Israeli warship. The missile was made in Iran and could not have been fired without Iranian military assistance. Iran, for quite some time, has been breathing threats against Israel, declaring they will wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Intelligence reports indicate that Iran has orchestrated these attacks through Hezbollah in order to draw attention away from Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons program.

The Israeli air force is systematically destroying the communication and transportation infrastructure of Lebanon. Israel has placed her war ships off the coast of Lebanon and blockaded all Lebanese ports. Israel is responding with restraint, targeting only military targets and trying to limit civilian casualties. The terrorists, on the other hand, are deliberately targeting civilians in hopes of killing as many Jews as possible.

Nobody knows what will develop from all this. The Muslim Countries surrounding Israel are in cahoots with the terrorists and would like nothing more than to see Israel annihilated. Will Iran and other countries enter the war against Israel?  Will Russia get involved? Will America get involved? Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House says that World War III has begun. “We are in the early stages of what I would describe as the third world war,” said Gingrich.

Many countries have denounced Israel’s response to these attacks. Russia and other countries are complaining that Israel has dared to defend herself! In fact, about the only country standing with Israel is America. President Bush strongly defended Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, saying, “Israel has a right to defend herself. Every nation must defend herself against terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent life.”

Do these events have any significance we should be aware of?  Why is Israel so much in the news?  As Christians, is there any special way we should view these happenings? Are any of these things predicted in Bible prophecy? What is the world coming to? This Bible study will answer these questions.

God’s Chosen People

We need to begin by understanding who the Jews are and how the nation of Israel is part of God’s plan for the world. To do this we need to review some history. Let’s start with the most well-known Jew of all time – Jesus. Hear his words:

Read Scripture: John 4:1-26

Question:  In verse 22 of this passage Jesus says something amazing. He says salvation is from… (Choose the one correct answer)

1. The Church
2. God
3. The Arabs
4. Oriental Eastern Religion
5. Inside Your Heart
6. The Jews

Of all the things Jesus could have said, he says this:

“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

 

Isn’t that amazing? Salvation is from the Jews! What does this mean? Jesus is telling us that knowledge of God and His plan for salvation comes exclusively through the Jewish people. To really grasp this we need to do a quick overview of how God has used the Jews to bring about His plan for the world.

Abraham is the father of the Jewish or Israeli people. God said to Abraham:

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:17-18)

Satan Attacks God’s People

The descendants of Abraham are the Jewish people and God had said it would be through them that all the nations of the earth will be blessed. In a moment we will look at exactly how that played out. But first we must understand an important precept. That is, that whatever God’s plan is, Satan is going to fight against it. Since God had announced that it was His plan to bless all the nations of the world through the Jews, Satan has made it his plan to do all that he can to attack the Jews and derail God’s intentions.

Satan inspired the Egyptians to enslave the Jews and cruelly mistreat them. So God led them to freedom, parted the Red Sea and took them to Mount Sinai, where God descended upon the mountain in smoke and fire and gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the rest of God’s laws, recorded in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. At Mount Sinai God said to the people of Israel:

“Behold, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD…” (Exodus 34:10)

Later God reminded them again (through Moses’ words)  of their special position:

“Indeed ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? “To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. “Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.” Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.  “So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:32-40)

This scripture tells us clearly that God chose to reveal himself exclusively to the Jewish people. God did not appear to Muhammad, Buda, or Joseph Smith. He appeared to the Jews and communicated his truth only to them. No other nation has experienced the miracles of God as Israel has. No other nation has received the law dictated from the mouth of God. No other nation received the Ten Commandments, written on stone by the finger of God!

And God’s purpose was for Israel to accept His truth and teach all the other nations of the world, reaching even to the “end of the earth.”

God said to Israel:

“I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations…” (Isaiah 42:6)

“I will also make you a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

This precludes God’s revelation coming from anyone else in any other country. It was to come through the Jews.  This is an important point because there have been many who have proclaimed a new revelation from God and started new religions, or claimed to restore true Christianity. Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen White, and Jimmy Swaggart are just a few examples. Nevertheless, if they aren’t Jewish then they don’t even have the first qualification.

As I said above, Satan will always fight God’s plans, and the more one is used by God, the more the devil will attack. This is true of both individuals and nations. After God led Israel out of Egypt, Satan inspired the Amalekites to go to war against Israel. Through the years Israel has had numerous enemies who desired to destroy them. The Philistines were a constant enemy of Israel. For forty years Israel was under Philistine rule. Other enemies that warred against Israel were the Canaanites, Edomites, Moabites, and the Ammonites.

The Babylonian Captivity

As time went on Israel was split into two sister kingdoms, The “Kingdom of Israel” to the north, and “Judah” to the south. It is from the country of Judah that the term “Jew” or “Jewish” was derived. Israel was attacked and conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC; Judah fell to the Babylonians a little over a century later, in 597 BC. The Jews were carried off into exile to Babylon, which in turn was eventually conquered by the Persians. Satan had taken their land and their freedom, but he wanted more. He wanted their lives.

So around 485 BC Satan hatched another plot to get rid of the Jews once and for all. The Prime Minister of Persia, Haman, concocted a plot to exterminate all the Jews. He got the king to issue an edict that called for the extermination of “a certain people” who did not obey the king’s laws. Haman could now legally kill all the Jews. But Queen Esther, the favorite wife of the king was Jewish!  The king didn’t know she was Jewish and she was afraid to say anything, so her cousin Mordecai told her, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” So Esther spoke to the king and the Jews were saved. Wicked Haman was not so fortunate. You can read the whole story in the book of Esther.

The Jews Return From Exile

After seventy years of exile, Cyrus, the King of Persia[1], allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, back to Jerusalem in 536 BC[2]. Another interesting fact is that it was during this time that Daniel received a prophecy from the angel of the Lord who said:

“…know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks…”

Sixty-two plus seven is sixty-nine weeks. This means sixty-nine weeks of years. So we multiply sixty-nine time seven, and that gives us 483 years. The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1). It was exactly 483 years later when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey in 32AD, just as predicted in Daniel 9:25.

Israel was once again a nation, and thus we find the Jews living in Israel at the time of Jesus. Of course Jesus was the culmination of God’s plan to use the Jews to “bless all the nations of the earth.” Satan was determined to destroy Jesus and he inspired King Herod to kill him while still a baby:

“Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.” (Matthew 2:16)

What evilness! See how the Jews have suffered for being central to God’s plan! Failing to find the baby Jesus, Herod killed all the Jewish babies two years old and younger in the Bethlehem area. When the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus was greatly saddened, for his desire was to protect Israel:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” (Matthew 23:37)

Hear what Jesus said while on the way to the cross:

And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘ Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ “Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘cover us.’ “For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:27-31)

Jerusalem Falls – The Jews Scattered Again

After Jesus was killed, it wasn’t long before Satan once again had his way with the Jewish people. The Jews revolted against the Roman government, resulting in Titus of Rome laying siege to Jerusalem in 70 AD. The temple and the city were destroyed. The Jewish historian Josephus describes for us the horror wrought upon the Jews when the Roman soldiers broke through the city walls. This, no doubt, is part of what Jesus foresaw when he said, “weep for yourselves…”

“But when they went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook, without mercy, and set fire to the houses wither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest; and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper rooms full of dead corpses, that is of such as died by the famine; they then stood in a horror at this sight, and went out without touching anything. But although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive, but they ran every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men’s blood…they slew the aged and the infirm; but for those that were in their flourishing age, and who might be useful to them… as for the rest of the multitude that were above seventeen years old, he put them into bonds, and sent them to the Egyptian mines… Titus also sent a great number into the provinces, as a present to them, that they might be destroyed upon their theaters, by the sword and by the wild beasts; but those that were under seventeen years of age were sold for slaves.” —Josephus, Jewish Historian

Thus the Jews were hunted down and killed and once again expelled from their land. This time the Jews were scattered to the four winds. An attempt to retake their land in AD 135 failed. What Jews were not killed or forced into slavery, fled to other countries where they remained for the next two thousands years. After this second revolt, the Roman Emperor Hadrian changed the name of the region from Israel to Palestine. Hadrian’s selection of the term Palestine was purposeful, not accidental. He took the name of the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines, Latinized it to Palestine, and applied it to the Land of Israel. He hoped to erase the name Israel from all memory. Thus, the term Palestine as applied to the Land of Israel was invented by the inveterate enemy of the Bible and the Jewish people, Emperor Hadrian.

The name “Israel,” as identifying the land that God gave to Abraham’s descendants forever, passed from human history. The Jews scattered to every corner of the globe. Everywhere they went they were persecuted. Even so-called Christians murdered and tortured Jews, calling them “Christ-killers.” For centuries – until the 1900’s – the official doctrine of Catholicism proclaimed that Jews were cursed because they had killed Christ.

The Holocaust

Then came the holocaust. Hitler killed six million Jews. His intention was to completely exterminate the entire race. The Nazis rounded up Jews in 35 countries, shipped them off the death camps where they were gassed and then incinerated in huge ovens built for that purpose. Hitler’s intention was to take over as much of the world as he could, including England and the United States and kill every Jew in every country of the world. This plan came straight from the pits of hell and from the mind of Satan. The Jews that could, fled from Hitler into all the countries of the world. Yet, everywhere they went they faced persecution.

Israel Reborn

Then in 1948 a miracle happened. The Jews, who had been dispersed for nearly 2,000 years, returned to their original homeland!  Think about that for a moment. This is unprecedented! No other people has lost their country for two millennia, kept their national identity, and then returned to their homeland! This is absolutely incredible that such a thing should happen! It is astounding! What’s more, it was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy!

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land which I gave to their fathers.“(Jeremiah 16:14-15)

This could not have referred to the Jews return from the Babylonian exile, for several reasons. One, The Jews returned from Babylon. That’s only one country. But this passage speaks of “all the countries where he had driven them.” This would indicate a return from more than one country. Secondly, ancient Babylon is modern-day Iraq. Iraq is straight west of Israel. Yet this passage speaks of a return “out of the north country.”

According to the Encyclopedia Wikipedia, “During the 1990s, the Jewish population growth rate was about 3% per year, as a result of massive immigration to Israel, primarily from the republics of the former Soviet Union.” Take a look at the map below and see that Russia and other Soviet Union states are north of Israel.

                     

The Encyclopedia Wikipedia speaks of this notable event:

“In 1987, to the shock and wonder of the rest of the world, Mikhail Gorbachev…permitted mass Soviet Jewish emigration. Hundreds of thousands of Jews indicated their desire to leave the Soviet Union…to emigrate to Israel…From January to December 1990, more than 180,000 Soviet Jews arrived in Israel. In April alone, more than 10,000 Soviet Jews emigrated. Soviet Jews continued to flood into Israel at a rate of 1,400 per week during the 1990s. During one weekend in December 1990 more than 7,000 Soviet Jews arrived. Israel suffered from a severe housing shortage. World Jewry provided large sums of money via Operation Exodus to help Soviet Jews emigrate, and the challenge to Israel to absorb Soviet Jews into its society remained the top priority issue of the mid 1990s.”

God spoke of this event long ago through the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel:

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.’” (Isaiah 43:5-6)

“And the nations will know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:23-24)

The re-gathering of Israel to the Promised Land is part of God’s plan. Paul spoke of Israel and said,

I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, ²⁶and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

This New Testament passage seems to suggest that Israel will be again in her own land when all of Israel recognizes that Jesus is their Messiah. Furthermore, in many of Jesus’ discourses on the end of the age, he speaks as though Israel is again in the land during that time.

So Israel has been reborn, re-gathered from the nations to her own land and this is a marvelous fulfillment of Bible prophecy. A sign of the times, foreshadowing apocalyptic events to come.

Nazism Reborn

As horrible as the Second World War was, one of the blessings that came out of this evil is the rebirth of the nation of Israel. The geopolitical changes wrought by World War II made it possible for the Jews to retake their ancestral homeland.

Hitler’s ultimate goal went unrealized. The Nazi regime was crushed and Hitler killed himself. But we must remember that the real struggle is not against man, but against the devil and his demons:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Though Hitler and the Nazis are gone, the demonic hoards that infested them have not died. They have merely moved on to a new host. Where have they gone? They went straight from the Nazis to the Muslims. The evil ideology of Hitler infected an infamous Muslim leader in 1941. Here is how it happened.

Grand Mufti[3] Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem collaborated with Adolf Hitler’s extermination of the Jews. Al-Husseini met with Hitler at a well-documented meeting on November 25^th, 1941. Hitler promised al-Husseini, the Palestinian pan-Arab leader, that after securing a dominant military position in Europe, he would send the Nazi war machine on a blitzkrieg into the Arab world to help him obliterate all the Jews in the land. In his book, Preachers of Hate, Kenneth Timmerman elaborates on the Nazi-Muslim connection:

In July 1937…the German minister of foreign affairs, Konstantin von Neurath, sent out instructions to German legations in Britain and the Middle East explaining the new directives of the Nazi leadership:

“The formation of a Jewish state or a Jewish-led political structure under British mandate is not in Germany’s interest, since a Palestinian state would not absorb world Jewry, but would create an additional position of power under international law for international Jewry, somewhat like the Vatican state for political Catholicism…Germany therefore has an interest in strengthening the Arab world as a counterweight against such a possible increase in power for world Jewry.”

Germany began broadcasting anti-Semitic propaganda in Arabic in the summer of 1938, fueling the passions of the mufti’s followers throughout the region. They planted anti-Semitic lies in the Arabic and Persian press and bred espionage and sabotage networks from the Persian Gulf to Palestine.

Hitler killed himself in 1945, but Al-Husseni continued to live until 1974. He spent his life becoming the Arabian father of the hate that modern Arabs have for the Jews. He was greatly admired by his nephew, terrorist Yasir Arafat[4], who continued the mission of destroying Israel. But Hitler was the true earthly father of modern anti-Semitism. Muslim terror is merely Nazism by another name, and its root cause is Satan’s desire to destroy the Jews because they are God’s chosen people.[5]

All of the Arab countries surrounding Israel are being swept up in a wave of revived Nazism. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which publishes its results at www.memri.org , specializes in reading Arab newspapers and translating them to English in order to provide “original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.” Here are some pertinent observations made by MEMRI:

Turkey:

Mein Kampf, Hitler’s diatribe against the Jews is now on the best seller list in Turkey. The Turkish newspaper Vakit praised Hitler saying, “It is impossible not to admire the foresight of Adolph Hitler…[He] foresaw what would happen these [present] days. He cleansed off these swindler Jews…because he knew that they would become [this] big a curse for the world…The second man with foresight is evidently Osama bin Laden.”

Egypt:

The Egyptian government daily Al-Akhbar defends Hitler’s Holocaust: “The Zionists [Jews]…in Germany…betrayed the country that hosted them, in order to realize their aspirations…Hitler discovered that the Zionists were spies for the Allied Powers. Inevitably, he was enraged and took revenge on them for this great betrayal.”

Iran:

President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed that Iran would see to it that Israel is “wiped off the map.” He went on to say, “We cannot allow this fake regime of Israel to exist any more.” In response to the recent escalation between Israel and Lebanon, Ahmadinejad said in regard to America’s support of Israel, “If Israel’s supporters do not revise their support for the regime…they should know that this wrath will turn into a huge outburst, which will not be restricted to the region alone.”

 America – Defender of Freedom and Democracy

We have talked about who Israel is, who the terrorists are, but to make the picture complete we need a few words about who America is. President John F. Kennedy summed it up well in his Inaugural Address, given Friday, January 20, 1961:

“For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago. The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.   We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge—and more.  To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends…But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers…Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.  We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed…In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.  Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.   Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.  And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”[6]

What a heritage we have to be proud of! Some countries have a history of making war and of being a problem for the world. Other countries struggle merely to survive and feed their people. America, on the other hand, has a history of helping and feeding other countries, standing up to tyrants and regimes that would steal and murder, and defending freedom at home and abroad. Now let me draw your attention to an important statement contained herein. President Kennedy said that Americans are:

“…unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

This is in large part who America is. This is what we do. We defend freedom “around the world,” and we “pay any price” to do it. That’s why we are in Iraq today. We liberated 25,000 people and put an end to Saddam’s rape rooms and torture chambers.  We liberated another 25,000 people that were under the repressive rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Defending freedom is the business of America. That’s also why we have always supported Israel. Israel is a peaceful democracy, a land of freedom, surrounded by dictatorships and fascist regimes that are bent upon war and world domination. It has been rightly said in reference to the middle-east conflict, that if the Muslim terrorists threw down their weapons, there would be no more war, but if Israel were to throw down her weapons, there would be no more Israel. We stand with Israel because America stands for freedom and democracy and opposes tyranny, racism and oppression.

Unfortunately the liberals, the unsaved, the secularists and the atheists do not know who America is. They do not identify with the Judeo-Christian roots[7], ethics, and morals of our great nation. All the more reason that Christians must understand these things with crystal clear clarity.

9/11 – America’s Wake-up Call

On September 11^th, 2001 the two World Trade Center towers crumbled to the ground from two passenger jets being flown into them by Muslim murderers. Another plane hit the Pentagon. Another one would have hit the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building, except that some of the brave passengers overpowered the terrorists as the plane plunged into the ground.

The Muslim war on America has been going on for a long time before September 11th. The average American and past presidents have not paid close enough attention.  9/11 was our wake-up call to the war that had been going on for decades. Here is a partial list of terrorist attacks on America.

• April 1983: 17 dead at the U.S. embassy in Beirut.
• October 1983: 241 dead at the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
• December 1983: five dead at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait.
• January 1984: the president of the American University of Beirut killed.
• April 1984: 18 dead near a U.S. airbase in Spain.
• September 1984: 16 dead at the U.S. embassy in Beirut (again).
• December 1984: Two dead on a plane hijacked to Tehran.
• June 1985: One dead on a plane hijacked to Beirut.
• July 1980: an Iranian dissident killed in the Washington, D.C. area.
• August 1983: Leader of Ahmadiyya Islam sect killed , Mich.
• August 1984: three Indians killed in a suburb of Tacoma, Wash.
• September 1986: a doctor killed in Augusta, Ga.
• January 1990: an Egyptian freethinker killed in Tucson, Ariz.
• November 1990: a Jewish leader killed in New York.
• February 1991: an Egyptian Islamist killed in New York.
• January 1993: two CIA staff killed in Langley, Va.
• February 1993: First World Trade Center Attack, 6 killed..
• March 1994: Orthodox Jewish boy killed on the Brooklyn Bridge.
• February 1997: Danish tourist killed on the Empire State building.
• October 1999: 217 killed on  flight near New York City.
• October 2000: USS Cole 17 sailors, killed, 39 injured
• September 2001: 2,976 people killed on 9/11.

Islam: Religion of Peace?

After 9/11, many Americans asked in shocked amazement, “Why do they hate us so much?” They hate us because evil always hates goodness. They hate us because we stand for freedom. They hate us because we stand with Israel. They hate us because the Muslim scriptures tell them to hate us and to kill us. The following quotes are from the Islamic scriptures. Bear in mind that what they say is considered by Muslims to be God’s Word. These are only a few excerpts of many passages from their scriptures, which show the anti-Christian and anti-Jewish nature of Islam:

• Verily they are disbelievers and infidels who say, “the Messiah, son of Mary, is God.” (Qur’an 5:17)
• Killing disbelievers is a small matter to us.  (Tabari IX:69)
• “Kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, torture them…” (Qur’an 9:5)
• Do the bastards think that we are not their equal in fighting? We are men who think that there is no shame in killing. (Ishaq: 489)
• …Just issue orders to kill every Jew in the country. (Bukari V1B1N6)
• The Prophet said, “If a Muslim discards his Islamic religion, kill him.” (Bukhari V4B52N260)
• Believers, take not Jews and Christians for your friends. (Qur’an 5:51)
• Allah said, “A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of the world, its goods, and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.” (Ishaq 327)
• The Jews are a nation of liars…the Jews are a treacherous, lying and evil people. (Ishaq:240)
• The Messiah, Christ Jesus, the son of Mary was no more than a messenger…say not trinity. Cease and desist…for Allah is one Ilah (God). Far it is removed from him from having a son. (Qur’an 4:171)
• Allah said, “Jesus, I will take you and raise you to myself and rid you of the infidels who have forged the lie that you are my son…those who are infidels will surely receive severe torment both in this world and the next.” (Qur’an 3:55)
• If anyone disputes with you about Jesus being divine, flee them and pray that Allah will curse them.” (Qur’an 3:61)

 Putting It All In Perspective

 God’s Plan – The Jews Bless The Earth

 We have seen that the Jews are integral to God’s plan. Truly the Jewish people have blessed all the nations of the earth. From the Jews we received the Ten Commandments and other moral laws recorded in the Old Testament. Much of American law is based upon these laws. Every book of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, was written by a Jew. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born a Jew. All of the Apostles were Jews. Everything we know about God came from the Jews. This is why Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews,” or “from the Jews,” as some translations have it.

The Devil’s Plan – Exterminate The Jews

We have seen that all down through the ages Satan has been hounding the Jews. The Egyptians, the Philistines, the Canaanites, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, the Babylonians, Persians, Assyrians, and the German Nazis all tried to exterminate Israel. Today there are 58 Muslim countries where the majority of the population is taught anti-Israel rhetoric. There are nearly two billion Muslims in the world. It is the fastest growing religion on the planet, and every single one of these Muslims read from the same Islamic scriptures that teach hatred of the Jews. This is no accident. It is the work of Satan.

 

Imagine, if you can, a world without America. Hitler would not have been defeated. Imagine a world where the Nazis were in control, or imagine Saddam still in power, murdering people by the tens of thousands, his sons dragging women off to rape rooms, and his henchmen exterminating the Kurds. There would be no more Kuwait, no more Saudi Arabia.[8]  Due in large part to America’s efforts under Ronald Reagan, there is no more Cold War and no more Soviet Union. But Imagine the Soviet Union still strong and unchallenged and spreading its atheistic communism throughout the world. A world without America would leave you three choices: Live under Communism, Nazism or Radical Islam, or something worse. Freedom would not be a choice. What is worse, try imagining a world without Israel – a world with no Holy Bible, no Christianity, no Savior.

Subterfuge – The Modus Operandi of Evil

Satan’s methods have always included lies. Jesus said Satan was a liar and “the father of lies.” Do not be fooled by the lies and subterfuge spewed forth by the enemies of Israel. They said they only want Israel out of their land. If only they would leave Gaza, get out of Lebanon, etc. Trade land for peace they said. It was all a ruse. Israel did all they asked, and still they attack Israel unmercifully. The very charter of Hamas, the terrorist organization that is the elected government of the Palestinian Arabs calls for the complete extermination of all of Israel.

The fight against Israel has nothing to do with land. Take Israel and put her in the middle of the United States and Satan would stir up hatred against her there. Scatter the Jews amongst the nations with no homeland, and she would still be persecuted. In fact, she was scattered for two thousands years and in every country the Jews were persecuted. Even in America you can find people who hate the Jews and they don’t even really know why. They don’t realize they are being used as pawns of Satan.

A Picture From Revelation

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the book of Revelation we have a word-picture that illustrates clearly what is happening with Israel:

“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne…When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” (Rev 12:1-13)

The woman is Israel. The dragon is Satan. The “third of the stars” represents the fallen angels that followed Satan in rebellion against God. The child of the woman is Jesus. Satan standing in front of the woman, ready to devour the child, shows us that Herod’s attempt to kill the baby Jesus was really inspired by Satan. We are told that Satan “pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” Here we have a picture of exactly what Satan has been doing to Israel down through the ages. That’s what he is doing right now through the Muslim murderers that are attacking Israel.[9] He is pursuing the woman, Israel, who gave birth to Jesus.

 Why America?

We might ask the question: Why us? Why America? Why do we have to be the world’s policeman? Why does this have to be our fight? Can’t we just hunker down and let the world go by? Why do we have to support Israel? Maybe if we stay out of it and not pick sides, maybe then the terrorists would leave us alone. We can not, we must not, do this.

The reasons are manifold. First, with great power comes great responsibility. God has blessed us. We are the most powerful nation and the wealthiest country in the world. With that blessing comes the responsibility to exercise our power for good. To not do so would be evil. A review of Biblical history shows that countries that failed to exercise their power for good find themselves as Belshazzar did. He saw the handwriting on the wall. His kingdom was weighed in God’s balances, found wanting, and it was taken from him.

Secondly, Christianity is Jewish in origin. Our nation was founded with Judeo-Christian morals. There are more Christians in America than any other nation. America is related to Israel as Esther was related to Mordecai. We are very much in the place Esther was. Turn our back on Israel from whence has come our salvation? The words which Mordecai spoke to Esther, should be taken to heart:

“Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

We in America are in the “King’s palace.” If we turn our back on Israel and let the terrorists destroy them, we should not think that we should escape terrorism any more than all the Jews! Remember, the terrorists hate Christians and Americans almost as much as the Jews! Forsake Israel? Relief and support would appear for Israel from another place, but woe unto America! We must stand with God’s people. Who knows but that God has placed America in her royal and supreme position for such a time as this?

A third reason is the promise given by God to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people:

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

History bears this out. Name a country that has persecuted the Jews. What happened to them? Egypt — Plagues, rivers turning to blood, death of all their first-born. Nazi Germany — Utter destruction in World War II. Need I go on? Show me on the globe — where do the Amalekites live? Where is the land of the Philistines?  Where are the Canaanites, the Edomites, the Moabites, or the Ammonites?  All of these nations persecuted Israel, and all of them are no more. God’s word stands: Whoever curses Israel is cursed by God and whoever blesses Israel is blessed by God. America owes much of her bounty to the fact that we have stood with Israel. God has blessed America as we have blessed Israel.

Why America? Because of who we are. As a little boy growing up I loved watching Zorro on television. It was a bit of pleasant nostalgia for me to watch the two Zorro movies that came out in the last few years. The last Zorro movie has an interesting story line. Zorro disputes with his wife over being “Zorro.” She wants him to stop fighting tyranny and injustice and live a safe and normal life for the sake of safety for themselves and their young son.  In the final scene of the movie the town’s bell rings, signaling that Zorro is needed. His wife smiles and nods her approval for him to respond to the call. In answer to his look of surprise, she smiles and says, “It’s who we are.”

Please read again the words of President Kennedy that explain why we do what we must: It’s who we are.

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty…. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.  Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself… let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

 The Significance of Current Events

The terrorists are firing missiles into Israel by the thousands at every opportunity. Israel is locked in a war with the Muslim murderers. These are the same breed of Muslim murderers that attacked us on 9/11. The root cause is Satan’s desire to destroy Israel. In one sense, what we are seeing is nothing new. It is what Satan has always done. On the other hand, we must realize that Israel being gathered again as a nation after 2000 years of exile is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

What should we do? Now that we understand that the real war is a spiritual war between good and evil, we must pray for Israel. We must pray for our President. Pray that God will give him the wisdom from on high to know how best to proceed. Furthermore, take a stand for the truth. When you hear anti-Semitism in any form, stand up against it. God will bless you for it.

A Study in The Scriptures

In order to fix in our minds what God’s attitude is toward the Jews, let us study the scriptures so that we will understand what our own attitude toward the Jews should be.

Read Scripture:   Jeremiah 31:35-37

Question:               When will the Jewish people cease to be a nation before God? (Select Correct Answer)

1. When the sun stops shining in the day
2. When the moon and stars no longer shine at night
3. When the waves of the sea are no more
4. When the heavens are measured.
5. When the center of the earth is explored
6. All of the above

Consider this: Some people, even well meaning Christians, mistakenly think that Israel is no longer a special nation before God. Some even say that they are rejected by God because they rejected their Messiah. The above passage disproves that.

Scripture:               Matthew 23: 34-36

Question:             Jesus said, “upon you (will) fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth…” Note verse 36 and answer this question:

The judgment for rejecting their Messiah and the other prophets would fall upon:  (Select correct answer)

1. All the Jewish people for all time.
2. The Romans
3. That Generation alive at that time

Consider:    Once again we see proof from the scripture that today’s Jews bear no judgment for what some of the Jews of Jesus time did when they rejected their Messiah. Jesus said the guilt fell upon that generation. And truly it did when Titus of Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Anyone who persecutes today’s Jews because of the crucifixion of Jesus, do not know their Bible very well.

Read Scripture:         Numbers, Chapters 22, 23, 24

Question:                     Why was God’s anger kindled against Balaam? (see 22:20-21)

1. Because he got drunk
2. Because he entertained temptation with Israel’s enemies
3. Because he cursed the Jews

Question:         According to Balaam’s oracle, who is blessed? (24:1-9)

Write your answer:

___________________________________________

 

Question:           According to Balaam’s oracle, who is cursed (24:1-9)

Write your answer:

____________________________________________

Question:  According to 24:20 Amalek was the “first of the nations,” indicating that they were a mighty and powerful nation. But then they opposed the Jews. What did Balaam prophesy would happen to Amalek and his nation in the end?  They would…  (Select correct answer)

1. Become a small nation
2. Become famous
3. Come to destruction

Read Scripture:          Romans 3:1-4

Question:                     What advantage or value is there in being a Jew?

1. None under the New Covenant
2. A little advantage
3. Great in every respect and much in every way

Question:      The Jews were entrusted with… (Select correct answer)

1. Keeping the peace
2. Secret knowledge
3. The Oracles of God
4. Hidden treasure

Question:   Some of the Jews were unfaithful and rejected Christ. The Apostle Paul asks the rhetorical question: Will their lack of faithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness to the Jews? Paul answers this question and says… (Select Correct Answer)

1. Yes
2. No
3. Sometimes

Scripture:  Romans 11:1-29

Question:  According to verses 1 and 2, has God rejected the Jewish people?

1. Yes
2. No

Question:         According to this passage Christians are grafted

1. Into heavenly places
2. Into spiritual Israel

Consider this:  This passage speaks of Israel as a natural olive tree and as non-Jews as wild olive branches. When we put our faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, then we are spiritually grafted into the family heritage of spiritual Israel. We do not become Jews physically or genetically, but we are adopted into the family of God and become partakers of God’s grace along with Israel.

Question:         In verse 18 we are told not to be arrogant against the branches. Write down what that means:

________________________________________________________

Question:         According to verse 28, the Jews are… (Select correct answer)

1. No longer a nation
2. Beloved for the sake of the fathers
3. Under God’s curse for rejecting Jesus

Question:         According to verse 29, the calling of God on the Jews is: (Select correct answer)

1. Irrevocable
2. In the past
3. Revoked

Conclusion

Hatred against the Jews – against Israel –  is sweeping the world, just as it always has. Be aware that there is a spiritual component to it. It is not ordinary racism. It is racism on steroids, empowered by the devil and his hoards of demons. Be ready to stand in defense of individual Jews, as well as Israel as a nation. Never forget that our Lord and Savior is a Jew. Our Holy Bible is entirely Jewish in origin. The Jews are God’s chosen people. This does not mean they are saints. They are fallen humans just like us. There are both good and bad people amongst the Jews, just as there is amongst any nation. Jesus said of Nathanael, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is nothing false.” But he also said, speaking of Judas, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Two Jews — one good and one bad. So although the Jews are God’s chosen people, they are a mixture of character, just like all the nations. The Jews, like us, need Jesus in order to be saved. Pray for them, that Israel’s eyes will be opened to recognize their Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us never forget that salvation is of the Jews. And let us make certain our lives are surrendered to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews!

 

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Footnotes:

[1] An interesting aside: Persia is what we now call Iran. In historical artifacts discovered in the ancient ruins of Babylon and Ur, Cyrus identifies himself as King of Iran. While Cyrus, the King of Iran was kind to the Jewish people and allowed them to return home, the current “King of Iran,” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed that Iran would see to it that Israel is “wiped off the map.” He went on to say, “We cannot allow this fake regime of Israel to exist any more.”

[2] Not all the Jews returned. The story of Esther, for example, occurred about fifty years after some of the Jews returned

[3] The title of Grand Mufti refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts.”

[4] Read more on the Nazi-Muslim connection:  www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/851163/posts

[5] For more information on this subject see the book: The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin Al-Hussein, by Chuck Morse.

[6] This is an excerpt. You can read the entire speech here: http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html

[7] For proof of America’s Christian Heritage see: http://www.americandestiny.com/historical_quotes.htm

[8] Saddam invaded Saudi Arabia shortly after invading Kuwait. He was pushed back by American forces. If not for our presence he would still be in Saudi Arabia. He would have control of the majority of middle east oil. With that money he would have built a nuclear arsenal and military that would have made world conquest its objective.

[9] Although I relate this to the past and the present, I also believe this passage points to an increased and specific attack of Satan upon the Jews during the Great Tribulation.