Recently 232 Jews from North America immigrated to their ancient homeland – Israel. There are more Jewish people living in Israel than any other nation. That mark was just reached a few months ago. Since the beginning of the 20th century the world has watched a miracle in the making. According to many biblical prophecies, the Jewish people are doing what no other people group has ever done – go back home and help rebuild a nation that was dead. In both of Mike’s August Bible studies he will speak about this amazing miracle. His message is entitled: “The Miraculous Return of the Jewish People to Israel.”
Israel – a Jewish Nation
Israel is now officially recognized within Israel as ‘a Jewish state.’ The “Israel’s Knesset, by a vote of 62-55 with two abstentions, passed the contentious ‘Jewish Nation-State’ bill into law Thursday morning, July 19, making it the 14th Basic Law. ‘122 years after Herzl published his vision, we have stated by law the basic principle of our existence,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from the Knesset podium. Arab [representatives] denounced the new law as ‘racist’ and declared that it heralded the ‘death of our democracy.’ The law declares Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people and codifies Jewish symbols of the state, including the Menorah on various official documents and seals, the status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and national holidays centered around Jewish traditions and customs.” (int.icej.org) This means that the political process in Israel is finally recognizing what God declared in the Bible thousands of years ago.
Israeli Kids Send a Message of Love to Gaza Kids
This past weekend the leadership of Hamas (which means “violence” in Hebrew) sent another group of thousands of hate- filled terrorists to the border fence in southern Israel. For weeks they have stormed the border fence with burning tires, hand-made bombs, and shouts of hate, defiance and destruction. Their ultimate goal is to physically dismantle the fence and travel throughout Israel to kill as many Israelis as possible.
Hamas has been in control of Gaza since 2007 and it has been their open policy to use whatever means necessary – missiles, underground tunnels, etc., – to send a message to Israel and the world that the Jewish nation and her people must be destroyed. In recent weeks, the Palestinians in this area released fire kites that have burned crops and trees in southern Israel, causing great damage to farms in the area.
In response, Israel has had to use force, sometimes bringing about the death of hundreds of people who are being used as human shields and sacrifices to force the world to empathize with Hamas’ cause. This lethal force is necessary to stop the infiltration of these terrorist into Israel, brining death and destruction in their path. Unfortunately, in this world of fake news and unethical agendas, the United Nations continues to condemn Israel for defending itself, while praising the unjust cause of Hamas. The world continues to reward hate and violence, rather than support the Jewish people who cry for love and peace.
This past week-end, the Israeli children near this border sent a message of love to the children of Gaza. They sent thousands of balloons into the air to float toward Gaza. These balloons carried candies and a message of hope and love to the children of Gaza. It was aimed at saying to the Gaza children: “You may hate us, but we do not hate you.”
I wonder how many media correspondence across the world will report this story. This story underlines the truth that I have discovered. It is the Israelis who want peace and acceptance. It is the terrorists who are filled with hate and total rejection of the Jewish people. Long ago the Psalmist said in behalf of the Jewish people: “I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” (Psalm 120:7)
Another message of hope and love from the air will soon return to Israel. The Messiah – the Lord Jesus- will return to Israel with a message of peace for the nation. All of the nations who have oppressed Israel will suffer the vengeance of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 62:11- 63:6) Then, the nations that hate Israel will support the Jewish people and the Jewish nation. (Isaiah 60:1-18) War will be over and peace will reign across the region and around the world. (Isaiah 2:1-4) How I long for that day to come! This why Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
To read the article about this story go to: www.israeltoday.co.il
New Diplomatic Winds Blowing in the Middle East
The Middle East continues to undergo a radical change from recent decades. Until recent years, the entire Arab Islamic world was united against Israel and used the status of the Palestinian refugees and the conflict over the land as the focal point of their rejection of Israel. However, all of that is changing. The great conflict within Islam between the Sunnis and Shias is driving the Sunnis to develop a new relationship with Israel.
In the last few years, many Sunni states in the Persian Gulf area, including Saudi Arabia, have been greatly concerned about the militant movements of the Shia Muslims, especially Iran. From a Sunni perspective, they see Iran and its allies Russia and Turkey threatening to take over the region. They view what is happening in Syria as being very dangerous. Until recent years, Syria had a Sunni majority. However, with the help of the Russians, the Syrian government is killing and/or driving out the Sunni population, so that the present Syrian government (which is of a different religious/political group) will not have any opposition. The Iranians have come to the aid of Syria in order to gain a militant foothold against Israel and the other Sunni Arab/Muslims in the region.
Saudi Arabia knows that Iran would love to overthrow the present family of Saud in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have been defending themselves against the Houti rebels, backed by Iran, in Southern Yemen for several years.
In light of this, it is very interesting that the present Saudi leadership is beginning to move closer toward Israel and distancing itself from the Palestinians. The Palestinians in Gaza have accepted Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group that has strong ties to Iran.
According to Israel Today,the future Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia recently made the following comments:“Saudi Arabia’s future king, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, apparently sees the Palestinian leadership as the primary obstacle to peace in the Holy Land.
That according to an Israel Channel 10 News report on the prince’s meeting with Jewish leaders in New York last month.
According to remarks attributed to the Saudi leader, he mercilessly criticized the Palestinian Authority for failing to make peace with Israel over the 40 years of the current peace process.
‘For the past 40 years, the Palestinian leadership has missed opportunities again and again, and rejected all the offers it was given,” bin Salman reportedly said. “It’s about time that the Palestinians accept the offers, and agree to come to the negotiating table — or they should shut up and stop complaining.’” (israeltoday.co.il)
All of this is setting the stage for the final wars of the last days.
Israeli Jets Lock on to nuclear targets in Iran
Israel Today, a Messianic publication from Jerusalem, has reported: “Arab media reported this week that Israeli fighter jets recently entered Iranian airspace and locked on to targets in several major Iranian cities.
The jets in question were all from Israel’s new fleet of advanced F-35 stealth fighters, which were able to carry out the probing mission without detection by Iran’s Russian-supplied air defenses.
All this according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida.
The newspaper reported that two Israeli F-35s flew over Syria and Iraq, presumably in coordination with American forces in the region, before penetrating Iranian airspace and circling high over three large Iranian cities – Bandar Abbas, Esfahan and Shiraz.
All three cities house major components of Iran’s nuclear program, and the Israeli jets practiced locking on to these targets before returning safely to Israel.” www.israeltoday.co.il
According to Jeremiah 49:34-39, in the last days Elam (the ancient Biblical name for Iran) will suffer a defeat that will cause its land to be uninhabitable until a remnant returns in the latter days – probably during the Kingdom Age. Is this a reference to a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites that could possibly cause nuclear fallout as a result of their destruction? Are we about to witness this? Will this be the hook in the jaw that Ezekiel reported would cause the Russian and Iranian invasion of Israel in Ezekiel 38? Only time will tell!