Tag: Current Events

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Standing on the Right Side of Good and Evil

Life is full of choices. The Bible continually warns us to make good choices. That is because there are consequences for every choice we make. It is like sowing seeds. What we plant comes up (Galatians 6:7-9).

God has exhorted us, “Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell forevermore” (Psalm 37:27). Good stands on the side of God, life, truth, righteousness, and justice. Evil promotes Satan, death, lies, wickedness and injustice. To confuse good and evil is deadly (Isaiah 5:20).

When we stand with Israel we are standing on the side with God, and that is always “good.” Israel is not the aggressor in this present conflict. They are defending their people from a genocidal enemy. That what God expects them to do! Israel does not target civilians in Gaza. They have tried to avoid the death of civilians. Their attack is against Hamas.

The same cannot be said for Hamas. They train and aim at Israeli civilians. They especially aim to harm and kill Israeli children. They proved that on October 7th. That is evil! Speaking about children, Jesus said, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones” (Luke 17:2).

Hamas does not care about the Palestinians. The Palestinians are suffering because of Hamas. If the world really cares about the Palestinian people, they would be cheering for Israel at this hour. Daniel Pipes, the president for the Middle East Forum, writes, “Hamas actively wants Gaza residents to be bombed, hungry, suffering, homeless, injured and killed. It bases troops and missiles in mosques, churches, schools, hospitals, and homes. An Emirati political figure, Dirar Belhoul al-Falasi, explains that ‘Hamas fired a rocket from the hospital’s roof, so that Israel would bomb this hospital.’ It calls on Gaza residents to serve as shields. It parks vehicles on the roads to block civilians from moving southward, out of harm’s way. It even shoots these fleeing civilians.

The U.S. government has long noted this pattern of behavior. In 2014, the diplomat Dennis Ross commented that the people of Gaza paid a ‘staggering’ price for Hamas’ aggression, but its leaders ‘have never been concerned about that. For them, Palestinians’ pain and suffering are tools to exploit, not conditions to end.’

Douglas Feith, a former high-ranking Pentagon official, correctly finds it ‘unprecedented for a party to adopt a war strategy to maximize civilian deaths on its own side.’ He dubs this ‘not a human shield strategy [but] a human sacrifice strategy.’

Of course, Hamas digs into its Islamist ideology to justify this practice. One official blithely explains that Palestinians ‘sacrifice ourselves. We consider our dead to be martyrs. The thing any Palestinian desires the most is to be martyred for the sake of Allah, defending his land.’

Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of a founding Hamas leader, puts it another way: ‘I was born at the heart of Hamas leadership … and I know them very well. They don’t care for the Palestinian people. They do not regard human life. I saw their brutality firsthand’” (The Middle East Forum, November 8, 2023).

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Israelis Calling Out to God

It is reported that 95 percent of Israelis are living in fear. As they await the outcome of this very difficult war in Gaza, soldiers, and their families and friends back at home are all crying out to God for help. They are broken as they express their complete dependence upon God for their victory.

The nation is focused upon Psalm 120-135. Most of these psalms were written by King Hezekiah while Israel faced an impossible war with the Assyrians in 700 B.C. The Assyrians were very much like Hamas. Their war tactics were inhuman. They were the terrorists of the ancient world (Ezekiel 32:22-23).

It is apparent from the holy prophetic Scriptures that one of God’s main purposes for allowing Israel to suffer so much in the last days is that it will lead to their salvation (Daniel 12:1). God says that He will refine them in the fiery trials of the Tribulation. And “they shall call on my name, and I will hear them,: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:9). See Jeremiah 30:1-7.

During the approaching Tribulation Period, the Jewish people will experience a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, leading thousands to salvation (Joel 2:27-32; Revelation 7:4-8; 14:1-5). I believe that God is preparing their hearts now for this moment of great salvation.

This has been the longing of the heart of the heavenly Father (Isaiah 59:19-60:1; 62:1-7). As Israelis cry out to God, He will hear their cry and ultimately salvation will come to Israel. Let us pray for the glory of God to be seen by them and all nations, as He destroys the enemies of Israel (Ezekiel 38:16-23; 39:22-29). These passages are about to be fulfilled.

However, the church will not be here to witness these events. When the church is complete and called out in the Rapture, then salvation will come to Israel (Romans 11:25-26).

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Global Rejection of God

photo courtesy of Israel Today Magazine

As we watch events unfold around the world at this hour, we need to keep our eyes on Psalm 2. This psalm is a prophetic commentary on what is happening now.

Verse one– “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” The word “rage” speaks of an open defiance and disorderly conduct. Our world is erupting into disruptive chaos that glorifies and clamors for evil. Evil brings death and destruction. It is no wonder that God says, “the people imagine a vain thing.” These people are asking for their own demise. The people who glorify Hamas are in love with evil. They will get what they want. The Islamic terrorists will march across the globe during the Tribulation Period, killing, raping, and pillaging as they go. I am convinced that the four riders of the horses in Revelation 6:1-8 represent the global jihad of the Antichrist at the beginning of the Tribulation Period. The events that happened in Israel on October 7th are a little window into global events that will transpire around the world every day for seven very long years!

Verse 2– “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed.” It is apparent that the United Nations and all the nations around the globe are siding with Islam. They are chanting for the destruction of Israel and the Jews. They would rather have Hamas than Israel. They are against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are against God’s “anointed” [the word here is messiah]. They are against Jesus. Therefore, they hate Jews and Christians. This will be the trademark of the Antichrist and his global kingdom. They will kill believers in Jesus by beheading them (Revelation 20:4). The antichrist will blaspheme the name of the God of the Bible (Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:6).

Verse 3– “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” The references to “band” and “cords” point to the binding commandments of God. These evil people want to be set free from the law of God. They want total freedom to express their depravity. God says we are to not have any other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3-5). The crowds around the world are chanting, “Allah is greater.” Allah is not the God of the Bible. They are calling for the worship of another god. It is not an accident that Hamas attacked Israel on the Sabbath day (Saturday). God demanded Israel to keep the sabbath day as a holy day (Exodus 20:3). When Hamas attacked Israel, they rebelled against all of God’s last six commandments in Exodus 20:12-17. Read them and think about this. Evil people are glorifying this!

Notice God’s response to these rebels. First, He will laugh at them (verse 4). How stupid for man to think He can oppose God and His commandments. Second, He will “speak to them in his wrath and vex [terrify] them” (verse 5). They want terror. He will give them terror! Terror will rule over the nations for seven years! Third, God will set His Son, the Jewish Messiah, upon his “holy hill of Zion” (verse 6). Hamas used the Jewish peoples’ visits to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as an excuse to invade Israel. Islam claims that the Temple Mount belongs to them and not to the Jews. They claim that that Jews have no right to this holy mountain and that it is an Islamic holy site. God will answer by placing His Son on the throne of David on the Temple Mount for 1,000 years (see photo). Jesus will rule over all the nations in His glorious kingdom (verses 7-9). Fourth, God demands that all the kings and judges of the nations serve and honor Him (verse 11). He warns them that their rebellion against Him are stoking the fires of His holy wrath (verse 12).

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Will The Current Hatred for Israel Trigger the Ezekiel 38 war?

According to an ancient prophecy in Ezekiel 38, in the last days a massive ground invasion of Israel will take place. This attack upon Israel will not be the same as the Armageddon war that will happen at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period. According to this prophecy, Russia, Iran, and Turkey and other radical Islamic allies will attack Israel “in the latter years” (Ezekiel 38:8). I think this attack will happen immediately before the Tribulation Period begins.

The Bible states that God will use something to lure these armies into this war so that He can defeat them on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel wrote, “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog [leader of Russia], the land of Magog [Russia], the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen,…” (Ezekiel 38:1-4).

Bible students have always wondered what “the hook in the jaw” represents. What will God use to force Russia and its allies to invade Israel? Could it be that we are watching this unfold at this moment? Since Hamas’ brutal and deadly attack upon Israel on October 7th, the world has twisted the facts and made Israel the aggressor and murderer of innocent people in Gaza. As a result, there has been an explosion of antisemitism around the world, calling for the death of Israel while praising the Hamas murderers. On Saturday, November 4th in Washington DC, it is estimated that 100,00 protesters (see photo) declared that Israel is the terrorist and chanted dead to Israel.

“Since the invasion, China, Russia, and Iran have all used their state-controlled media outlets to promote Hamas claims downplaying or outright denying the terrorist organization’s atrocities, while accusing Israel of persecuting Palestinians and even committing genocide” (World Israel News, November 5, 2023). It is apparent that the evil enemies of Israel and the United States are masking the truth and creating the dangerous context for genocidal attacks upon Israel and the United States.

Israelis are talking about Ezekiel 38 and its possible fulfillment at this current time. It is time for the Lord to demonstrate His sovereign strength when He destroys the armies who want to annihilated Israel (Ezekiel 38:18-23).

All this signals that we are near the time for the exit of the church to heaven. These are very serious developments that demand our attention and prayers. Please pray for truth to prevail. Pray for Israel. Those who hate Israel are the enemies of God (Psalm 83: 1-8). Prepare your soul for the time when we will all stand before Jesus as our judge.

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International Rules of War

The world needs to recognize that Islamic terrorists, like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, do not fight by the same internationally recognized rules of war. Israel is fully committed to these rules of war. How odd that Israel is always accused of “war crimes,” while their Islamic opponents are not held to the same standard. This demonstrates that people’s hatred of Israel blinds them from the truth and factual evidence. Their accusations against Israel are very prejudiced. They would never hold another country to the same standards as those demanded of Israel. This is why Israel is told by many in the world to not defend itself against an existential threat.

The following article has been copied from The Middle East Forum, October 27, 2023.

“‘International Humanitarian Law’ (IHL). The core of IHL is the Geneva Conventions, a set of rules for war negotiated after WWII. IHL attempts to achieve a balance between the necessity of defeating an opponent by winning the war on the one hand, and limiting needless suffering on the other. IHL is grounded in Western (i.e. Judaeo-Christian) understandings of the concept of a “just war.”

IHL rules rely on a fundamental distinction between civilians and combatants. They require that military action should always be directed against combatants, never against civilians; civilians should always refrain from fighting; and combatants should act in a way which minimizes harm to civilians, for example, by not using civilians as human shields, and when attacking military targets, doing this in a way which minimizes disproportionate civilian casualties.

IHL rules also stipulate that if a combatant is taken prisoner, he (or she) cannot be killed for being a combatant, but should be treated humanely, in a way which is consistent with rights determined by IHL.

Let’s consider an example. If Israel wishes to kill a Hamas military leader using an airstrike, it must first weigh up the likely impact on civilians, go about it in a way which minimizes the impact, and refrain from proceeding if civilian casualties will be disproportionate to the military advantage gained.

If one side is trying to follow IHL rules while the other side rejects these same rules, the side which rejects the rules will have an advantage in battle. It is much easier to defeat your enemy if you don’t have to count the civilian cost. …

In reality, in all the wars in the world over the past century, laws of war have been honored more in the breach than in the observance. For example, during World War II both UK and US air forces carried out extensive incendiary bombing raids targeting urban areas of Germany and Japan. These attacks killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. The allies did this because they believed it would help them win.

It is important to grasp that Hamas completely rejects the IHL framework. More than this, it knows how to exploit Israel’s commitment to follow such rules. But this does not mean Hamas is without rules: its commitment to Islam implies that it is bound to follow Islam’s rules of war, but these are completely different from IHL.

A key point of difference is that the principal distinction Islamic rules of war make is not between combatants and non-combatants, but between adult men on the one hand, and women and children on the other. In contrast to IHL rules, Islamic law allows any men – combatants or not – who are taken prisoner to be killed, and it considers enemy prisoners, whether men, women or children, to be slaves who can be bought and sold. (ISIS proudly did this with its prisoners in Iraq and Syria.) Islamic law also allows the rape of captive females by their owners, and enslaved children can be kept and be brought up as Muslims. (A source of soldiers for Islam in Islamic history has been enslaved boys, taken captive, then forcibly converted, and raised to be fighters.)

In contrast to IHL rules, Islamic law allows any men – combatants or not – who are taken prisoner to be killed, and it considers enemy prisoners, whether men, women or children, to be slaves who can be bought and sold.

Furthermore, Islamic military strategy has always approved of taking hostages and using them as bargaining chips: threatening to kill them, offering to swap them for the other sides’ captives, or exchanging them for ransom to fund the jihad. All of this is regulated by the sharia (Islamic law).

Consider this situation. Two men are involved in a fire fight, a jihadi and an infidel who has been taught to follow IHL rules. The jihadi knows that if he is wounded or thinks he is losing, all he has to do is throw down his weapon and come out with his hands up. The infidel’s IHL rules of engagement mean he must take the jihadi prisoner without harming him further. But if the infidel surrenders, sharia rules of engagement will permit the jihadi to shoot him dead on the spot.

When one side is fighting by IHL rules, and the other side is fighting a genocidal war by sharia rules, the result is an asymmetrical struggle, with one side having many options which are not available to the other. One side can kill, enslave, and rape while the other side is constrained to treat captives humanely. One side can use terror attacks on civilians while the other side should only deliberately target combatants.

Of course Hamas is fully aware of the limitations imposed upon the IDF by its rules of engagement. Indeed, Hamas leaders regard fighting by IHL rules as a sign of weakness.

Add to this inequality the fact that the war with Hamas is not a struggle over land, but a struggle for survival against a genocidal foe. If Hamas laid down its weapons, it would usher in peace. If Israelis laid down their weapons, a great massacre of Jews would result.”