Why is Israel Under Attack?

Blessings to Israel presents Deserting the Times, a program committed to encouraging you to view current events through the lens of the Bible.

Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, please join us for today's program. We begin tonight with the Middle East in flames. Israel has formally declared war after that unprecedented multi-pronged terror attack from Hamas, shocking the nation, catching its intelligence service by surprise. The death toll is mounting and at least 100 taken hostage. Several Americans are now confirmed to be among the dead. And a warning, the details and images are disturbing. Starting at dawn yesterday, Hamas lobbed thousands of rockets from Gaza toward Israel, armed militants breaching border crossings, gunning down soldiers and civilians, neighborhoods in flames, homes and cars destroyed, more than 700 killed in Israel, more than 260, mostly young people killed at a music festival.

A couple at that festival among the hostages, the woman taken away on a motorcycle, her boyfriend marched away by two men. Israel retaliating with airstrikes on Gaza, more than 400 dead in the territory. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns there is a long and difficult war ahead. The Pentagon now sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, part of president Biden's promise of rock solid and unwavering support. Welcome to discerning the times.

My name is Brian Thomas, always a blessing to be with you. Although this week I come with a somber and heavy heart because we've all seen the images coming out of the nation of Israel this week. And as you heard, Israel has declared war because Israel is under attack. People are asking questions as to how did this happen? How did the Hamas terrorists breach Israel's iron dome? Because Israel's intelligence service is one of the best, if not the best in the entire world. And people again are asking questions. How did this take place on such a grand scale like this? Because this is the worst attack that Israel has seen since its rebirth as a nation. As the death toll is around a thousand at this point and still counting, there are a number of hostages, including US citizens that are being held hostage. And so people are asking questions.

They are asking questions as to what is going on, what is the significance to this? And for us as believers in Jesus Christ, we look to the Bible and say, what does the Bible have to say about this, if anything? So we're going to talk about it today in greater detail. But before we get into that, I want to remind you as we always do, that your eternal state is far more important than your current state. If you have never received Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, I encourage you to come to him on today so that you can inherit eternal life. Otherwise your eternal destiny will be in the lake of fire, separated from our Lord. So please accept Jesus on today.

And well folks, I always give that statement to open our programs. And this week, it really resonates. I think even more because in this week, again, a thousand people have stepped into eternity. A thousand people, their eternal fate is sealed in the nation of Israel and that again, just there in Israel. But of course we know there are people throughout the world that have still died. And again, your eternal state is so important, but we are looking today at Israel and the fact that Israel is under attack.

And we're going to look at why, because there are many layers to what has happened. And I'm going to look at some of the things as far as the natural goals, but I really want to focus on the spiritual component behind this, because this is God's holy land. This is God's holy nation. And in the book of Daniel chapter 12, verse 10, it says, many shall be purified, made white and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

Now this is specifically talking about the seven year tribulation that is coming, but I do believe we are building quickly toward that. And we as believers in Christ must be wise and understand what is taking place. So to get us started, I want to play a short excerpt of an interview that Jan Markell had with Jonathan Bernis on the Jewish people and the way they have been the focus of attacks throughout its history. Jan, why is it always the Jews? Why is it always destroy the Jews?

Not the Scandinavians, not the Canadians. It's always the Jews. I think, my own opinion, I know others share it, I think it's Satan thinks if he could exterminate the Jews forever, because he's tried since Pharaoh, Haman, you name it, going back, generals, kings, presidents, fuhrers, mullahs, if he could annihilate the Jews, he may be able to change God's end time plan.

And then he might not get thrown into the fiery pit. I see the same thing. That's exactly my understanding. It's very logical. Destroy the Jews, God God's plan fails. And it's been that way from the beginning.

It's been that way from the beginning. Satan has been trying to destroy God's plan, destroy God's holy people. And I agree wholeheartedly with what it said is always kill the Jews. And it brings to mind the scripture in Psalm chapter 83 verse four, they have said, come and let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. And that has been the sentiment, the satanic spirit that has been throughout the world ever since God made this promise to Abraham of his covenant people. And Satan is driving people to go against the Jews because he hates what God loves. And when Satan looks at all of humanity, the Bible says we are created in the image of God. And so when he looks at mankind, he, he sees the reflection of God. And so he hates all of us, but he especially hates the nation of Israel because that is the nation through which the Messiah, Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for sins, to save our souls. He came through the tribe of Judah and he's returning to the earth, to the nation of Israel.

And Satan is trying to prevent that from happening. So as we look at what has taken place over the past week, this is on the 50 year anniversary of the Yom Kippur war of 1973. And that is why a lot of people are asking, how did this happen? Because terrorists are known to commit acts following the anniversary date of something prior. So 50 years, a significant date, and they chose this to carry out this attack. And again, Israel's intelligence services is top notch and people are asking, well, how did this happen?

How did they get through and do this? But when we look at this, all of the world is talking about this tiny nation of Israel that lets us know that there is a biblical significance. There is a spiritual significance to the nation of Israel. Now, this group that attacked Israel is called Hamas, which is made of Sunni Muslims. So this is a spiritual battle folks.

This is a religion that does not recognize Jesus Christ as God, the son in the way that we as Christians do. So there is a battle over this land, a battle over this territory. And we know that Israel was on the verge of a peace deal with Saudi Arabia.

And well, it looks like now that's, that's very unlikely to be completed because of what has happened. And again, though, this conflict traces all the way back into the Bible to the days in which God made this covenant with Abraham. And people are asking a lot of questions. They're asking, is this the Gog Magog war, the beginning of it from Ezekiel 38 and 39. And my answer to that is maybe we will have to stay tuned, but it could very well be, but we see these images of people throughout the world. They are burning the Israeli flag. They are chanting death because there is a hatred toward Israel because of Israel's place in the eyes of God. Zechariah 12, three says, and it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. So this is again, talking about the seven year tribulation, but we already see the climate, the condition of the world coming against the nation of Israel because there are many, and I'll share some, some clips here shortly, but there are many cases in throughout the world where we've seen people celebrating what has been done to the nation of Israel. But in the book of Joel chapter three, it says that God is going to bring the nations to the valley of Jehoshaphat and there will be judgment for, for dividing his land, his land of Israel. So again, we as believers in Christ need to recognize what has taken place and use wisdom when we look at these events. So again, you heard Jan Markell and Jonathan Bernice speaking and they're saying that it's always killed the Jews and it's always been that way. And the sad thing about it though, is that the worst part for the Jews is yet to come because in the seven year tribulation, the scripture tells us that two thirds shall die.

And when you look at the population currently of Israel, you're talking about somewhere around five to 6 million Jews. Now compare that to what has happened this week where you're talking about a thousand and it boggles the mind that daddy is going to take place. We've just seen horrific scenes.

I, I just saw a report of a woman who was found dead and her baby was found dead next to her with the umbilical cord still attached. Women are being raped, uh, dragged out into the streets. Men and women who survived the Holocaust now in wheelchairs, they are being kidnapped, killed, and paraded throughout the streets.

And so this is just a horrific satanic attack. And Satan is going to increase this during the tribulation, uh, by way of the antichrist. But the thing about it though is I expect the world to deny the relevance and the significance of Israel. But what we find is that even inside the church, there is an indifference to Israel and some totally dismiss Israel as being important because there are many denominations that hold to what we call replacement theology.

And I want to share a theologian by the name of Vody Bockham, who many of you are probably a very well aware of. And here is what he has to say concerning the church and Israel. Now dispensation of premillennialism believes that ultimately the world is moving toward Armageddon. Things are going to get worse and worse and worse.

Then there's going to be a big clash and Jesus is going to come back and bam, we're gone. Now, if you take that to its logical conclusion and think about politics, number one, you don't think about politics longterm because it's all going to burn, man. Things are not going to get better. They're going to get worse. Number two, you have an extremely pro Israel, pro Zionist eschatology.

American foreign policy is dominated by dispensationalism today. Do I think we ought to hate Israel? No. Do I think we ought to love them because they're Israel?

No. Because I believe that the church is the true, real, new Israel, Jew and Gentile alike. And that those people over there in that piece of land over there, they don't have eschatological significance to me. But only democracy in that part of the world, they like us, they're our friends. Anything jumps off over there, I want them on our side.

I love them. But currently our country's position toward Israel is not driven by that kind of understanding, but by the dominant role that dispensational premillennialism plays in our theology. And so what it does is it downplays our role in politics in our everyday life and elevates our foreign policy as it relates to Israel, which is ironic and hypocritical. I shudder when I hear those words from him that the church is the new Israel.

And as he's saying that that nation has no eschatological significance to him. Um, it's really sad. And I like Vody Bockham. I really do. I think he's one of those who is willing to speak up on social and moral issues of our day. He doesn't back down.

And I really commend him for that. But when it comes to his eschatology, I just have to say he is way off. And it troubles me because people that hold this position that he holds, they're not going to properly discern the times, the times that we're living in, because the Bible lets us know that certain things are going to point to the coming of Jesus Christ.

No, we cannot know the day of the hour, but we can know the season. The Bible tells us that we should not be surprised. But Vody Bockham is what we call an amillennialist and amillennialist believe that the 1000 year millennial kingdom is not literal. They actually hold to the belief that it began at the first coming of Christ.

And that is continuing even to today. And we know folks that can't be true because the Bible clearly says that during the millennial kingdom, the lion will eat straw like the ox. It says the wolf and the lamb will lie down together.

That type of peace within the animal kingdom is not present, but the allegorized scripture in order to make it fit to their view. So we have to caution against this type of thing within the church, because when we look at the nation of Israel, again, all the world is talking about Israel, this tiny little nation. And for anyone that doesn't know, Israel is only about the size of New Jersey in the United States.

So this little nation, everybody is weighing in. Either people are hating Israel or people are supporting Israel. But when you look in the church though, there, there is this, unfortunately, a lot of people are going against Israel or, or look at Israel as having no significance when it comes to God, but it would be like in the United States, all the other States, 49 States that all come against New Jersey and say, you must give up your land. We want your land.

You should not have that land. And anyone would say, that's not logical when you look at that, that small piece of real estate, but that is exactly what Israel is facing. And the reason that it is facing that is because God made a covenant with Abraham. And it is through that nation that Jesus, the Messiah is going to return to the earth. And so again, Satan is trying to, trying to hijack the plan of God, but we know he cannot do so. But there is another theologian that I want you to hear from who also believes that Israel holds no significance in the eyes of God. This is the Bible answer man, Hank Hanegraaff. The notion is a very new notion in church history.

It's a 19th century notion that was popularized by John Nelson Darby. And it comes with the presupposition that God has two distinct people. And therefore he has two distinct plans for the two distinct people.

And he has two distinct phases of the second coming and two distinct destinies. This, however, is an imposition on scripture because the truth of it is God has only always had one chosen people, one covenant community, beautifully connected by the cross and illustrated by a cultivated olive tree in Paul's letter to the Romans. So the point here is that all those who are followers of Jesus Christ are the one chosen people.

And this is prior to the cross as well, because all that look forward to Christ prior to the cross are God's covenant chosen people. And that covenant chosen people are made up of people from every tongue and language and nation and people. You're not a son of Abraham because of some genealogical construction. You are a son of Abraham because you believe in the God of Abraham. And that's why Abraham's name means father of many nations. And that's why Rahab would be, quote, a son of Abraham. That is why Ruth would be a son of Abraham. That is why the Egyptians who left with the Jews in the exile are sons of Abraham because they believed in Yahweh, the God of Israel. And they were brought into all the types and shadows that ultimately would look forward to the God of Israel.

All right. So I just must say that Hank Hanegraaff, Vody Bockham, I'm not saying that these men are not saved. Only God knows that. So they can be true born again believers in Christ.

But I have to say they have a blind spot when it comes to this issue. And I'm sure they, if they heard what I had to say, they would say, I have a blind spot, but I am just looking at what the Bible says and taking the Bible literally, because God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12 three, I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all families of the earth shall be blessed. So that was a promise not only to Abraham as an individual, but it was to his descendants, which are the Jews. So we are commanded to not only bless the physical nation of Israel, but we are to bless Jews throughout the world. And when God made his promise, he said the entire world would be blessed by anyone that bless Israel because of the fact that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And it would be through Israel that he would come into the world.

And that very thing has happened. And he is returning to the nation of Israel. Now, let me be clear that I do not hold to a dual covenant position. And for anyone that's not familiar with that, there are some that hold the position that as Gentiles, we are saved by Jesus Christ, but Jews are automatically saved because of being a descendant of Abraham.

But no, I stand on the position that everyone must be saved by Jesus Christ as the only way. There is only one way to get to the father and that is through Jesus Christ, regardless if you are a Jew or Gentile. And so there are Jews in the world that have received Christ as Lord and savior, and they then are a part of the church, but for any that reject Jesus Christ, then they are not saved. And I just want to make that clear, but God has a covenant, a special covenant with the nation of Israel. And he made this promise in the book of Genesis, as we've just looked at, and it is an everlasting covenant. When we look at Genesis 15 verses 18 through 21, on the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying to your descendants, I have given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenites, the Kenazites, the Admonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Raphim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites. So God made a promise of this land to the nation of Israel.

And in Genesis 17, seven, it says for an everlasting covenant, we see also in the book of Ezekiel chapter 36, if we look at verse 24, for I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all your countries and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and you shall be my people and I will be your God. So I have to ask the question, what do Vody Bockham and Hank Hanegraaff do with these verses? Because he is very clear that God said the land that he made to their fathers, which is Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that he would bring them back into the land. Israel was dispersed into the world because of their disobedience to God, but they came back and God, God rebirthed them into a nation in 1948, just as he promised because he said it is an everlasting covenant. But this is why many in the church are not properly discerning the times. As Jesus said in Luke 1256, you can discern the face of the sky, but you do not discern the signs of the times. So the attacks on Israel are biblical. Israel is not just any other nation.

And, uh, you know, when we look at this in the natural Donald Trump and I say natural, but again, the natural is where the spiritual is manifested. But Donald Trump made the statement last month and whether you like Donald Trump or hate him, you have to say the man was correct on this because our nation unfroze $6 billion to the Iranians for a deal to release hostages. And here's a report from the Hill in which Trump labeled the deal as absolutely ridiculous, adding that it says a terrible precedent for the future.

He goes on to say, quote, buckle up. You are going to see some terrible things start to happen in quotes. So again, whether you like Donald Trump or not, he spoke truth and terrible things have happened. And you know, we made a deal supposedly to release hostages. And now we have more hostages because the Iranians are behind funding Hamas because of this hatred toward the nation of Israel and people are weighing in on it, giving opinions.

And I, I want to close things out today by sharing a statement that came out of the UN that should be very troubling to us as believers in Christ. On behalf of the OIC member States, we express our deep concerns over the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere. Regrettably, this whole huge loss of lives and unemitted violence is a sad reminder of more than seven decades of illegal foreign occupation, aggression, and disrespect for the international law, including UNSC resolutions. The 16 years of illegal blockade of Gaza continues to raise question over the applicability of international law and fundamental freedoms to the innocent civilian efforts, normalize and perpetuate illegal foreign occupation is breathing violence. There is a need for immediate steps to ensure the realization of the right to self determination of the Palestinian people and also achieving a just two state solution on the borders of June 4th, 1967 with East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and honor the human rights obligations in this context, the so-called declaration of war and attacks on civilian population and their properties is deeply distressing.

We remain concerned about the human cost of the escalating situation. Our hearts and prayers also go out to our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan owing to the devastating earthquake and huge loss of life. We request observing one minute silence for the loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly. It is also an occasion to remember victims of decades of foreign occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

I request you all to stand for one minute to honor those victims. Okay, so you can hear the bias in that this man is siding with the Palestinians claiming Israel is occupying territory that they should not have. But as I've just shared with you from the Bible, God promised this land to the nation of Israel and it shouldn't be a surprise to us because as I shared from Zechariah said, all the nations would come against Israel and we're seeing that playing out right before our eyes. But remember, Zechariah says that Jesus Christ is going to return.

His feet are going to set on the Mount of Olives. He is going to rule and reign from Jerusalem and that is what we should look forward to. And that is the thing that we must keep in mind as we see these troubling events out of Israel, God is going to rescue his people, his covenant people, and we are going to go on living in eternity with our Lord as he rules and reigns from Jerusalem. But let us be in prayer as we always close to bless the nation of Israel, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

More than ever in my lifetime, we need to really, really pray for Jerusalem, pray for the nation of Israel, that God will bless his people and deliver them from what is taking place. So thank you for tuning in. Please come back and join us next week as we continue to discern the times by viewing life through the lens of the Bible. We stand in solidarity with God's great nation of Israel. Thank you for tuning in to Discerning the Times. Please come back and join us next week as we continue to encourage you to view current events through the lens of the Bible. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, bless God's great nation of Israel, and seek first the kingdom of God.