All throughout the modern history of Israel – the hand of God in rescuing the remnant from the gas chambers and the death camps in Europe; the hand of God in bringing them back to a land that once was a barren wasteland and now is one of the most fertile grounds in the world; the hand of God in reviving the old forgotten Hebrew language as the only means of communication between people that come from more than 80 different diasporas; the hand of God in making sure that the efforts to destroy the newborn state will fail.
God’s hand was all throughout the history of Israel as a newborn state, and for the past more than 66 years, God is there. The Bible says that, “He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” The people of Israel are strong and resilient. The people of Israel have seen the great hand of God in protecting and providing everything they needed. And we’re holding onto the promise that God gave to Israel through the prophet Amos in the ninth chapter of his book: “‘And I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land that I have given them,’ says the Lord your God. Amen.”
At its birth in 1948, the nation of Israel was invaded by five armies who proclaimed a jihad, vowing to destroy Israel and spill every drop of their own blood, if necessary. When attacked, Israel did not own one tank or cannon and had nine outdated aircraft. The five invading armies were repelled, and Israel survived and even thrived.
Before the Six-Day War of 1967, President Nasser of Egypt announced, “The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel…to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan, and the whole Arab nation. This act will astound the world. Today they will know that the Arabs are arranged for battle, the critical hour has arrived. We have reached the stage of serious action and not declarations.”
President Abdur Rahman Aref of Iraq joined in the war of words, saying, “The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified. This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear — to wipe Israel off the map.” On June 4, Iraq joined the military alliance with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
The Arab rhetoric was matched by the mobilization of Arab forces. Approximately 250,000 troops (nearly half in Sinai), more than 2,000 tanks, and 700 aircraft surrounded Israel. Yet again, outnumbered, outgunned, surrounded, and facing seemingly insurmountable odds, it took just six days for Israel to be victorious. East Jerusalem was taken, and the sound of these words resonated throughout the county: “The Temple Mount is in our hands!”
On October 6, 1973 — Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar — Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. Approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, fewer than 500 Israeli defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians (from the Jewish Virtual Library). Yet Israel was again victorious.
Even with all this clear evidence that Israel is once again a nation by the providence and promises of God, here we are again today with Israel under attack by those who hate the Jews.
Zechariah 12:3 KJV – “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
The fact that what we are watching is spiritual in nature is proven by the world’s seeming indifference to rape, torture, and murder, as long as it is against the Jews. Sadly, many within the church have joined those labeling the Jews as occupiers and excusing the actions of the Palestinian terrorists as justified because of their oppression. Some do so under a banner proclaiming that modern Israel is not biblical Israel.
Genesis 12:3 KJV – “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis 12:7 KJV – “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”
Genesis 17:18-19 KJV – “And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.”
If modern Israel is not Biblical Israel, then why is the God of the Bible protecting it from those who want to annihilate its people? The answer is simple: He made the covenant, and it is His name and Word that is on the line.
In the famed passage of Genesis 12:3, we see a warning of curses followed by a promise of blessings which still stands true and is manifesting itself today. God said that through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would come the Holy One of Israel, our Savior, and the world is still blessed by Him today. But if the promise is still true, the warning is as well.
The interesting thing about the warning is that “curse” and “curses” are two different Hebrew words. The word “curse” means “to treat bitterly.” The word “curses” means “to make light of or think little of.” In paraphrase, what we are told is those who think little of Israel will be treated bitterly by God for doing so.
History has proven this to be true concerning the modern nation of regathered Jews into their national homeland. It will be proven again in the current conflict, and, soon, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against Jerusalem, it will be proven again then too!
Zechariah 12:8-9 KJV – “In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
