Written and Published in December 2023
By Gary H. Kah
At the age of eleven I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Almost immediately, for reasons I couldn’t explain at the time, I became fascinated with Israel and the Jewish people. I was amazed by the fact that a land which had been mostly barren for nearly 2,000 years had sprung back to life. What was once desert was now green, fertile, productive agricultural land, just as the Bible had foretold.1 As I studied the prophecies of Scripture, I saw God’s hand in the restoration of His ancient people to “The Land.” As I now look back, I realize that my love for the Jewish people came from the Lord – He put it in my heart.
I have also come to realize that God is not done with the Jewish people. The Israel of today is in the midst of a raging spiritual battle which will ultimately be won by the Lord, but which will take the Jewish nation through some very dark times in the days ahead. There are a number of biblical prophecies involving difficult trials which have not yet been fulfilled. For example, Revelation chapter 11 speaks of two witnesses – end-time prophets of God – who declare God’s judgments upon the earth from Jerusalem, only to be slain by the Beast (the Antichrist). According to Scripture, their bodies will lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem as the world looks on and celebrates their deaths. Then suddenly, after three and a half days, they will be miraculously raised to life by God, and taken up to Heaven in the full view of onlookers. (Revelation 11:1-12) These events, which will occur during the Great Tribulation shortly before Jesus Christ’s return, indicate that Jerusalem will be under the brief rule of satanic forces at that time.
Jewish men praying at the Western Wall
In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, in chapter 14, we have a similar account of very dark forces which will inflict harm upon the Jewish people living in Jerusalem. The prophet’s account is quite graphic. Zechariah, speaking God’s words as revealed to him through the Holy Spirit, proclaimed,
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. — Zechariah 14:2-4a, 5b
This one final wave of persecution against the Jewish people – permitted by God but spearheaded by the Antichrist under the influence of Satan – will be brought to an abrupt end by Yeshua Hamashiach/Jesus the Messiah when He returns to rescue His people. From that moment on, Jesus will reign victorious on earth. Zechariah prophesies,
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name…
…Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place…It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure… (emphasis mine) — Zechariah 14:9, 10b, 11, 16a
Note, Jerusalem will only be secure once the Lord returns and brings permanent protection to His people. This has not yet happened.
In the New Testament, the Apostle John prophesied the same events – the reign of the Beast being brought to a halt by a victorious Christ at the battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16-21, also 14:14-20 and 19:11-21) Clearly, these prophecies have not yet come to pass.
Yes, the devil has a plan; but so does God – and He wins. God never falls into the traps set by Satan. Rather, Satan ultimately plays into God’s hands. Our God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – will never be defeated. The Ancient of Days will have the final say. What Satan intends for evil, God will overturn and make right when Messiah Jesus returns to rule and reign, triumphant over evil. This truth of a sovereign God who is in control and who will have the final word must remain front and center in our minds during these wicked times in which we live.
Satan’s goal is to use the Antichrist and his globalist allies to gain control over the entire world, in order to force all of mankind to worship him. (Revelation 13 & 14) His greatest thrill – however short-lived it may be – is to be worshipped by the world in Jerusalem, from the midst of God’s covenant territory and people. This will be his attempt to rob God of the worship that only He deserves. To Satan it will be like spitting in God’s face. But God’s righteous anger will be aroused, and He will obliterate the Antichrist and his demonic forces:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. — 2 Thessalonians 2:8
It will be no contest. God wins. He will throw the Beast and the False Prophet alive “into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Rev. 19:20) As for Satan – also known as the serpent or dragon – he will be thrown into the Abyss, where he will be bound for a thousand years, before being released for a short time. (Rev. 20:1-3) Thank God for this assurance of victory, and for the eternal victory we already possess through Christ’s finished work on the cross!
An Illegitimate Nation?
My reason for this prophetic discourse is because a growing number of people consider Israel, and specifically the Jewish people, to be the world’s number one problem. “If the Jews can somehow be done away with, there would finally be peace on the planet,” they say. By now I’m sure you’ve seen the signs and heard the chants “Hitler was right,” “Gas the Jews,” and “From the river to the sea” which simply mean “exterminate all Jews.” The same people, by extension, see today’s Israel as an illegitimate nation that must be destroyed. However Scripture, as we have plainly seen, has a re-established Jerusalem on the map in the end times. When Jesus returns, He doesn’t arrive in New York, London, Tokyo or Tehran. He returns to Jerusalem and from there fights the armies of the Antichrist gathered against the city.
It is therefore clearly God’s will for end-time Jews to be regathered from around the world and for Jerusalem to be re-established as a Jewish city – despite the fact that extreme acts of evil are prophesied to take place in the city between now and Christ’s return. Again, we must understand that God is not finished with the Jewish people. Just because certain less than honorable UN elements were involved in Israel’s founding and continually try to influence its current government doesn’t mean the nation is illegitimate.
As one who has been to Israel multiple times, I can tell you that many Israelis reject and even despise the constant attempts by the UN and globalists to interfere in Israel’s decisions. As things “progress” – at the eleventh hour and with the entire world seeking their destruction – the Jewish people will turn to the Lord, crying out in repentance and calling for His divine intervention.
Jesus lamented the stubborn inclinations of His people, but also acknowledged there would come a time when they will finally turn to Him.
O Jerusalem Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (emphasis mine) — Matthew 23:37-39
Throughout history the Jewish people experienced times of prolonged rebellion where they would stray farther and farther from God. He sent a steady stream of prophets, calling Israel to repent. Sometimes they heeded His warnings and obeyed His decrees. Other times, they defied the Lord, becoming even more wicked. Their rebellion led to God’s punishment and on some occasions captivity among their enemies. But over time, God would relent and once again restore relationship with His people. This cycle was repeated throughout the Old Testament and is currently being witnessed again.
There are many Old Testament prophecies that describe an end-time Aliyah of God’s ancient people, detailing how they would re-enter the Promised Land from all directions – being gathered from the farthest corners of the earth. One passage, however, stands out because it explains in no uncertain terms why the Lord will bring them back. This example of God’s unending mercy is recorded in Ezekiel 36:17-32.
Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, “These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.” I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
Therefore say to the house of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!”
According to these words of the Lord, He restores His people to the land not because they deserve it, but for the sake of His holy name. He will make good on His ancient covenant with Abraham despite His peoples’ stubborn disobedience, thereby proving His faithfulness to His people but also as a testimony to the rest of the world of His sovereign trustworthiness. (See “The Abrahamic Covenant” section.)
Jerusalem – from the Mount of Olives
This process of restoration has begun but is not complete. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Israel is currently still a very secular nation. Among the Jewish population aged 20 and over, 44 percent self-identify as secular, with another 21 percent identifying as traditional but not very observant.2 “Ideological rot” is almost as prevalent in Israel as the United States. It has been supporting immoral acts, from gay pride celebrations and easily approved abortions to forced Covid vaccines – much like the US. It is safe to say that Israel, in its current unrepentant state, is not what Messiah will return to. Not until there is a brokenness and humbling of hearts, and a genuine seeking after the Lord by Israel’s Jewish people will He return and fight on their behalf to destroy their enemies.
At present, only a remnant of Jews in Israel are truly seeking the Lord. But we know from Scripture already examined that this will not remain the case. At some point, while under extreme duress and with their backs to the wall, the Jewish people will cry out to God who, as Ezekiel wrote, will put a new heart and spirit in them, removing their heart of stone. Zechariah confirms this Jewish day of reckoning:
I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great. — Zechariah 12:10-11a
Zechariah makes clear that this national repentance/day of reckoning occurs in the end times, at or near to Messiah’s coming. He also warns of what will happen to those nations who come against Israel at that time. The prophet writes:
This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding people reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves…
On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place…
On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” — Zechariah 12:1-3, 6, 9
In Joel chapter 3 we find yet another prophecy of God describing these same future events:
“In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land…
Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her…
Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon.” The Lord dwells in Zion! (emphasis mine)
— Joel 3:1-2, 17, 20-21
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul – in agreement with these prophetic proclamations – provides a theological explanation of the Jewish journey regarding Yeshua Messiah. He writes:
Again I ask, Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!…
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?…
And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (emphasis mine) — Romans 11:11-12, 15, 23-29
The Lord has not forgotten His people. He will bring them around and intervene on their behalf at the appointed time at the end of the age. When the situation seems desperately hopeless, they will turn to the Lord, acknowledging their Messiah, and He will save them from their enemies.
Don’t Count on the USA
To my friends in Israel I say, don’t count on the United States to come to your aid. Rather, turn your hearts to God and look to Him as your protector and source of strength. The United States is unfortunately no longer the great nation it once was. It is spiraling downward quickly. Our leaders, through open borders, have made it possible for thousands of potential terrorists to enter the country. When destructive acts of terror and violence break out here, many Americans – instead of blaming terror-supporting nations or our own government for letting the terrorists come in – will say, “If it wasn’t for Israel, none of this would be happening.” Americans increasingly are poised to turn against Israel, blaming Jews for whatever evil occurs in our nation.
Hatred for Jews is escalating especially on college campuses, but also amongst the general population. And, the current ultra-liberal Biden administration is chock-full of progressive Jew haters, some of whom are themselves of Jewish extraction. Our State Department is probably the worst; and these are the very people Israel has to deal with.
Biden is too compromised to be able to stand effectively against the growing anti-Jewish sentiment in his own Party. A recent Gallup Poll taken before the current Hamas-Israel war revealed that 49 percent of Democrats favor Palestinians, while the sympathies of 38 percent lie with Israel. Only ten years ago 19 percent favored Palestinians, and 55 percent supported Israel.3 This is a huge swing in a short space of time and reflects the overall downward momentum in America’s support for Israel.
Anti-Israel protestors in Washington
Globalists with a far-Left, anti-Israel worldview have penetrated every segment of our society. In some cases they hold a majority. When the next crisis hits the US, they will attempt to take full control in a forceful Marxist fashion. With the freedoms of evangelical Christians severely limited from that point forward, Israel may lose its closest allies in the West. With Christians all but silenced, I can’t picture the US standing with Israel beyond that point. After speaking with numerous leaders in recent weeks, I believe this is unfortunately a realistic scenario.
I shudder to think of what will happen to our country if we abandon Israel and the Jewish people. No country or empire has long survived after it directly worked against or sought to eliminate the Jews – Hitler’s Third Reich being just one example. The US has already done more than most people realize to hinder Israel. In 2005, for example, the Bush administration applied heavy-handed pressure on Israel to pull out of Gaza. Up to that time many Jewish families were living in Gaza, and Israeli troops patrolled the area. Excluding occasional skirmishes, Gaza was safer than most American big cities. However, that all changed when Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon finally agreed to an all-out evacuation of Jews. Even the dead bodies of Jews were exhumed from their graves and taken out of Gaza.
What was the result? Hamas, a terrorist organization under the thumb of the Muslim Brotherhood, took control of Gaza on June 14, 2007. The truth is, if the US had steered clear of Israel’s internal affairs and not pressured the nation to evacuate Gaza, the current Hamas-Israel war would almost certainly not be happening. As a side note, shortly after Israel’s pull-out Ariel Sharon had a massive stroke and slipped into a coma, later dying. Here in the US, Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. The Bush presidency went downhill from then on. Coincidence?
The push by US presidents for a two-state “solution” by dividing the land of Israel will not bring God’s blessings to America. Our presidents have unfortunately led the way in trying to force this unbiblical agenda upon the people of Israel. If this pursuit continues, I believe God’s hand of protection will be removed from our country. In my view, this has already begun.
It is disturbing to see virtually all of America’s “Mainline churches” consistently voicing their opposition to Israel. The most vocal of these churches are, not surprisingly, members of the World Council of Churches, an influential coalition that has received much of its funding over the years from the Rockefeller Foundation and other one-world sources. As such, the WCC has predictably backed the United Nation’s pro-world government/anti-Israel policies for many years.
These very liberal WCC church denominations have also by and large held to a Replacement Theology position concerning Israel. This interpretation of Scripture teaches, among other things, that God is forever done with the notion of a physical nation of Israel or dealing with the Jews as a people group. The Church, in their view, has permanently replaced God working through the Jewish people. To arrive at these conclusions these churches have characterized end-time prophetic passages of Scripture as being purely symbolic or allegorical, or they have relegated them to the past – saying they were fulfilled by other events of history long ago and don’t apply to any events currently unfolding or still to come.
In contrast, the preponderance of conservative evangelical churches have held to a more literal interpretation of Scripture, believing that many of the Bible’s prophecies are still awaiting their literal fulfillment as we approach the second coming of Christ. Thus far, these church groups have stood with Israel. But even in these circles I am witnessing a small but growing degree of anti-Jewish sentiment. If this trend continues (which hopefully it will not) Israel will have fewer and fewer allies.
Some Christians are fearful of the growing repercussions of standing with Israel. The sudden groundswell of anti-Semitism has caught them off guard. They realize that if Jews are attacked and their aggressors are not held responsible, the persecution of Evangelicals will soon follow. (First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.) Regardless, I believe that a remnant of Bible-believing Christians will continue to stand with Israel and speak out against hatred for Jews, but they will be doing so at increased personal cost.
Voices from the Past
There will be courageous Christians – in the US and throughout the world – who like Corrie ten Boom and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are willing to put everything on the line for the Lord and do what is right. In centuries past, various brave men and women stood faithfully for the truth of God’s Word while defending God’s yet unfinished purpose for the Jewish people. We can draw inspiration from these individuals who had the faith to believe in the literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the courage to voice their support for an Israel that did not yet exist – even though doing so was unpopular.
The Wesley brothers of the 1700s, for example, held to a literal premillennial teaching of Bible prophecy. They believed that although the Holy Land existed largely as a desert wasteland, the day would come when God would bring His Chosen People back to the Land to rebuild and replenish it before Christ’s return. The Wesleys were ahead of their time – believing by the authority of Scripture in events that wouldn’t take place for another two centuries. The following are four stanzas from a hymn written by Charles Wesley, reflecting his beliefs.
John and Charles Wesley
Almighty God of Love – published in 1762
(sung to the tune of “Crown Him with Many Crowns”)
O that the chosen band
Might now their brethren bring
And gathered out of every land
Present to Sion’s King.
Of all the ancient race
Not one be left behind
But each impelled by secret grace
His way to Canaan find!
We know it must be done
For God hath spoke the word
All Israel shall their Saviour own
To their first state restored.
Rebuilt by His command
Jerusalem shall rise
Her temple on Moriah stand
Again, and touch the skies.
Send then Thy servants forth
To call the Hebrews home
From west and east, and south, and north
Let all the wanderers come.
Where’er in lands unknown
Thy fugitives remain
Bid every creature help them on
Thy holy mount to gain.
An offering to their God
There let them all be seen
Sprinkled with water and with blood
In soul and body clean.
With Israel’s myriads sealed
Let all the nations meet
And show Thy mystery fulfilled
The family complete.
Charles H. Spurgeon
About one hundred years later, but still well before any significant return of Jews to the Holy Land, numerous Christian leaders voiced their support for a Jewish Aliyah to re-establish their homeland. In 1866, Charles H. Spurgeon – the most frequently quoted preacher in evangelical circles – stated, “We shall at once profess our attachment to the premillennial school of interpretation, and the literal reading of those Scriptures that predict the return of the Jews to their own land.”4
Spurgeon’s contemporary, Horatius Bonar, admonished Christians with the following words in 1855 and 1870:
What your attitude to Israel should be, is plainly shown in the Word of God…Let us speak reverently of the Jew, if not for what he is, at least for what he was, and what he shall be, when the Redeemer shall come to Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob.5
J. C. Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool, spoke these powerful words in 1879:
It is high time for Christians to interpret unfulfilled prophecy by the light of prophecies already fulfilled. The curses of the Jews were brought to pass literally; so also will be the blessings. The scattering was literal; so also will be the gathering. The pulling down of Zion was literal; so also will be the building up. The rejection of Israel was literal; so also will be the restoration.6
Bishop Ryle further commented,
…however great the difficulties surrounding many parts of unfulfilled prophecy, two points appear to my own mind to stand out as plainly as if written by a sunbeam. One of these points is the second personal advent of our Lord Jesus Christ before the Millennium. The other of these events is the future literal gathering of the Jewish nation, and their restoration to their own land. I tell no man that these two truths are essential to salvation, and that he cannot be saved except he sees them with my eyes. But I tell any man that these truths appear to me distinctly set down in holy Scripture and that the denial of them is as astonishing and incomprehensible to my own mind as the denial of the divinity of Christ.7
Final Thoughts
In light of the current disturbing developments in the Middle East, it is important that Christians make every effort to see unfolding events through the lens of Scripture, as God intends. This isn’t always easy, as setting aside personal biases can be challenging. How then should a follower of Christ respond to the on-going Hamas-Israel war, given the savage terror attacks of October 7th?
We should fervently pray for the safe release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. We should pray for the protection of Israel’s soldiers who are pursuing the enemy, and for Israelis who are under the constant threat of bombardment. We must speak out and pray against the growing hatred of Jews worldwide. We must also not forget or diminish the importance of praying for the Palestinian people, many of whom do not support Hamas.
While it appears that a majority of Palestinians voted Hamas into power – even though Hamas openly campaigned on the promise of destroying Israel and Jews – a significant minority, including Palestinian Christians, voiced their strong opposition to this terror group. These innocent civilians who have never supported Hamas are now caught in the crosshairs of this bloody conflict. Please pray for these precious ones who after years of being persecuted by Hamas are now facing additional hardships through no fault of their own.
Being the US-born son of European immigrants who survived World War II, I have empathy for peace-loving civilians on both sides of a conflict who end up losing everything because of diabolical actions set in motion by evil men. War is ugly! Its effects are far-reaching and impact everyone in the nations at war, whether guilty or innocent.
Unfortunately, other wars will yet be fought as the world continues to grow darker due to its rejection of God. As Jesus stated in His Olivet Discourse, in which He described the times leading up to His return,
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. — Matthew 24:6-8
Regardless of how the current war unfolds and the results it brings, I will stand with Israel. God is still at work. He has not forgotten His people. Although difficult times lie ahead for Israel and the Jewish people, when everything is said and done – at the very end – the Lord God will intervene on their behalf and defeat their enemies.
I will love the Jewish people because my God loves them and will not abandon them. When the voices of the world throw deceptive arguments our way, as followers of Christ we must remain grounded in the Holy Scriptures – given to us by God as an anchor to steady our course. Our great and loving God will remain at our side, helping us to discern His ways, until He returns with power and great glory! ■
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
- Matthew 28: 19-20 NKJV
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
- Revelation 4:8b
Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book…My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
- Revelation 22:7, 12b
*Prayerfully consider giving to www.forgottenjews.org, www.oneforisrael.org, and www.operationexodususa.org.
Endnotes
1 Ezekiel 36:29-30, 33-36; also, Isaiah 35:1-10; Jeremiah 31:11-13; Amos 9:13-15, etc.
2 “Vital Statistics: Latest Population Statistics for Israel,” Jewish Virtual Library, accessed 9/14/2023.
3 “Democrats’ Sympathies in the Middle East,” Gallup Poll of American adults conducted in Jan. 2013 and Feb. 2023, aired on Fox News on 10/10/23.
4 Charles H. Spurgeon, “Jerusalem Which is Above,” Sword and Trowel, (August 1866), p. 372.
5 “L’hitamek – To Go Deeper,” published by Ebenezer Operation Exodus, 1st Edition – 2018, p.10.
6 J. C. Ryle, Are You Ready For The End Of Time? (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2001) p. 49; reprint of Coming Events and Present Duties.
7 J. C. Ryle, Are You Ready For The End Of Time? (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2001) pages 112-115; reprint of Coming Events and Present Duties.
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The In-Gathering of Jews
Since Replacement theologians purport that all the biblical prophecies concerning the Jews were fulfilled long ago, they leave no room for the possibility that the current, on-going, return of Jews to Israel is a fulfillment of Scripture. Instead, they claim that any passages describing the rebirth of the Jewish nation are merely a reference to their earlier return from Babylonian captivity around 538 BC, implying that the current re-gathering is illegitimate, unscriptural, and of Satan’s doing. To determine what is true, let’s once again examine the Bible.
There are more than fifty passages that predict the end-time re-gathering of Jews. Here are just a few. Pay special attention to the descriptive adjectives and nouns which I have highlighted in bold. (All passages are taken from the NKJV.)
Ezekiel 11:17 …‘Thus says
the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the
peoples, assemble you from the countries
where you have been scattered, and I will
give you the land of Israel.”’
Deuteronomy 30:3-4 “…the LORD your God
will bring you back from captivity, and have
compassion on you, and gather you again
from all the nations where the LORD your
God has scattered you. If any of you are driven
out to the farthest parts under heaven,
from there the LORD your God will gather
you, and from there He will bring you.”
Isaiah 11:11-12 “It shall come to pass in that
day That the Lord shall set His hand again
the second time to recover the remnant of
His people who are left, From Assyria and
Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam
and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands
of the sea. He will set up a banner for the
nations, And will assemble the outcasts of
Israel, And gather together the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Isaiah 43:5-6 “Fear not, for I am with you; I
will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west; I will say to
the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south,
‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from
afar, And my daughters from the ends of
the earth.”
Jeremiah 16:14-15 “Therefore behold, the
days are coming,” says the LORD, “that it
shall no more be said, ‘The LORD lives who
brought up the children of Israel from the
land of Egypt,’ but, ‘The LORD lives who
brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north and from all the lands
where He had driven them.’ For I will bring
them back into their land which I gave to their
fathers.”
Jeremiah 29:14 “I will be found by you; says
the LORD, and I will bring you back from
your captivity; I will gather you from all the
nations and from all the places where I
have driven you, says the LORD, and I will
bring you to the place from which I cause you
to be carried away captive.”
Jeremiah 31:8a “Behold, I will bring them
from the north country, And gather them
from the ends of the earth…”
Ezekiel 39:27-28 “When I have brought them
back from the peoples and gathered them
out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed
in them in the sight of many nations,
then they shall know that I am the LORD their
God, who sent them into captivity among the
nations, but also brought them back to their
land, and left none of them captive any
longer.” (The NIV reads, “not leaving any
behind.”)
While there are passages in the Old Testament that plainly foretold the return of Jews from ancient Babylon, the passages above are clearly describing something else — a worldwide in-gathering of Jews on a massive scale never before realized. (Notice Jeremiah’s focus on “the north.” Since 1948, an estimated 1.4 million Jews have made Aliyah from Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union countries – north of Israel.) The fact that “none” will be left behind signifies a much greater, more comprehensive and complete return than their partial migration from Babylon in the 6th century BC, in which only an estimated 20 percent (at most 30 percent) of Jews made their way back to the Promised Land. The vast majority stayed behind in Babylon and eventually spread out across the world. Today however, as a result of the current on-going Aliyah, 47 percent of the world’s Jews once again live in Israel (7.3 of 15.5 million). ■
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The Abrahamic Covenant
God made conditional and unconditional covenants with His people. The Abrahamic Covenant, made with His servant Abraham, was unconditional. The following are excerpts taken from a thorough treatment of this covenant provided by https://www.gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html
“The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. The actual covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant…”
“Later, God gave Abraham the rite of circumcision as the specific sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:9-14)…”
“God determined to call out a special people for Himself, and through that special people He would bless the whole world. The Lord tells Abram, ‘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)
“…The Abrahamic Covenant included the promise of land (Genesis 12:1). It was a specific land, an actual property, with dimensions specified in Genesis 15:18-21. In Genesis 13:15, God gives Abraham all the land that he can see, and the gift is declared to be ‘forever.’ God was not going to renege on His promise. The territory given as part of the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1-10, often called the Palestinian Covenant.”
“…At no point in history, though, has Israel controlled all of the land God had specified. There remains, therefore, a final fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant that will see Israel occupying their God-given homeland to the fullest extent. The fulfillment will be more than a matter of geography; it will also be a time of holiness and restoration (See Ezekiel 20:40-44 and 36:1 to 37:28)…”
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Quotable Quotes: Voices Against Israel and America
1. “We say one thing: Get out of our land, get out of our faces. Get out of our Jerusalem and our Al-Aqsa Mosque. We do not want to see you on this land. This land is ours, Jerusalem is ours, everything is ours.” – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, October 7, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (#10501).
2. “Historically, everybody has been angry with Hitler, and called him a racist. Hitler said: ‘You will curse me for every Jew I did not kill.’ This is true. Once again I pray for God to bestow mercy and grace upon Hitler. [I pray for this] because of the Jewish Zionist Israel – those people who are spreading confusion throughout the world, and emerge from under every rock and from behind any evil… In addition, I condemn Israel. The end of this terrorist state is near. Inshallah, once the world is purified of the Jews, there will be peace and quiet.”
– Turkish politician Suleyman Sezen, October 19, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (Clip #10549).
3. “Hamas has just one ‘no’ – no to the existence of Israel. I believe that Israel is the heart of the problem in our region, and that once Israel is gone from this region, an opportunity to resolve all the problems in this region will be opened.”
– Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas Political Bureau, October 11, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (Clip #10533).
4. “By Allah, when the world, America, the West, and the Zionists see that the [Islamic] nation has come to the support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that convoys of mujahideen are on their way to shed their pure blood on the land of Palestine, the battlefield will change, the balance of power will change.”
– Former Hamas Political Bureau chairman Khaled Mashal, October 10, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (Clip #10516).
5. “America is completely complicit in all the crimes. America’s arms are soaked up to their elbows with the blood of the oppressed, the sick, the children, and the women in this atrocity. In reality, [America] is in some respects orchestrating this atrocity in Gaza. America is orchestrating this. [Crowd responding] “Death to America! Death to America! Death to America!”
– Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, October 25, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (Clip #10569).
6. “Death to Israel! Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to Israel!… Israel is annihilated! Palestine is victorious! Israel is annihilated! Palestine is victorious! Israel is annihilated! Palestine is victorious! Death to Israel! We are all your soldiers…!”
– Members of Iran’s Majles [Islamic Consultative Assembly], October 11, 2023, as translated by Memri TV (Clip #10529).