Praying for Israel
By now I assume you have seen and heard the news about the horrific attacks on Israel over the last week by the Hamas terrorist group. It can be difficult these days to weed out sensationalist propaganda from the truth, but there is no question that thousands have been killed and injured from the rockets they rained down on innocent civilians. Add to that the kidnappings and barbaric attacks against families and children, and you realize the pure evil involved in these unspeakable acts.
These atrocities cannot be tolerated by the international community, or by Israel itself. What that means for America's involvement, I won't pretend to know. I do believe we need to stand with Israel. Of course, like just about everything in our society, the response has divided people in our country into predictable political camps of left and right, when this is a human tragedy that all should condemn. Any group or politician who tries to justify those acts of violence should be condemned as well.
Of course no one should be surprised that Israel would find itself in the crosshairs of evil once again. That pattern has been repeated since biblical days, from Egypt's pharaoh, to Haman trying to eradicate the Jewish people altogether. And then of course there was the Holocaust, when the Nazis' attempted their "final solution" of genocide to rid the world of the Jews. Even after Nazism was defeated in World War II, and the modern state of Israel formed in 1948, the nation has faced repeated attacks and continued violations of its national sovereignty. I don't think this anti-Semitism is a coincidence, but just a continuation from history of God's chosen people being opposed by the evil peoples of this world.
As I write this, the leader and founder of Hamas is now calling on Muslism for a global "jihad" against non-Muslims on Oct. 13 (today), including an invasion of Israel, and who knows what kind of terrorism around the world, including here in the United States.
I have been asked by a few people this week if I believe these acts are fulfillment of biblical prophecy, which may lead to some kind of Armageddon. I think my answer to those questions would be yes...no...and I don't know. Yes, this is all part of the working-out of God's plan, that has been spelled out in the prophecies of Scripture. Can I identify the specifics from Scripture? No, but I can assure you none of this caught God by surprise.
Is this the beginning of the end? I do not know. There have been multiple times in the past, even in my lifetime, when similar events in the Middle East led many to try to read Ezekiel and Daniel and Revelation in one hand, with the evening news in the other, as if it was all a play-by-play of what was happening. Those people made ridiculous claims about the fulfillment of prophecy, with predictions of what was coming next, and came out the other side with egg on their faces.
I would not consider myself an expert in interpreting future prophecy in Scripture, but I do know a few things about what it teaches us. First, no man knows the day or hour when Jesus will return, not even Jesus Himself (Matt. 24:36), so our attempts at guessing at those things will always be futile. Also, God has a plan, and His timing will not be thwarted by the acts of men. And we can be assured that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, but He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). And finally, we know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43, 2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thess. 5:2), so we had better be prepared at any time. As Peter wrote, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:11)
On the other side, I will say this: I have a feeling in my soul that there is more to this than just this year's version of terrorism in Israel, as I see more and more of the pieces of the puzzle coming together. And of course, as far as the clock ticking on the countdown toward Armageddon, it has never been later, and we have never been closer to the Day of the Lord. So we had surely all better be prepared.
In the meantime, we can only do what we can do, and that does not include fretting or worrying, but it does include trusting God, and praying. I am reminded of the call of Psalm 122:6: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you be secure." So I would encourage you to join me in praying for Israel, for God's protection, His leadership, and His will to be done. (And while you're at it, pray for Gaza too. Not everyone there is a terrorist.)
I'm praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
