“And it
shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break
down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to
build and to plant, says the LORD. Jeremiah 31:28 NKJV
“Now
therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which
you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the
sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’: ‘Behold, I will
gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My
fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will
cause them to dwell safely. ‘They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
‘then I
will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the
good of them and their children after them. ‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with
them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in
their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. ‘Yes, I will rejoice
over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with
all My heart and with all My soul.’
Jeremiah 32:36-41 NKJV
We are no longer
scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our
sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have
boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish
people, can defend ourselves. This is why -- this
is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even
if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But I know that Israel does
not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel. I know that you stand
with Israel. You stand with Israel, because you know that the story of Israel
is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses
again and again to succumb to history's horrors. Facing me right up
there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this (inaudible) chamber is the
image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised
Land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us
a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with
his message today, (SPEAKING IN HEBREW), "Be strong and resolute, neither
fear nor dread them.''
Benjamin
Netanyahu speaking to Congress 3/3/15
If
you did not have the opportunity to watch this speech by Prime Minister
Netanyahu, in my humble opinion, you missed a speech which I believe was one of
the most powerful ever given. As someone
who majored in History and has studied and listened to some of the greatest
speeches by world leaders in the modern era, I believe this one by far was one
of the most eloquent and direct. While
many might disagree on the talking points the Prime Minister raised, I would
suggest that his intent all along was not so much to disparage the “agreement”
which is being negotiated, (which he did very well) but rather to make the
point we find in his summation above.
Israel
can defend itself.
I
would certainly not argue that point even when looking at the list of enemies
the nation of Israel faces at the present time, and I would remind you that I
and many others believe the next major event on Israel’s prophetic calendar is
the destruction of Damascus revealed to us in Isaiah 17. Yet when it comes to defending itself, I would
also point out that it is one thing to defend against a smaller, weaker
opponent than it will be when the entire world comes knocking at their
door. This will be the case after their
destruction of Damascus, as it is explained to us in Ezekiel 38-39 where God
allows the armies of Gog and their allies to mass for an attack on Israel in
order to reveal Himself to both Israel and the world as the true defender of
His people.
“The
Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their
iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from
them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the
sword. “According to their uncleanness and according to their
transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’ “Therefore thus says
the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on
the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—‘after they
have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were
unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them
afraid. ‘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. ‘And I will not hide
My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house
of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 39:23-29 NKJV
In
this instance, Israel will not find it necessary to take on the responsibility
of defending itself as God chooses to do that Himself by supernaturally
confusing the enemy to the extent that they turn on each other and destroy
themselves. Personally, what I find most
intriguing about what God has to say in this passage is that the entire nation
of Israel, everyone, will “know that I am the LORD their God”. Some might think it surprising, or
somehow miraculous that the coming antichrist will be able to enforce a peace
between Israel and its enemies, but I want to suggest that might be rather easy
given the fact that the entire world just watched God defend Israel! I don’t believe too many of Israel’s enemies
would need to have their arms twisted to agree to a peace with Israel after
watching what God can do.
“And it
will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,”
says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. “For in My jealousy
and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a
great earthquake in the land of Israel, ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of
the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the
earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence.
The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall
shall fall to the ground.’ “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My
mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.
“And I
will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on
him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain,
great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify
Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know
that I am the LORD.” ’ Ezekiel38:18-23 NKJV
Who
defends Israel? God the Almighty does. Does
Israel really need America as its ally when they have the God of the universe
on their side? The simple answer is
no. This is only my opinion, but as
someone who has studied the words and watched the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu
for many years, my belief is that he has a personal relationship with God and
knows full well who defends Israel. As a
politician, he might desire the friendship and support of the United States,
but as a believer, he knows full well who really defends Israel. And the day is very near when the rest of the
world will know it too.
Keep
watching.
