Israel has been in the news as it defends itself against outside forces. First, there was the attack from Hamas in 2023. And recently, Iran has decided to retaliate against Israel for the destruction Israel caused. Many see these attacks against Israel as signs that the end of the world is coming. Passages in Zechariah, Ezekiel, and Revelation are being used as Biblical proof that “Armageddon” is about to take place.
I try not to feed into those beliefs, nor try to get sucked into those discussions, because nobody knows, except God the Father, the day or time when Jesus is coming back. And for me to start calculating or surmising is to try to take from God something that belongs to Him alone.
So, how should we look at what is happening in Israel? After all, we are currently studying Nehemiah, and he was deeply troubled by Jerusalem’s destruction that he wept, fasted, and ultimately developed a plan to take action.
Here are a couple of things I would encourage us to do in response to what is happening. First, yes, our hearts should break. But not because walls are breaking down, but because people are dying or being injured. We should weep and fast because a people’s belief in God being the only true living God is under attack by a people with a belief that all of us who believe in Jesus are infidels and deserve to die.
That is where the line ends. This is what it says in Romans 9:6b-8, “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”
In short, those who are considered the people of God today are those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. The people of Israel have a deeper legacy with God, due to Abram’s calling and the promise God made to Abram. But, the Israelite people will have the same test you and I have when it comes to judgment day. Did you accept Jesus as the one who died for your sins?
Yes, weep over Israel. Weep over Iran. Weep over Hamas. Because every person under those titles and banners is a human being, created in God’s image, to do GOOD WORKS, not evil. Our prayer ought to be that the Holy Spirit will intervene and change people’s hearts. And that evil will be purged from our world.
My last encouragement to you is not to get caught in the conversation, the worry, and the fear. Things will get worse before Jesus comes again. Take heart, because when He does come again, all things will be made new. Until then, we need to share the Gospel so more people can live with hope and peace as we do, as opposed to fear.