God has redeemed Oct 31 twice! Firstly with the Reformation “officially” begun on Oct 31, 1517; and then again, exactly 400 years later on Oct 31, 1917, with the ANZAC victory of the British led, NZ riflemen, and Aussie Lighthorse capturing Beer Sheva in a blazingly courageous horse charge from the Ottoman Turks, opening the way for the Allied forces in then Muslim-controlled Palestine (in the land promised to the descendants of Jacob/Israel) to breakthrough in capturing Gaza, Jerusalem, and Damascus.
The victory in Beer Sheva made possible the proclamation of the Balfour Declaration on Nov 2, 1917, which God used to bring the Gentile world powers to allow for the legal return of the Jewish people to their ancient and future homeland covenanted to them by YHVH God, the Creator and Redeemer, Himself. The current battle that we know today began to be actively stirred up from that time, and will continue until the Lord Yeshua/Jesus returns to defeat His enemies who oppose Him and His plans. His judgment begins in His own household.
God told Moses to go tell Pharaoh: “Israel is My first son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” (Ex 4:22-23) That Israel is called the Creator’s firstborn indicates that there will also be “after-born” by redemption. Egypt, for example, has a future promise from the God of Israel that he will also be “His people”. (Is 19:24-25) Right now there are Egyptians that believe in Yeshua who are YHVH’s people; but the nation is not now His people.
Even now, although the Jewish people and Israel are the chosen of God for His redemptive purposes in restoring His Kingdom to the nation and to the whole created world that He created and made; and the return of the Jews to this land is the faithfulness of YHVH to His covenant and to His own sovereign will to vindicate and sanctify His holy Name which has been profaned (Ezek 36); yet the Israel of today is not yet the Israel of God, which will be the truth of the matter after their cleansing from all their unrighteousness and sins, when they will look upon the Lord and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus whom they pierced, and mourn for Him as for an only son. Then, the forgiveness of all their iniquity, transgressions, and sins will result in the holy people and nation the God has chosen them to be, and He will be their God. (Dan 9:24; Jer 31:31-37; Heb 8:7-13) The new covenant has already been “cut” by the Messiah’s/Christ’s death on the cross, offered first to His own people. But, in the unlike-our-wisdom that is YHVH God’s alone –Messiah/Christ is made unto us wisdom from God — the Jewish people and nation’s rejection of the covenant then opened the doors for the uncountable multitude of Gentiles/non-Jews to come into God’s plan and purposes of glory that has Israel as the key. (Rom 11:25-36) Praise the LORD! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Since the days of Samuel the prophet, when Israel asked for a king like the Gentiles have, the Israeli Jewish people have rejected YHVH from being their King, and, in effect, from being their God. (1Sam 8:1-9) This manifested also when the newly separated northern kingdom of Israel after King Solomon’s death and ascension to the throne of Rehoboam his son, when they rebelled against the house of David, whom YHVH had covenanted to be the royal family from whom the Messiah would come. That rebellion also continues to this day. We see that clearly expressed when the leaders of the Israeli people at the time of the sacrificial atoning death of Yeshua on the cross, when Pontius Pilate mockingly goaded the people, “Shall I crucify your King?”, the religious leaders answered, “We have no King but Caesar!” (Jn 19:7-16) The Gentile King! Not one of their brethren from the Tribe of Judah and from the family of David. (Dt 17:14-16; Gen 49:8-12; 2Sam 7:8-17; Ps 89:19-37; Jer 33:14-26) And not YHVH, their true King and God.
Today, we see many Israelis looking to the U.S. President as the one whom we must please in order to be his friend and to be protected. God’s plan that He is still unfolding before the eyes of spiritual rulers and principalities and of rulers of this world is that HE will rule over His people, and Yeshua will sit on the throne of glory, the throne of David. (Ezek 20:32-44; Lk 1:30-33; Mt 25:31-33) Hamas is still holding eight hostages, still cynically controlling events of the on-going war’s aftermath. The spirit of Hamas and of those who are hell-bent on taking the land given by the true God to His chosen Jewish people is the same as that of Esau/Edom that you read about in at least one of the passages referenced in this article. Spirits don’t die, and the end of the age is going to see all of the evil and unclean and lying spirits gang up together in their conspiracy against YHVH and against His Anointed One. It is centered against Yeshua/Jesus, and against God’s stated intention that HE will sit on David’s throne on Mt Zion in Jerusalem, Israel…in that day!
God is testing the hearts of people everywhere, but firstly in the hearts of Jews and Christians, with whom He is in covenant relationship, and to whom has been revealed His Word and thoughts. (Lk 2:29-35) Most Jews today, including believers, are not living in Israel, and very many “blame” Israel for their discomfort and for the antisemitism in their Gentile countries of residence (Jews were being uncomfortable and suffering from antisemitism for most of their years in exile in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Rome, Islamic countries, Christian countries – all before the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel in our generation); and God says His name is reproached by His people preferring to live in other lands, but not in the one that He has promised to give them. (Ezek 36:16-28; Mt 6:9-10)
It is a heart-check of identity and faithfulness and unity among the people and nation. (Ps 137) Many (most) Jewish leaders at the time opposed the Zionist intention to reestablish their “homeland” in Palestine/Israel because of fear it would only promote accusations of dual loyalty, and result in antisemitism. Is this still not the case today? But, praise the Lord! He is working out His sovereign plan in His unsearchable manner, and is looking for faith from us in Him, and in what He has said, and still says. We owe Him lots of love and thanksgiving for all that He is and all that He has done to call us His sons and daughters through His beloved firstborn, Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus Christ.
