Blessings to you this day, the 30th of the war of Israel in Gaza.
Israel is facing an enemy assault in Gaza this time far more treacherous than in the past. There are now more than 240 hostages reported from this war, plus many still unaccounted for after their deadly massacre on Oct 7. The weaponry is more lethal, the hatred and venom is more sinister, the depths of evil that were planned and initiated, and this blood-thirst for death that they wage are not what normal human beings devise or take part in. (1Cor 14:20; Phlp 4:8-9) As strong as the IDF (the Israeli military) is, we are, nonetheless, not given to thinking such evil at the collective level, and truly need the Lord of Armies to help defeat such a deranged foe.
God did forewarn through Moses and the Prophets that much trouble and even horror would pursue the Jewish people so long as we do not return to Him and relent of our unbelief and rebellion against Him. Nonetheless, He is faithful to His Name, to His Word, in covenant to preserve a holy remnant of “all Israel” (however many, or whatever minority percentage, that may wind up to be). We pray for the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah/the Lord Jesus Christ to be exalted, that all would know that He is God Most High over all the Earth, and that our Father in Heaven’s name would be sanctified in their inmost being.
The initial support for Israel after the massacre has, as usual, nearly gone from those governments which gave Israel a ‘green light’ to do what they needed to do to defeat Hamas. Now, terms and conditions are being placed on Israel that are not normal for any other sovereign nation to abide by in an ‘existential’ war against an implacable enemy who is hell-bent to wipe out Israel from being a nation and Jewish people anywhere. Both sides see the Christianized West as culpable for the situation Israel finds itself in, and the out-break of open and hostile antisemitism that is threatening whole countries. The time will come, when both Jews and Muslims will find a common interest for ‘inter-faith peace’, by going after Christians, whom both consider — if you ask them and get an honest answer — to be idolaters. Then the Muslims will revert to their everlasting hatred and resentment of the Jews to try to wipe out both them and those who follow Jesus. (Rev 12) Do not be deceived any peace plan other than the Father’s! The devil, despite knowing that he is done for, is doing all he can to take as many with him to the lake of fire, or, at the very least, to cause as many of God’s covenanted people to be weakened in our faith and in our credible witness to the truth of Jesus Christ, and of His victorious death and resurrection.
Back in 2009, after the first ‘military operation’ of Israel against Hamas in Gaza broke out near the end of 2008, I was struck by how quickly the world turned on Israel, and demanded “proportional” warfare from us, not caring at all, really, about the realities here and the enemies we face. So I felt compelled to write these two responses to that:
https://streamsinthenegev.com/still-living-in-the-days-of-the-bible-part-1-4-jan-2009/
https://streamsinthenegev.com/still-living-in-the-days-of-the-bible-part-2-5-jan-2009/
The last thing that I will say now is this: this war started on the last great day of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles, on the Shabbat/Sabbath of Oct 7. This particular last day of Sukkot is called Simchat Torah (The Joy of the Law/Torah [of Moses]). This ends the annual reading of Moses and the Prophets in the synagogues all around the world, and then, in joy of God’s instruction, they begin again to read from Gen 1:1, and the following Shabbat read the full portion for that week, along with the haftarah corresponding Scripture portion from the prophets. May the Holy Spirit quicken the Word of God — of Moses and the Prophets — to the Jewish people in the face of the evil assault upon them, even within the State of Israel, that it is living and truth, and needs to be read and heeded with fear and trembling, and not quickly glossed over! (Is 8:11-20)
In the last book of the Prophets, the Lord speaks through His prophet and messenger Malachi for the Jewish people to remember the Law of Moses (not oral law or tradition, but the written Word of YHVH through His servant Moses), speaking of the coming Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings, and warning them of Elijah’s coming to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and of the children to their fathers, before the great and terrible Day of the LORD/YHVH. (Mal 4:1-6) May this sudden and unexpected outrage against God’s people Israel cause them to do just that, just as the Messiah/Christ Himself admonished them to do. The Jewish people and the nation of Israel need to repent of their unbelief and rebellion of their Creator and their Savior by wanting to like the Gentiles, rather than be the holy kingdom of priests that YHVH created and called them to be, and that Yeshua/Jesus died and rose again that they one day will be. (Jn 5:41-47; Lk 16:27-31)
And may the Holy Spirit also quicken the Scriptures to Christians to take seriously the prophetic word that is the whole of the Bible: the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev 19:10; Jn 5:31-46; Heb 10:5-7; Ps 40:7) God has told us the end from the beginning, and even something of before the beginning and of after the end.
What a great God we have and serve!
