From the River to the Sea!!
Perhaps you have heard the chant by some of the antisemitic mobs that assemble in various places to protest Israel's actions with regard to Gaza. Many of those who are involved in these mobs quite probably know little if anything about the history of Israel and Palestine, and understand even less. Without accurate information and clearly without any wisdom or even common sense, they repeat the words of those who know precisely what they mean, "From the River to the Sea!!" Those who lead the chants understand that they are calling for the utter destruction of Israel and the Jewish people ... from the River Jordan on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, it is their desire to exterminate the Jewish people and thus to eliminate the nation of Israel. These unwittingly fail to grasp the reality that they stand opposed not only against Israel, but against the God who chose this very people as a chosen nation through whom He would bring the Messiah, His anointed King, and through whom He would ultimately display His wisdom, power and glory to the nations of the world.
Sadly, even many in the Christian church today fail to understand these things, having been told that the church has replaced Israel in God's plans. They see no relevance to the Jewish people being in the land that the one true God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel), and to their descendants. Yet the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy leads those who are given wisdom by the Spirit of God to know that the existence of the Jewish people in the land of Israel today indicates that we are very close to the return of Israel's King, Jesus Christ. In the coming months, and Lord willing, years, I will write often of what is happening in Israel, the Middle East and the world, regarding the fulfillment of God's plans leading up to the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the day of God's judgment and the return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth during the Millennium.
I realize that various interpretations of these events have been offered, including some who believe that most of these things have already been fulfilled, however, I urge you only to listen, to read God's Word and to examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Today Israel resumed their bombing campaign in Gaza in an effort to destroy what remains of Hamas, the terrorist organization that has been ruling in Gaza since 2005. As you have undoubtedly heard, Hamas is a "proxy" for the Shiite Muslims in Iran, as are Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran is the ancient Persia, and along with Syria and other Arab nations has been an enemy of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years.
Today, just briefly, I want to direct your attention to Psalm 83. The words of the psalm were written by Asaph during a time of relative peace and prosperity for God's people, yet he speaks of a time when the surrounding nations are gathered together against the land and people of Israel. Included in the list of nations are Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia, and the nations listed include other Arab nations around Israel today. This is not the battle of Armageddon, which likely will be led by Russia and Turkey and perhaps other nations to the north of Israel, but may well be the war that leads up to a "treaty," a temporary peace, prior to the rise of the Antichrist and the unfolding of the final seven years leading up to the return of Christ.
Listen to what the Psalmist writes in the first four verses of Psalm 83: "O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold; your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, 'Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!'"
"From the river to the sea," they cry!!! The mistake of many in the church is in failing to understand that God's covenant with the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has not been forgotten by God! Listen to the words of Jeremiah, "the weeping prophet," as he prophecies concerning a new covenant that God will make with a remnant from Israel, and finally, with the Jewish people as a whole when Jesus returns: Jeremiah 31:25-37, "Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD of hosts is his name: 'If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.' Thus says the LORD, 'If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,' declares the LORD."
As Christians, the God we know and the God we worship is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As Paul writes in Romans 11, we have been grafted into the root that is the remnant of the physical descendants of Abraham. God has NOT forgotten His promise to make Himself glorious before the nations of the world in these people ... in Jerusalem ... LITERALLY!!! Thus the establishment of Christ's Millennial kingdom at His return, as He reigns from Jerusalem over the people who survive the wrath of God poured out during His "day of the Lord" judgment just prior to Jesus' return and the battle of Armageddon. God will keep His promises and all these things will come to pass just as He has said.
So when you listen to the news and hear these words, "From the river to the Sea!", do not miss their meaning or the rebellious hearts from which the words come. Those who cry out are but the latest instruments of Satan who has been trying to destroy God's people since the Garden of Eden, and to eliminate the Jewish people since God made the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob a nation some 4,000 years ago. But Satan will not win! Yes, difficult times are ahead for the Jewish people. The time of Jacob's trouble, predicted in Jeremiah 30 and other places, is yet to come. Zechariah 14 describes in brief what John in his Revelation describes more clearly. It may at some point appear that they will succeed, BUT GOD ...
Brothers and sisters in Christ, do not ignore the Word of God regarding the events of our day. Knowing the truth brings freedom from worry, along with an unwavering hope that is ours through faith ... trusting our God, the only true God, to do what He says He will do. As I said, you will find me writing more about these things in the weeks and months, and Lord willing, years to come. I have written of the events surrounding the return of Jesus Christ in my book, "... the end." If you would like a copy let me know by sending me an email to pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org. I will do my best to get you a copy as soon as I can.
Meanwhile, we watch and wait, serving Christ and building up His kingdom through the gathering of believers in the Church. Love the Lord, your God, and serve Him by serving one another, proclaiming the Gospel to all people, for He knows those who are His! To God be the glory!!
