July 24
What Will Cause Israel To Outsource Its National Security
I’m amazed at the boldness of the critics who think Israel is being too aggressive with its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. After reading some of the commentary from world leaders, I have to wonder if these folks are aware that Israel is a country under attack.
Russia has sharply criticized Israel, saying it went "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire. I hope the cessation of fighting that Russia is demanding includes the rockets that Hezbollah has been raining down on Israel.
One could argue that Russia is a bit hypocritical in the area of force being applied against Muslim extremists. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected Western accusations that it has used too much military muscle in its war against rebels in Chechnya, in which thousands of civilians have been killed.
Russia refers to the conflict in Chechnya as an “anti-terrorist operation.”
President George W. Bush is about the only leader willing to admit that Israel has the right to defend itself. "Our message to Israel is defend yourself, but be mindful of the consequences, so we are urging restraint," said Bush.
At some point, the rules of common sense need to be applied to this situation. No other country in the world would allow its citizens to be randomly bombed. And no other country would let world opinion deter it from protecting its people from attack. If Cuban terrorists fired rockets across the Gulf in Miami, Florida, the most liberal members of Congress would be calling for action.
Israel has always been highly focused on its own security. Its military doctrine of self-protection and self-reliance has been forged by experience. The Jewish state certainly must hold the record for being attacked the most number of times by its neighbors.
The establishment of Israel was the direct result of the Holocaust. After Hitler nearly succeeded in wiping out European Jews, the survivors emigrated to Israel, crying, “never again.” Despite that fact that Israel has a good reason not to trust anything but its own defense force, the Bible indicates that it will make the fatal error of turning to the Antichrist for protection. Jesus referred to this when He said, “I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43).
To arrive at the point where Israel surrenders its security to a European-led peace-keeping force, there will probably need to be a major event that causes this dramatic shift. We can’t be totally certain of the reason Israel decides to outsource its security; however, I do think the use of WMDs is a strong candidate for being the main catalyst. If Syria or Iran were to attack Israel with chemical weapons, followed by an Israeli nuclear counterstrike, the world community would have a collective heart attack.
When the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there were no video cameras to record the horrors of this new weapon. If the type of persuasive media we have today had existed in 1945, TV viewers would have been confronted with ghastly images of people so badly injured by radiant energy that they would have looked like burnt marshmallows.
There has been lot of talk about the prophecy calling for Damascus to be destroyed. Isaiah 17:1 states: “Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” If I were the leader of Syria, I’ve be very concerned about being the closest major target within Israel’s firing range.
-- Todd
War and Peace from Here to Eternity (Part 3)
Middle East war will explode not long after Christ’s church is taken home to God’s heavenly house. That is not to say that meanwhile there will not be military conflicts in the Mid-East region. The explosive potential for armed conflict is constantly present. At the moment, for example, Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons, while its leaders call for Israel’s total annihilation. The Hamas terrorists are now in “legal” control of the drive toward a Palestinian state. The escalating violence of Syrian-backed Hezbollah and Israel’s determination to end the terrorist organization’s murderous activities against Israel’s people threaten an expanded conflict in the region. That the violence could ignite a much wider conflagration is the fear of diplomats within the international community.
But no matter when war becomes full-blown on Earth, all Christians who have lived or died during the Church Age will, immediately following the Rapture, enjoy peace, joy and fulfillment beyond any that can be imagined this side of heaven. That peace will be true and everlasting!
Believers of the Church Age will, of course, stand before the Lord to be judged at the bema judgment seat of Christ. But, it will be a judgment of rewards, not a judgment of sins committed in the earthly life. The Lord Jesus took all of those sins to the cross with Him when He died for those who believe in Him. His sacrifice on that awful tree of crucifixion paid the sin debt in full.
Paul the Apostle gives an illustration of the race that must be run, at the end of which are the bema judgment and rewards that will be given. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; 2 Timothy 4:7-8.) He uses the example of an athletic contest. The Bible says that this judgment is one for the works done in the earthly life. Anything and everything done with the pure motive of honoring Christ will be richly rewarded in ways we cannot begin to fully understand right now. These rewards will be given in the form of crowns.
The Bible says also that unconfessed sin can result in loss of rewards at this judgment. Works done just to look good in the eyes of other people will not be accepted by the Lord as works done for Him. These works will be destroyed and only the works done with pure motive will remain.
But the bema judgment has nothing to do with salvation. The believer is forever secure in God’s family at the moment he or she accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. The believer will be forever with Christ in Heaven!
Sadly, and tragically, those who have rejected the Holy Spirit’s call to salvation through Jesus Christ will face another, most terrible judgment. It is called the great white throne judgment. It will take place at the end of the millennium.
Everyone at that judgment will be lost. That is, they will have rejected God’s offer of salvation and will be forever separated from God and Heaven. This judgment is for eternal punishment. Those judged will be given punishment in accordance with the evil things they have done in the earthly life. This isn’t my idea or some preacher’s idea. It is a warning straight from God’s holy, absolutely true Word.
The great, loving God doesn’t want this for anyone. He has moved Heaven and Hell to bring all men, women and children to himself. He gave His only son, Jesus Christ. What greater thing could He give? But God created us with a free will. That is, we can choose to love and obey Him, or not. It is up to us.
God’s Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, calls all people to salvation through the shed blood of Jesus, who died for us on the cross. God desires with all His heart that you come to Him. But, the cross is the only way you can come to Him. There is none other.
Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior right this moment. He will change your life forever. He will give you peace that surpasses understanding, even while the world rages around you.
Choose heavenly peace, not earthly war. Troubling issues and events about Mid-East war and peace, as well as worry over all other prophetic signals of these last days, will then encourage you rather than frighten you.
When you see all these things begin to come to pass, you can then, “…stand up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21: 28).
--Terry
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