Filling the Land of Israel
What a fascinating time to be alive!
Both Good and Evil are flexing their muscles, and this has great relevance for Bible prophecy. In particular, we are seeing both good things in the offing for Israel and perilous times.
One day we hear that a new ally has popped up for the Jewish state; the next day a new threat.
This week, the news was full of information about both the removal of a “settlement outpost” (Amona, north of Jerusalem) and the announcement of more than 2,000 apartments approved for four communities in Judea and Samaria.
The latter, of course, enrages the international community.
Amona was established 20 years ago, on a hilltop that was claimed to be Palestinian agricultural land. Lawsuits ensued and it took until this week for an Israeli court ruling to be carried out: Amona was demolished.
While this was unfolding, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu approved the construction of homes for thousands more Jews.
According to the Jerusalem Post:
“All total in the last week, Israel has spoke of advancing or authorizing 5,500 units, including those on Galant’s list.
“Israel feels free to take such measures because it believes that the new US President Donald Trump will be support of settlement constitution in the blocs and Jewish building in east Jerusalem.
“It’s part of a series of gesture Netanyahu has made to the Israeli right and to the settlement movement in general to offset the anger over the outpost’s destruction. On Wednesday he also announced the creation of a new settlement.”
Even since the dreadful Oslo Accords of 1993, Israel has managed to house hundreds of thousands of citizens in the biblical heartland, and many more will come.
Despite sounds arguments from the best legal minds that the “settlements” (itself a propaganda term devised by the international community) are not illegal under international law, Israel’s critics say otherwise.
Here we see something important. In advocating for Israel, it does little good to cite these legal opinions, for one reason: the critics hate Israel and Jews, period. One could bring the legal reasoning down from Mt. Sinai, and the nations would rage anyway. They will rage.
And, as history often does, things have turned on a dime. No one really knows what Donald Trump really thinks about Israel, but one suspects it’s not bad at all. And infinitely better than the Marxist, Barack Obama.
So there appears to be time to do some things to benefit Israel. We know that this window will last four or eight years, and then we might well have another Obama in office.
In other words, another Haman.
For now, more and more Jews stream into their ancestral land. The joy for us is that every new home there proves prophecy. As we read in Isaiah 13:14:
“Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee to their native land.”
Many of us are anxious for the Lord to return. But He will return in His time. In the meantime, it is exciting to watch His children come home.
Much to the consternation of the nations, who rage. Sadly, this raging also includes key American evangelical leaders.
Amona is gone. Four more take her place.
The gazelle is running home.