We’ve Been Down This Road Before

In a mere 75 years, Israel finds herself in peril once again.

This time—deep breath—it’s at the hands of the United States government.

Yesterday, Joe Biden threatened Bibi Netanyahu and the State of Israel by phone, demanding(!) a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu no doubt took the opportunity for the thousandth time to explain things to the mendacious Biden, who always touted his “friendship” with his “good friend” Bibi, when it suited him politically. And, illegitimate though he may be, he becomes the first American “president” to betray and abandon Israel.

These days, I sound like a broken record, I know, but I have to remind us that while it appears that Israel’s enemies have her right where they want the Jewish state, Scripture is always our guide for truth. God will not allow Israel to disappear.

This, yes, despite the fact that Israel is now in a new landscape, in every way. Existential threats are everywhere. And there are layers and layers of nuance and complexity to this Hamas War.

Iran is hinting that it will launch missiles into Israeli territory. Hamas is showing everyone that something less than a conventional army from a conventional nation can make headway against the vaunted IDF, thus harming Israel’s vaunted deterrence capability. Jordan is becoming unstable, and Iran wants to take it over. The international community has a vicious hatred of Israel, with an uncommonly weak cast of characters like Biden, Macron, Trudeau, and Sunak. Until recently, it was unthinkable that the West would turn so harshly against Israel.

We must remember though that God is stronger than all these villains.

A leading Bible prophecy teacher posted the other day that there is a possibility Iran will attack Israeli interests, perhaps the nation itself, within 48 hours. I don’t dispute that this is a possibility, but it is always a possibility. I am seeing much hand-wringing from prophecy teachers, students, and pro-Israel people, but I see this a bit differently.

We don’t know exactly where we are on the prophetic timeline—we don’t—but we do know from Scripture that Israel survives and even thrives while her enemies go down to the pit with pharaoh.

We also can ask why it’s taking Israel so long to finish-off Hamas. To this question I answer that this current war is unlike any other in history. Complexities on top of complexities are in play. Urban warfare on a scale never seen before. Boobytraps are everywhere. Snipers. Tunnels larger than the London Underground.

Yet with all that, Israel is doing a superb job. As someone wrote this week, war colleges will study Israel’s tactics for years.

The issue at hand of course is Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas. Israel and Netanyahu have repeatedly said they will go in and finish the terror group, that there is no other option. When the war started, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that post-war, Gaza will “never be what it once was.”

Believe Israel.

Besides the fact that they have no other choice, the citizens are united in their demand to kill Hamas. Don’t believe the news stories, that are really Soviet-style propaganda pieces. Reality is much different.

As believers and pro-Israel Christians, we have an obligation to pray unceasingly and also to be a voice for Israel wherever we can.

And above all, we must believe God when He tells the world that He will preserve His people.

This week, the IDF canceled leaves in anticipation of some Iranian attack. Hezbollah continues to menace the north (albeit with withering IAF responses). Killers in Judea-Samaria try to distract the IDF.

These are too many responsibilities for my poor mind. But Netanyahu has been prepared for this moment. He’s not going to forget his brother’s sacrifice, nor his own combat experience to protect the people.

God is going to bring the victory.

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Enough Already

I waited until Friday evening to write this.

On March 25, someone posted the following on Facebook (I reproduce it as is):

“I believe that the sacrifice will take place on Friday 29 March 2024 in Jerusalem. The ashes of the heifer will then be mixed with the ashes of the heifers kept by Moses, Joshua and other I think it will be 7 stand corrected. This will be used to cleanse the temple mount and the Cohanim.

Soon after this they can resume the building of the Third Temple. Then the tribulation will start.”

This evening, March 29, a pro-Israel person posted the following on X:

Temple Mount tonight, they scream: “Pull up the sword, “ “We are all Dief”(head of Hamas), “Blessings for Sinwar.” These are the filth that Biden wants Israel to make peace with?

A short video clip was attached, showing Muslims near the Dome of the Rock.

The first poster was completely wrong. No sacrifice of red heifers took place in Israel this week, certainly not on March 29. I knew Monday it wouldn’t. Why? Because I’ve heard predictions like this for decades. “The boy crying wolf” has happened so many times, it has turned a lot of people off and makes Bible prophecy teachers and students look foolish—collective punishment due to the irresponsible date-setting by a few.

There were other reasons for being sure this was just another dumb prediction. Israel is in the middle of an existential war against Hamas. The terror group has cited the red heifers as one reason for the October 7 massacres. This is not so different from Herod murdering Jewish boys at the time of Jesus’s birth. Pagans hate the Lord and His purposes, and want to “thwart” Him. They can’t of course, but their hearts are far from God and they think that somehow they can.

No Jewish ritual on or near the Temple Mount is going on right now. The whole situation is too volatile. Israel can handle it, but doesn’t need another war front opening up literally in the middle of their capitol city.

This week too was posted a piece from Israel365News:

“The Temple movement held a conference in ancient Shiloh on Wednesday concerning the red heifer. While the conference focused on the complex theoretical aspects of the esoteric Torah commandment to burn red heifers, the five crimson creatures who were the focus of the debate were off to the side, calmly chewing their cud.”

The article went on to explain some finer points of the red heifers, and ended with this sentence:

“It should be emphasized that performing the red heifer ceremony is unrelated to building the Temple.”

Even though a group wants to sacrifice a heifer on a platform on the Mount of Olives, that hasn’t happened yet. But that hasn’t stopped quite a few people from speculating wildly that all this is going down now.

Will it happen?

Of course it will! The Temple is going to be rebuilt. But I know that because I read Scripture, not the speculations of modern men.

In Numbers 19:2 we read—

“This is the ritual law that Hashem has commanded: Instruct B’nei Yisrael to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid.”

Since the time of Moses, only nine red heifers have been sacrificed. When the 10^th one will be sacrificed is beyond our scope of knowing right now.

Why can’t we be content with the prophecies that have already been fulfilled, such as the final ingathering of the Jewish people? Or to the Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled? There is plenty to dazzle us as we wait for the final prophecies to be fulfilled. If you predict that the Rapture us going to happen by September, or next Wednesday, or if you speculate when the Tribulation is going to happen…you are doing a disservice to your circle of family and friends.

Israel365News has reported facts. As did the X poster showing what happened on the Temple Mount today. All other “news” is junk speculation.

I’m aware this column will upset a lot of people. I also posted an article this week on my Patreon page, outlining why wild speculations on the Shroud of Turin are off-base. That has upset people. Despite that, I have to speak out about those teachers that are making bold predictions, dogmatic that several end-times events are imminent. That is irresponsible. As I’ve written before, I believe the new “competition” among prophecy teachers—due mainly to speaking engagements drying up in churches that no longer want to hear it—is driving the wild speculations and fringe topics. Let me be blunt: I am not interested at all in a new book about the Pope being the antichrist or false prophet. I’m not interested in yet another presentation about the Nephilim and transhumanism and all the rest. I’m interested in reading Isaiah again. And Jeremiah. Etc.

If I am marginalizing myself, so be it.

My purpose is to implore all of us to stick to what Scripture says. Please stand firm until the end. Be content with God Himself orchestrating the events He wants to orchestrate, on His own timeline. We don’t have to be titillated by speculations that don’t pan-out. We are living in momentous times. Huge things are unfolding in Israel.

The Bible alone is amazing. That’s all we need. Not ridiculous speculation.

Let’s be content with that, and watch and pray.

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