“(9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” – Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV
If the return of Israel to the land of her fathers was a promise made by Yahweh that would be fulfilled upon the Day of the Lord, then I believe the conditions of that promise serve as a vital piece of the puzzle concerning the Middle East because it raises questions over the past 100 years of history in the Holy Land. It’s such a contentious issue I must tread very carefully and make clear from the outset that what I’m sharing comes from my own interpretation as I seek to reconcile scripture with world events. I might be wrong either in whole or in part. In no way am I trying to mitigate Israel’s right to a homeland, that’s not the point I’m making. But equally, I have to question the legality of any such claim based on scripture if the conditions of those scriptural promises have not yet been met. Are we truly able to say that Israel’s return to Palestine is an outworking of the Lord’s promise? And if so then how? Since the nation of Israel was re-established in 1948 is this a partial fulfilment of the promise or is there another storyline here?
So many questions! Yet the reason I’m unpacking this is not to be contentious but to help counter any obfuscation by Satan in what’s really taking place. The Oxford Dictionary defines obfuscation as “the act of making something less clear and more difficult to understand, usually deliberately.” Alternately obfuscation can mean to mystify, confuse, cloud, hide, complicate or muddy, the result of which brings a sense of disorientation, misunderstanding, isolation, and detachment from truth. In a military context a key ploy might be to smoke-bomb the battlefield enabling ground forces to manoeuvre undetected, target networks to blackout communications, or use propaganda to peddle a false narrative, all of these I’m sure we’ll be familiar with.
Let’s be clear, Israel and in particular Jerusalem is the prize of Satan’s seditious campaign.
Why? Because he fully intends to deceive the whole earth with his antichrist and false prophet as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah and entice worship from every living person upon the planet. World events are moving towards that scenario, the Bible is quite clear on this outrageous devilish scheme. Ultimately Satan’s plans will fail and be met with the unfurled wrath of the Almighty. Eternal fiery damnation awaits, but not before the Day of the Lord.
Up until that apocalyptic day will be an escalation of demonic deployment and agenda as the various pieces are put into place to pull off the greatest deception the world has ever known.
That doesn’t mean the Lord was not in the reformation of Israel as a nation in 1948. Indeed I believe He was very much at work, but we must differentiate between the return of Israel before the Day of the Lord and the return of Israel after if we are to have wisdom and discernment to know how to pray and align with Heaven’s purposes and times.
This obfuscation of times and laws is a major strategy of our adversary because it severs the prophetic partnership between Heaven and Earth.
Does this mean we should not pray for Israel, or that Israel has no right to occupy what was previously known between the years 1920 to 1948 as “Mandatory Palestine”? By no means! Then what am I saying? Only this: that if this is not the Lord’s appointed time of His promise to gather the houses of Judah and Israel and restore them to their previous homeland, (which as we have seen is on the Day of the Lord), then there must be another justifiable position in support of Israel, which leads to the obvious question of what that argument for occupation is. The answer lies with the Zionist Movement which began to emerge towards the end of the 19th century against a backdrop of continual and increasing antisemitism, particularly in Europe. Quoting from Wikipedia “From 1897 to 1948, the primary goal of the Zionist Movement was to establish the basis for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and thereafter to consolidate it.”What gave legal sway for the enactment of the Zionist vision was the fundamental principle of “self-determination” which states “that peoples, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference”. This principle strengthened as a fundamental right from the 1860s, then, especially after the First and Second World Wars when it was codified as an international legal right in the UN Charter.
The reason I’ve taken time to unpack what I have so far is because it helps frame the events in the Middle East in a way that provides wisdom for not only how we might pray but how we might avoid falling into error which would increase vulnerability to deception. I like something Chuck Missler said when he wrote, “All of us are subject to limitations imposed by the presumptions we bring to a topic, and it may be essential to step back from time to time and reestablish a fresh perspective. The only certain barrier to truth is the presumption that you already have to it.”
If the world is to be deceived by such climactic events as a world ruler, false messiah, return of daily sacrifices at the temple, and so on, then I believe it will happen in full view and everyone will be coerced either knowingly or not to accept the narrative of global events as they unfold. The only way to reject such coercion is by knowing and holding onto Truth. Whether a fundamental reset of global banking and economy, one world order and government, environmental and ecological reform, or a paradigmatic shift across any sector of society, we must anchor ourselves to the infallibility of the Word of God, and a lifestyle of abiding in Christ to be positioned exactly where we need to be, not only to avoid deception, but to partner with the Lord in the most privileged of all commissions, to prepare the way for His glorious return.
The epicentre of global events is Jerusalem which will come increasingly into view and hereby we are given the primary arena of the illusionist’s hocus-pocus and trickery.
This arena of deception includes Israel and the Middle East, but rest assured, despite any apparent “upper hand” of the enemy, the Lord remains absolute Sovereign and any latitude afforded the enemy will serve only to build the gallows upon which lies his ultimate demise. I’d like to close with my prayer I posted at the beginning of the current conflict in the Middle East.
Lord we lift our voices to join the millions around the world to intercede on behalf of Israel and the Palestinian people. Let peace prevail and wisdom to all those in negotiations and positions of influence and power. May you Lord protect the vulnerable, those whose lives are in peril and fear, and for all those who are displaced, traumatised and mourning the lost of loved ones, through these catastrophic and horrific events that are unfolding in the Holy land. May hope be found through the Gospel of Peace, and a pathway of reconciliation and forgiveness through Your example of love and mercy. We magnify the name of Yeshua over the entire region and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Amen
“(14) For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” – Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV
