When Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the almost-empty United Nations Assembly on September 27, 2024, I wondered whether we saw Bible prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes?
Two-thirds of the delegates got up and walked out as Prime Minister Netanyahu walked to the podium to deliver his address. Benjamin Netanyahu was left with an almost empty auditorium to speak to. But the cameras were rolling, and undeterred, the Israeli Prime Minister delivered an incredibly courageous speech. In effect, he said, Israel is not cowed, will not back down, will not only survive but will win this war against Islamic terror.
In his defiant speech, Netanyahu shrugged off international calls for a cease-fire until those terrorists hell-bent on Israel's annihilation surrendered their arms and all hostages were released.
The incredible irony in this story is that at the very time, Benjamin Netanyahu was addressing the almost empty UN Assembly, his arch-enemy Hussan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of the terrorist organization Hezbollah was in Lebanon sitting in the comfort of his chair watching the speech.
Barely an hour later the Israeli Defence Force had eliminated that terrorist in a targeted strike. The last thing that the murderer saw was his enemy’s face! Do we see the righteous hand of the God of Israel in this telling moment?
THE PROPHECY
The specific Bible prophecy of this event in the UN Assembly reminded me that was written by the Hebrew prophet Zechariah 2,500 years ago. Speaking of the end times, he prophesied that God - Yehovah will “make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples: all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:3).
Although the Australian and United States delegations to the UN were some of the few that remained in their seats listening to the Israeli Prime Minister, it has become obvious that the West’s support of Israel is severely waning. Countries like Great Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and the USA which have traditionally been strong supporters of the only liberal democracy in the Middle East have increasingly been talking out of both sides of their mouths.
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong unsurprisingly sang from the same songbook Kamala Harris was singing from by virtually demanding that Israel not continue their campaign in Raffa because they had “studied the maps” and there was nothing to see there.
We all know the end of that disinformation, don’t we? When Israel went into Raffa the head of Hamas Yahya Sinwar was using human shields above ground to protect himself deep in the bowels of the earth. Nothing to see? Israel’s citizen's shelter under their famous Iron Dome. Hamas Terrorists use human shields, hiding behind and in underground tunnels under schools, hospitals, and aid camps!
I have written that in the end times - in accordance with Bible prophecy - all the nations of the world will turn against Israel. Some have reacted in disbelief: Surely the West would never turn against Israel. But, today, the streets of our largest cities and the campuses of our major universities have been filled with violent anti-Semitic protests demanding that our nations abandon Israel in support of terrorist organizations.
This very month has just seen violent, coordinated, anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish supporters at a soccer match - all in the city of Amsterdam where Anne Frank’s Diary was written! This attack happened on the 86th anniversary of the infamous Kristallnacht in 1938 under the Nazis. Netanyahu sent planes to Holland to evacuate 2,000 Jews to Israel for their safety.
THIS IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE
These events cannot be explained in purely natural terms. The Bible makes it very clear that the end of this present evil age will be marked by increasingly agitated Satanic opposition to Israel the nearer we approach the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah and the arrival of God’s - Yehovah's Kingdom on this earth. Satan knows Bible prophecy. He knows his time is running out (Revelation 12:12).
ISRAEL’S COVENANT WITH DEATH
From Israel’s perspective, the culmination of this evil age is called Jacob’s Trouble. Jesus called it the Great Tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall (Matthew 24: 21). And with the increasing anti-Jewish sentiments building presently, Israel is feeling more and more isolated.
Note: It remains to be seen how Donald Trump’s return to the White House will play out, but the reaction to his re-election in Israel was one of joyful relief by and large, for Trump has shown himself a great friend of Israel. His appointment of Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to Israel is incredibly good news. However, make no mistake about this, there is a day coming in the foreseeable future when Israel is going to find herself virtually without any earthly friends. The prophets have spoken!
The prophet Isaiah foretells that instead of looking to Yehovah her God, in her isolation Israel is going to go to the wrong place for help. She will sign a “peace treaty” with one whom Christians call ‘the Antichrist’, or ‘the man of sin’, the ultimate Rebel, leader of the 10 Muslim nations that surround Israel. This will be a covenant with death (Isaiah 28:15). The prophets call him ‘the Assyrian’. And the apostle Paul sees in the Assyrian the Antichrist of 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
In particular, Satan knows that the Jewish people are key to God’s – Yehovah’s plan for this world. He is determined to annihilate them before the return of Jesus. Why? Because the Bible says that a great remnant of the Jews will be saved when Jesus returns (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 9:27). Satan is determined to keep that prophecy from being fulfilled.
Just look at history and there is no denying that the Devil hates the Jewish people with a passion because God’s plan for the world’s rescue is inextricably tied to Israel: God chose them to be His witnesses to the world. Through them God gave the Bible, the holy Scriptures, to the world. Through them, God gave the Saviour of the world, the Jewish Messiah Jesus - Yehoshua.
Note: The LXX of Isaiah 11:4 says the coming prince of the House of David (i.e. the Messiah) will smite the earth with the sword of his mouth and destroy the wicked one with the breath of his lips. Compare also Isaiah 30:27 through 32:20 where 'the Assyrian' falls when God intervenes to set up His Kingdom. Immediately following will be the glory of the Messianic Age!
And finally, God - Yehovah has promised that He will save a significant remnant of Israel at the very end of this evil age, for they will say, “Blessed is he [Yehoshua] who comes in the name of Yehovah!”. Through that remnant, finally re-grafted into the original Olive Tree, He will bless all the nations of the world during the Millennial reign of the Messiah Jesus (or if you prefer to call him Yeshua or Yehoshua - meaning Yehovah is salvation).
It should be noted that Satan has had considerable success thus far in his attempts to annihilate the Jewish people, but never has, nor ever will ultimately succeed in his murderous intentions.
Just think: The Jews and Arabs were established at the same time. The Jews came through Abraham’s son, Isaac; the Arabs, through Abraham’s son, Ishmael. Today, there are 460 million Arabs and only 17 million Jews! Those numbers clearly reflect the degree of persecution the Jews have experienced worldwide during the last 2,000 years and more.
CURRENT ANTI-SEMATISM IS DEMONIC
Jesus said that Satan is the “Father of Lies” and a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). And lies are what he is using to generate hatred of the Jews worldwide, even here in Australia. As proof, consider the current lies he is using to incite hatred of Israel:
LIE NUMBER 1) THE JEWS ARE COLONIALIST INVADERS OCCUPYING PALESTINIAN LAND
The truth is the land was given to the Jews by God - Yehovah 3,500 years ago, and they lived there for 1,500 years until they were forcibly ejected from the land by the Romans in AD 135 following their final revolt. During the 2,000 years since their land lay vacant and desolate. The few Arabs who lived there considered themselves to be Syrians because most of the land was owned by absentee Syrian landlords.
During this long period, the land was never an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. There never was a Palestinian state with a Palestinian government, nor was there a Palestinian flag, nor was there a Palestinian language culture, or currency.
When the Jews returned after World War II, the United Nations recognized their ancient claim to the land and authorized the establishment of their state.
LIE NUMBER 2) ISRAEL IS AN APARTHEID STATE
Note: The flag of the Arab Revolt was adopted by the Arab League as the official Palestinian flag in October 1948. It was not until 1964 that the flag was accepted by the PLO as the flag of the Palestinian people.
This is an absolute lie, yet it has turned many people against Israel. The truth is that there is no apartheid in Israel and there never has been. Two million Palestinians are citizens of Israel and have all the rights of Jewish citizens.
The only apartheid that exists in the Middle East is among the Arab nations that expelled all their Jews in 1956 after the Suez War and continue to refuse to allow any Jews to live within their boundaries.
LIE NUMBER 3) ISRAEL MUST LIBERATE GAZANS FROM THEIR PRISON
The truth is that Gaza was completely freed in 2005 when Israel forced all her own Jewish citizens to leave the area! Millions of dollars flowed into Gaza from nations around the world to enable them to build schools, hospitals, streets, and other infrastructure items, like electricity-generating plants.
The leaders of Hamas immediately started using their land as a missile launching site into Israel. And they spent their international funding on three things: weapons, construction of 300 miles of underground tunnels, and mansions for their leaders in Qatar. The only thing Gaza needs to be freed from is Hamas!
LIE NUMBER 4) ISRAEL IS GUILTY OF COMMITTING GENOCIDE
The truth is that the only things Israel seeks to annihilate are the terrorist groups called Hamas and Hezbollah. They have no interest in eradicating the Palestinian people.
The real goal of genocide is expressed in the favorite slogan of the anti-Israel protestors: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Let’s be clear: This is a rallying call for the annihilation of Israel.
Meanwhile, the diplomats of the world continue to speak of a “Two-State” solution. To be blunt: This is a pipe dream. How can there be such a ‘solution’ when one party refuses to accept the legitimacy of the other party in the first place, and when that party’s charter is the total destruction of the other. You cannot make peace with someone whose goal is to kill you.
Benjamin Netanyahu has summed it up well in his often-quoted statement: “If the Arabs would disarm, we would have peace; if Israel were to disarm, Israel would cease to exist.”
It seems to me that part of the Antichrist’s genius will be to navigate through this tricky minefield. He is going to deceive Israel, draw them into his Covenant with Death, and the world of unbelievers will say, “Peace! Safety!” not knowing that sudden destruction is about to fall on them (2 Thessalonians 2: 3). This is the great event on God’s End Times Timetable which we are to be on the lookout for - not a secret rapture where the church escapes the Big Trouble (the Great Tribulation) for the catching up of the living saints cannot occur until the Second Coming of the Messiah and the sleeping dead are first raised at the end of this age!
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Here is an unpalatable truth for many: A Palestinian state already exists!
Most are unaware that the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany during World War I, and it was decided that after the war, the Empire would be broken up and that the province called Palestine would be entrusted to England as a League of Nations Mandate, with the goal of leading the area to independence as a state.
In November 1917, The British issued the Balfour Declaration, in which they promised to make Palestine a Jewish state. But in 1923, the British suddenly decided to curry favor with the oil-rich Arab states by giving two-thirds of Palestine to the Arabs, leaving the Jews only a small sliver of land 280 miles long and 80 miles wide.
The area given to the Arabs was all the land of Palestine east of the Jordan River. It was named Transjordan. In 1946, when it received its independence, its name was changed to Jordan. Today Jordan has a population of 11 million, and 60% of those are of Palestinian descent. Thus, Jordan consists of two-thirds of the geography of Palestine and a population majority of Palestinians.
The inconvenient truth is that a Palestinian state already exists! So, one has to ask why the surrounding Arab and Muslim nations are not accepting Palestinian refugees from Gaza? Why isn’t Egypt taking them? Why not Jordan? Am I wide of the mark by suggesting it is because it suits them to continue to foster the conflict? It is surely within the power of the Muslim world to have stopped the conflict yesterday! Refusing to accept their own gives the rationale for continuing to blame Israel!
As an aside, at the time of my writing, Australia has taken in more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza conflict than all other nations on earth combined! Why? I will keep my own thoughts to myself on this one for now, but you can ask me later if you wish.
Meantime, let all who know and love Yehovah, the God of Israel, and His truth as declared in His Son Yehoshua - Yehshua the Messiah, pray for Israel’s peace. May He soon send His dearly beloved Son to sit on the throne of David at Zion - Jerusalem and to rule with the saints of the Highest One and to possess the Kingdom forever, for all ages to come (Daniel 7:18). Amen!
Written by Greg Deuble and edited and added to by Bruce LyonGreg Deuble’s website: www.thebiblejesus.com
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