Day 60 of the war in Israel – what is being known from the hostages?
There have been over 1500 testimonies gathered from the October 7th attack and the testimonies are too brutal to even discuss. Israel is systemically erasing the threats throughout the Gaza Strip.
In the meantime, our government is not supporting Israel at all – minus a few verbal platitudes, as they continue to support the COP 28 conference which is bringing global governance to every facet of society under the umbrella of saving planet Earth. This is to the degree that even King Charles declared that we are on this earth to ULTIMATELY SERVE planet Earth, not the other way around. My question then becomes to him, “Who is God?”
Because of the compilation of lies and half-truths emanating from global and national narratives, we also see a paradox of the LGBTQ+ movement violently aligning with Hamas. On the surface, I hear the question of how that can be so. How in the world does a people group who identifies themselves based upon behavior align with a radical religious group that states that a gay lifestyle is punishable by death? How does that even coincide?
It does – IF you have something in common… because a lie believed is a rallying point for the deceived.
Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-13 “Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,in order that they all may be]judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
God actually sends a delusion to the wicked – this is how believing a lie takes one to the depths of darkness…
What am I talking about?
Several years ago I did a straw poll on my own and asked this question? “Which is worse; telling a lie or believing a lie?” just over 90% of the respondents marked telling a lie was worse than believing a lie. My stance is this; the effect of believing a lie is way worse than telling a lie because the hearer has the opportunity and choice to engage the lie with support…or rejection. It is when the lie becomes proliferated that it becomes powerful, “Did God really say…?” ruined humanity and required intervention by the Almighty.
In this case, the LGBTQ+ movement stands on a precipice of lies that their behavior is somehow immutable; and that all sexual choices are normal because they are true to the individual. This flies in the face of truth – standards – that now one’s behavior relegates one to a protected class.
Switch over to Hamas’ declared plight. Hamas rationalizes they have ownership of land in the region of Israel which was never given to them – even after five attempts where Israel conceded and conceded. It did not matter – Hamas wants Israel annihilated. There was no acceptance of terms to own any region or part of the Land offered because the intent was never to live harmoniously with the Jewish Nation.
In 2013, my son Levi and I stood outside the school of Jihad on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was a beautiful fall day and the windows were open. The young Arabs inside were standing, while wearing their bandanas (Hamas) shouting in Arabic, “Death to the Jew – Death to Israel – Death to America!” We stood about 20 feet from the open window and watched and listened – I told Levi, “This is what they teach their young people, as well as train them to kill. Understand that these young people will grow up to become terrorists.” That was ten years ago – I wonder how many of them were involved with October 7th?
My point is that the lie of the enemy is believed by Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, and Islamic Jihad – and there is no desire within them to live in peace with Israel. So when you see two groups, aligning against a declared common foe, it is because they both base their beliefs and values upon an unequivocal void of truth or reality. This is why the LGBTQ crows is siding with Hamas, as they do not care about the fallout, they are striving for the legitimacy of a falsehood – and aligning with another falsehood creates a sense of unity and greater acceptance.
In 2 Chronicles 20, this also was the case. The Ammonites and Moabites (from the same region as Hezbollah and Hamas) partnered with the Edomites of Mount Seir to come against Jehosophat. Edom became the ancestors of the peoples of the West – Europe and the Caus Caus Mountain range where we get the word Caucasian… We all know the end of the story with Jehosophat – but I want to focus on what happened here in this union of enemies. These groups – the Edomites were NOT or ever before allied with Moab and Ammon. They hated each other – but their belief in a cohesive lie about Israel caused their false unity to abound. Does this sound familiar? Is the West today aligning with the Arab states against Israel while only placating Israel with verbal cues that in the public narrative look supportive? It looks to be the case.
It is certainly the same situation – The Parsha reading for this week includes Obadiah chapter 1 – a foreboding and illuminating passage of Scripture that was selected out of the Haftorah readings in the annual Scriptural cycle. When I read this I literally shook for our nation and the nations of the West – there are 21 verses (NASB):
Edom Will Be Humbled (vs. 1-9)
The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom—We have heard a report from the Lord, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, “Arise and let us go against her for battle – Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised. “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’ “Though you build high like the eagle (UK?), Though you set your nest among the stars (USA?), From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord “If thieves came to you -If robbers by night (Mass Immigration?)— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? “O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out! “All the men allied with you will send you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you. (UK and Muslim Migration – not just Arabs but Slavic nations and Asia) They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.) “Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord, “Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau? Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Southern Edom, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.”
Judgment to Edom (vs. 10-15)
“Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem— You too were as one of them. “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress. “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not [j]gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.
The Day of the Lord and the Future (vs. 16-21)
“For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. “Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, All the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow And become as if they had never existed.
“But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. “Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.Then those of the Negev (Southern Israel Desert) will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah (South-Central Israel between Gaza and the mountains) the Philistine plain; Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead. And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (WHEREVER CAPTIVES OF ISRAEL ARE HELD – nongeographic) Will possess the cities of the Negev. The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
This passage – in the cycle for this week (and I encourage you to read it three and four times) – is for all of us to pray and seek the Lord over. For those who are against Israel in this season – this is a warning and judgment.
For those who support and love Israel – this is our time to intercede like never before. We become someone who “stands in the gap” (the definition of an intercessor) by Prayer – lots of it – our Voice – and our Resources (time and finances). This is the most important thing happening on the planet and most Christians are passive to what is taking place. Where are you today? Where do you find yourself?
