A Covenant God And A Covenant Land

Covenant Land Part Five

 The area known as the "West Bank," is in the news almost daily. Abraham was in the mountains of Israel in the heart of the area referred to as the West Bank when the Lord promised him the land. The boundaries of the land promised to Abraham INCLUDE all of modern day Israel, the disputed territories and much more, including Jerusalem. As we have stated over and over in previous journals – THIS PROMISE WAS UNCONDITIONAL and not based on Israel’s faithfulness. When God made this covenant with Abraham, He already knew what would happen years ahead concerning Israel and her faithfulness to her Creator.

 

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Ezekiel 36:1-5  - Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: [2] Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: [3] Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: [4] Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; [5] Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.

The mountains of Israel are the heart of the Land promised by God to the children of Israel. It is Judea and Samaria, the inheritance of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Joseph. Bethel, Ai, Shilo and Shechem – made famous by Abraham, Jacob and Joshua – are located in the mountains of Israel. Joshua and the bones of Joseph were buried in this area.

 

Joshua 24:30

    And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

 

Joshua 24:32

    And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

 

Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus; Bethlehem – the home of David and the birthplace of Jesus; Hebron – where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Lea and Jacob are buried, and JERUSALEM, where the temple stood, where David and Solomon ruled, and where Jesus died and rose again ARE ALL LOCATED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL. The current “West Bank,” we discussed in the previous message/lesson and the mountains of Israel are nearly identical.

 

Here is a summary list of these cities once more:

 


Abram was in the mountains of Israel when God promised the land to his descendants. In three places God promised the Land to Abraham and his seed:

 

 

Genesis 12:6-7 - And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. [7] And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

 

Genesis 13:3 - And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

 

Genesis 13:14-17 - And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: [15] For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. [16] And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. [17] Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

 

Genesis 13:18 - Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

 

Genesis 15:18 - In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

 

Genesis 17:7-8 - And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. [8] And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

 

    ALL THREE PLACES ARE NOW WHAT IS NOW CALLED THE ‘WEST BANK.’ Abraham was in the mountains of Israel in the heart of the area referred to as the West Bank when the Lord promised him the land.

 

Genesis 13:17

    Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

 

The boundaries of the land promised to Abraham INCLUDE all of modern day Israel, the disputed territories and much more. As we have stated over and over in previous journals – THIS PROMISE WAS UNCONDITIONAL and not based on Israel’s faithfulness. When God made this covenant with Abraham, He already knew what would happen years ahead concerning Israel and her faithfulness to her Creator.

 

To state it again, Abraham had seven sons in addition to Isaac, but the COVENANT was established with Isaac.

 

Genesis 16:15

    And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

 

Genesis 25:1-2

    Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. [2] And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

 

Before the birth of Isaac, Abraham asked the Lord to give the promise to Ishmael:

 

Genesis 17:18

    And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

 

The Lord had other plans:

 

Genesis 17:19 - And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

 

 The promise passed from Isaac to Jacob to Jacob’s descendants, the Jewish people. Isaac gave Jacob this blessing:

 

Genesis 28:3-4

    And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; [4] And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

 

 The promise to Jacob was confirmed by God Himself:

 

Genesis 28:13

    And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

 

God promised the LAND from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates (Gen. 15:18, Joshua 1:4) through Abraham and Isaac to Jacob and his descendants.

 

The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Later in the Bible, Jacob’s descendants were called in Hebrew ‘B’nei Israel’ – sons of children of Israel – or simply “Israel.”

 

Jacob had 12 sons who established the tribes of Israel. The Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Each Israeli tribe was given a portion of the land. The book of Joshua, chapters 14-19, outline this allotment.

 

The descendants of Judah (a son of Jacob and Lea) lived in the area now called JUDEA,which includes Jerusalem, Hebron, and GAZA. (Joshua 15)

 

Joshua 15:1-63  - This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast. [2] And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward: [3] And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: [4] From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast. [5] And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan: [6] And the border went up to Beth-hogla, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben: [7] And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel: [8] And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward: [9] And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim: [10] And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah: [11] And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. [12] And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families. [13] And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. [14] And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. [15] And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.  [16] And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. [17] And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. [18] And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? [19] Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs. [20] This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. [21] And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, [22] And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, [23] And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, [24] Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, [25] And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor, [26] Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, [27] And Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-palet, [28] And Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Bizjothjah, [29] Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, [30] And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, [31] And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, [32] And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages: [33] And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah, [34] And Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam, [35] Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, [36] And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages: [37] Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad, [38] And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, [39] Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, [40] And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, [41] And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages: [42] Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, [43] And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, [44] And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages: [45] Ekron, with her towns and her villages: [46] From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages: [47] Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:  [48] And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, [49] And Dannah, and Kirjath-sannah, which is Debir, [50] And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, [51] And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages: [52] Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean, [53] And Janum, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah, [54] And Humtah, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages: [55] Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah, [56] And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, [57] Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages: [58] Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor, [59] And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages: [60] Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages: [61] In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, [62] And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages. [63] As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

 

To state it again to make sure the reader gets this: THE PROMISE OF LAND TO ABRAHAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS IS UNCONDITIONAL. It is a promise between the Lord and HIMSELF. In Abraham’s time when two people made a binding covenant, they cut animals in two and walked between the pieces. Both parties were bound by the agreement. Abraham asked how he could know that he would inherit the Land:

 

Genesis 15:8

    And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

 

The Lord said to Abraham:

 

Genesis 15:9

    And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

 

Abraham cut them in two and laid the halves opposite each other. But Abraham did not walk between the pieces – GOD DID!

 

Genesis 15:17

    And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

 

Only God was bound by this covenant. The promise was guaranteed by the Lord; nothing was required of Abraham – except FAITH. It was portrait and prophetic picture of the time when the Lord would once again cut a covenant with man in blood – at the Cross of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. JESUS WOULD WALK THROUGH THE BLOOD FOR MAN ONLY REQUIRING MAN BELIEVE AND REPENT! Those who do are saved from wrath and born again through the Spirit of God. Oh, Praise God. Praise God, Praise God, Praise God; I feel that neighbor. Israel’s God is walking through the blood again today as He reaches out His hand to a fallen nation to repent and turn back to Him before it is too late. Those who do will escape the Great Tribulation period. Those who do not will experience the time known as Jacob’s Trouble – a time so horrific that no flesh will survive it save the fact the days of its duration will be cut short in mercy.

 

Matthew 24:20-22

    But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: [21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

 

Did God change His mind when Israel sinned? NO, He punished them and “scattered them among the nations.”

 

Ezekiel 36:19

    And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

 

Yet in spite of His scattering them among the nations, He promised them He would never forsake them and cast them off forever:

 

Leviticus 26:44-45

    And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God. [45] But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.

 

And after their punishment He will:

 

Ezekiel 36:24

    For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

 

The Lord scattered the descendants of Jacob among the nations and He promised to bring them back to the Land. The promise can never be broken because:

 

Romans 11:29

    For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

 

God told us the same thing several times in the Bible, stating His love for the Jewish people is as dependable as the sun, moon and stars. His love for those who believe in His Son is just as dependable – be them JEW or GENTILE!

 

Jeremiah 31:35-37

    Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. [37] Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

 

In 1948 Israel became a Jewish State. In the miraculous Six-Day War in 1967, Jews returned to Judea and Samaria – the heart of the Promised Land. Believers in Jesus, who know God’s promises, are encouraged when the Lord brings Jewish people back to the Land. His faithfulness to Israel proves that HE EXISTS and that His promises can be trusted. The Lord is keeping His promise to the Jewish people:

 

Ezekiel 11:17

    Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

 

Three things stand out in this passage in Ezekiel:

 

 

The issue here is that while the Lord has promised the Land to the children of Israel as an inheritance, they are not free to give it or sell it to others permanently:

 

Leviticus 25:23

    The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

 

In the year of Jubilee (the 50th year), land was to be returned to the original owners. When land was sold, it could held only until the Jubilee.

 

Leviticus 25:8-17

    And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. [9] Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. [10] And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. [11] A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. [12] For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. [13] In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession. [14] And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbor, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another: [15] According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: [16] According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. [17] Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God.

 

In Ezekiel, the Lord reminds us that the Land is HIS:

 

Ezekiel 36:1-5

    Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: [2] Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: [3] Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: [4] Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; [5] Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all (EDOM) Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.

 

Traditionally the Lord’s Land, which HE set aside for HIS special purpose nearly 4,000 years ago, has been called the “HOLY LAND.” In chapter 36 of Ezekiel the Lord reveals His plan for the Holy Land.

 

He promised to resettle the Jewish people in the mountains of Israel, which again the reader must not forget, is the so-called West Bank. When the Lord speaks of the “mountains of Israel,” He is referring to the West Bank and the GAZA Strip!

 

Ezekiel 36:7-12 

 [7] Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. [8] But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. [9] For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: [11] And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. [12] Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

 

Ezekiel 36:22-24  - Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. [23] And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. [24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

 

   

In summary the Lord says He will do the following for the mountains of Israel:

 

 

It is clear that the Lord’s plan is to settle Jewish people in the mountains of Israel (including the so-called West Bank). Israel shall possess the mountains of Israel which is the West Bank including the regions of Judea and Samaria. The media and the world scream to the top of their lungs that it is wrong for Israel to settle there and the land was “taken,” from the Palestinians. Some believers even who do not KNOW the word of God concerning the mountains of Israel, or who do not know the mountains of Israel and the so-called West Ban echo the false notion that it is wrong for Jews to settle in the disputed areas.

 

Much of modern-day replacement teaching bases its theories on this very thing. But to the mountains of Israel the Lord says:

 

Ezekiel 36:12

    Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

 

 God promised that Jewish people would live and restore the land in SAMARIA. He said:

 

Jeremiah 31:5

    Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

 

This word of the Lord has been AND IS BEING fulfilled in miraculous ways in our lifetime! Beyond question ONLY GOD could have brought about the events that led to the formation of the Jewish State. In 1948 after the destruction of six million Jewish people in Europe, a tiny remnant formed a Jewish State in the Holy Land. They were immediately attacked by six surrounding Arabic Islamic nations. Arabic forces captured Judea and Samaria and called them “the West Bank.” But the state of Israel survived.

 

Again in 1967 Arab nations around Israel branded together to destroy the Jewish state. Miraculously in six days the Lord returned Judea and Samaria to Israel, and gave them the Golan Heights, the GAZA STRIP and SINAI. Clearly in their time of need the Lord fulfilled His Word and protected Israel.  In response to the actions of Israel’s enemies, God gives warning to Islamic Arabic leaders, who wanted to in 1967 and still wants to possess Judea and Samaria today:

 

Ezekiel 35:10 - Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the Lord was there:

 

How did Israel survive against overwhelming opposition? The Lord promised TO BE THERE for Israel and He always had and always will! He used the weakness of Israel to show His great power to save. Only the Lord can fulfill His Word in such miraculous ways. In our day the Lord is keeping his promise to settle Jewish people on the mountains of Israel. Large Jewish settlements have been and are being built in Judea and Samaria. Many of those same settlements were dismantled last summer (2005) when Israel pulled out of Gaza suddenly and then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon caved in to what many believed to be American pressure.

 

Contrary to popular opinion by the way there is still much vacant and desolate land in Judea and Samaria; millions could settle here without displacing anyone. Those who FEAR God and who know His Word and His plan for the mountains of Israel understand that through the Jewish settlements in the West Bank He is again showing HIS FAITHFULNESS to Israel.

 

Some people believe that today’s events in Israel are not a fulfillment of His Word; they believe that Israel must fully turn from her sin before God’s promises can be fulfilled. That is not so. This writer believes that Israel will face certain judgment in the Tribulation because of her sin, but that in no wise means God will not fulfill His Word in spite of her sin. Israel was not sinless when God brought them out of Egypt. When they sinned, God punished them, but did not destroy them. God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to show the nations His power. When Israel sinned, if God had destroyed them in the wilderness, the Egyptians would have said:

 

Exodus 32:12

    Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

 

Once again the Lord is bringing Israel into the Promised Land to show His great power. If He brought them out of the nations, and then destroyed them, the Egyptians, the Iraqis, the Syrians, the Jordanians, the Palestinians, the IRANIANS, the Moslems would say the Lord brought out to harm them – to consume them from the face of the earth.

 

That’s what makes the drama of the Tribulation period so intriguing if you think about it. It will seem to natural man that God has forsaken Israel. Israel will actually be defeated for the first time in her history by the Antichrist and face an uncertain existence unlike any time since really the Holocaust of Hitler in 1938. I’m certain the world will mock and laugh and rejoice at her demise. The Arab world will hail the Islamic Antichrist as Messiah because as a Moslem he will have done something no Arab country has been able to do for centuries – defeat the seed of Jacob.

 

But in the midst of Israel’s darkest hour when all hope seems lost, the Eastern Sky will burst forth with the brightness of the Lord Jesus Christ, riding with 10,000 of His saints, the radiance of all heaven behind Him with a sword coming out of His mouth that will slay the Antichrist and his armies in a second’s time. ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED! That verse in Romans deals with Israel’s spiritual state yes, but I believe it can mean her physical salvation from destruction as well!

 

Romans 11:26

    And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

 

Both events will take place at the Second Coming of Christ. As in the Exodus from Egypt the return of Israel to the land is not a reward for good behavior. Israel has not done anything to merit God’s favor no more than we have done anything to merit His grace or salvation! The return of Israel however, is not only a blessing for Israel, but a blessing for ALL nations – a blessing that no other nation deserves.

 

Through Israel God is showing His power and faithfulness to keep promises made thousands of years ago!

 

The Gaza Treaty of 2005, Katrina

 

As we close this message, let us look briefly at last summers’ Gaza withdrawal more closely in light of Scripture. In our last message/lesson we learned from Zephaniah that God will judge the inhabitants of the land “east of Gaza,” known as Moab, unto the sons of Ammon who comprise the modern nation of Jordan. The Lord declares He has heard the taunting of Moab and the revilings of Ammon and will take action against them. These have become arrogant against Israel’s borders and territory and sought to appropriate land for themselves.

 

God’s judgment on the nations surrounding Israel is their failure to recognize and understand that the living God of Israel and His eternal covenant with Israel will not be mocked or changed. Not only will the Lord terrify them, but He will starve all of the false gods of the earth who made a covenant against the Lord of Hosts and against the people who serve Him:

 

Isaiah 28:18

    And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

 

The situation in Gaza is about COVENANT LAND and for such reason Israel’s response in the coming weeks and months will go a long way in determining many things – including the climate here in America! We will take a closer look at the lack of peace in Israel and look even closer at the promises surrounding the Land in our next message. We pray you have made your calling and election sure in Jesus today! Be blessed.

 

 

The Hamas Covenant of Death

 

If you were blessed by this journal or have a question, please leave us a post below.

 

[Country map of Gaza Strip]

 

 

 

 

 

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Related: The Times of the Gentiles (Covenant Land Series)

A Covenant God and A Covenant Land (Covenant Land 1)

The Two Covenants (Covenant Land 2)

Israel: God's Prophetic Anvil (Covenant Land 3)

A Covenant With Death and With Hell We've Made Agreement (Covenant Land 4)

The Mountains of Israel Part One (Covenant Land 5)

Israel's Return To The Land (Covenant Land 6)

The Prophetic Promise of Return (Covenant Land 7)

The Palestinian Cause And Israel's Land (Covenant Land 8)

 

For a complete Bibliography of this message series click here