“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” I Samuel 17:47.
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” I Samuel 17:47.
The land of Israel has had a profound effect on my life personally, and my life as a pastor. Since my first life changing trip there I have taken people with me on seven additional trips so they too can experience what Jerome in the fourth century called the ‘fifth gospel.’ Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Land. It is profound to visit Capernaum where Jesus delivered the demon possessed man; to be in Beth Shean where they fastened Saul and Jonathan’s bodies to the wall; to feel the merciless power of Rome on top of Masada, and to be at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus said: “on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Our last trip there was in June of 2023 and who could have known that 3 1/2 months later all hell would break loose.
This week marked one year since Hamas terrorists butchered hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians. Israel had the audacity to fight back, and since that terrible day, the terrorists of the middle east have come crawling out of the woodwork, often hiding behind the skirts of their own innocent people.
Israel does not have the luxury of a defensive war. They are a tiny country – as long as the distance from Chilliwack to Revelstoke and at the widest about the same as the distance from Chilliwack to Surrey, and from the church to Sardis at the narrowest.
Meanwhile there have been putrid and ongoing demonstrations in the west, calling for Jewish genocide – only 70 years past the holocaust. Where does this mindless hatred for Israel come from? You never hear this kind of call against Bolivians or Australians. This has its root in the great enemy Satan. John tells us in Revelation 12:9 that the devil leads the whole world astray and reminds us in 12:12: “…woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.” Let’s not be so naïve to think that this is some flesh and blood conflict. It is a spiritual conflict for sure that is showing up in the flesh and blood. I have been praying for Satan’s abasement and Israel’s victory for a year.
Let’s understand that the Israeli government is a secular one just like ours and as such makes some good calls and some bad ones. But let us also recognize spiritually that we owe something to Israel. Paul reminds us Gentiles: “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you…Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either” Romans 11:17-21.
We stand with Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We recognize that God has a plan which includes her, and we look for the day of revival and a return to the Lord.
The photo at the top is of five little stones I took from the gravel at the site of David’s fight with Goliath. It has always been thus for Israel. But let’s also remember that – the battle is the Lord’s!
Pastor Leon Throness
Carol and I have just returned from a trip that included many biblical sites – it was unforgettable. I want to share some photos and stories on Sunday October 20 at 7pm. I hope you will join me for that time!
