CHRISTMAS & THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
Gal. 4:21-29
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I heard about a couple of men fishing off the coast of Wales, England in rough weather. One of the fishermen lost his dentures over the side of the boat.
2. His friend, wanting to pull a prank, bet him $100 that he could lower his fishing hook over the side and “fish” the dentures back to the surface. The first man agreed to pay him $100 if he did so.
3. Meanwhile, the second man, who was also wearing dentures, took his out, hooked them with his hook, and lowered them down into the water.
4. After a minute he told his friend he “felt something” and reeled in the dentures. His friend was amazed and paid him the promised $100.
5. The first man then tried on the dentures, and before the second man could stop him, threw them into the ocean with the disgusted remark, “They’re not mine – they don’t fit!”
B. WHAT IS THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS?
1. Wars between Israel and its Muslim neighbors – Egypt, Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and in the past, Jordan.
2. In the last few months there has been a dramatic increase in conflict between Israel and Hamas.
3. EXAMPLES OF CONFLICT IN 2018:
a. Hundreds of missiles have been fired into Israeli border cities from Gaza. Israelis were killed or wounded. Israel has retaliated with bombing over 100 Hamas targets inside Gaza.
b. 1,000s of Palestinians attempted to breach the border defense, drawing fire from Israeli soldiers, causing the deaths of 15 Palestinians.
c. Israel is currently drilling along its border with Lebanon to collapse tunnels Hezbollah built from Lebanon to be used during an invasion of Israel.
C. NO CONNECTION TO CHRISTMAS?
1. What can the Middle East Crisis possibly have in common with Christmas?
2. Christmas is a Christian holiday. Relations between Christians and Muslims seems to be on an upswing.
3. Popes Benedict and Francis have taken substantial efforts to establish peaceful relationships with the leaders of the Muslim faith, visiting them and trying to broker peace between Christians and Muslims.
4. And, after all, the Middle East Crisis is between the Jews and the Muslims. So what can it possibly have to do with Christmas?
I. AN ANCIENCT SPIRITUAL CONFLICT
A. ROOTS IN ABRAHAM
1. Gal. 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.” 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
2. HAGAR VS. SARAH. It’s not so much a physical opposition as a spiritual opposition.
B. TWO WOMEN = TWO COVENANTS
1. The two women actually represent two covenants, different beliefs systems.
2. The Scripture has double reference:
a. Hagar and Ishmael (Arabs) mocked Sarah and Isaac (the Jews) in Genesis 21:9.
b. Paul transfers the analogy of election/ divine sonship to Christians; and Hagar’s covenant becomes a covenant of works, which actually represents the Jews who are not saved by grace or “born of the Spirit.”
3. But for the rest of this discussion, I’m alluding to the original picture of Hagar and her child (Muslims) persecuting the Jews.
C. SO THIS IS AN ANCIENT WAR
1. The elect people of God – the Jews – are still persecuted by those motivated by the spirit of Antichrist, whether they are:
a. Germans
b. Russians
c. Muslims
d. Or even (misguided) Christians.
2. I don’t think anyone would disagree that the Jews as a people group have been persecuted all down the centuries and their enemies have attempted to wipe out their religion as well as their very existence.
3. Examples include the Assyrians, the Babylonians, Haman under Xerxes, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the Romans, the early Muslims, the Crusading Christians during the middle ages, the Germans under Hitler, the Russians under Stalin, and since 1948, their Middle Eastern neighbors.
4. Anti-Semitism is a continuing and worldwide phenomenon. Why do so many hate the Jewish people?
II. MOTIVE OF THE POWER BEHIND HEROD
A. HEROD’S ATTACK ON BABY JESUS
1. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Matt. 2:13,16-18.
2. We know that Herod was an Edomite. He tried to kill Baby Jesus. His motive was to try to maintain his own kingdom and perpetuate his dynasty.
3. But Satan, who incited Herod, had a more far-reaching and ambitious plan – to kill the Savior of the world.
4. This is pictured in Rev. 12:1-5, where the dragon waited for the Man-child to be born so that he could devour it. That’s why Herod killed the children at Bethlehem:
5. “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” Rev. 12:1-5.
B. PARALLEL = ATTACK ON ISRAELITE BOYS IN EGYPT
1. 8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them….15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives…16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Ex. 1:8-10, 15-16, 22.
2. Was it accidental that just at the time Moses was to be born, that Pharaoh was inspired to kill all the boy babies?
3. It was undoubtedly Satan who incited fears in Pharaoh of loss of his kingdom (same as Herod). In both cases fear was the tool the enemy used to inspire the Jewish infanticides.
C. SUMMARY:
1. In both the Exodus and the Nativity of Christ, the common denominator was that God was sending a Deliverer for God’s people.
2. The common response was that they attempted to kill the Deliverer while he was still young. So what does all of this say about the current Mid-East Crisis?
III. APPLICATION TO THE CURRENT CRISIS
A. PROPHECIES OF CHRIST
1. The Lord Jesus prophesied that “Jerusalem would be trodden by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” Lk. 21:24. Jerusalem was finally taken by the Jews during the Six-Day War in 1967, but it was not recognized as the capital of Israel until Dec. 7, 2017, when Pres. Donald Trump moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Australia and others followed suite. So we are living in a time of Bible fulfillment.
2. The Israelites being back in Palestine after 2,000 years is no accident. God is pushing events toward the Second Coming of Christ.
B. EVENTS BEFORE THE END
1. For the Antichrist to come the Jews must be in their own country. They must be in possession of Jerusalem.
2. Further, they must rebuild the Temple and begin offering sacrifices again. Every fulfillment brings us a step closer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
C. AS THE TIME APPROACHES, THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST INTENSIFIES IN OPPOSITION.
1. As Jesus, the Deliverer’s, Second Coming draws near, Satan’s antagonism toward the Jews grows.
2. This then is the real reason for the Middle-East Crisis: THE DEVIL IS TRYING TO HINDER THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST by stopping God’s elect nation from getting reestablished, stopping their having Jerusalem, stopping the building of the Temple and institution of sacrifices.
3. The Middle-East Crisis is bound – not to get better – but to get worse until Jesus comes! This may not be “good news” but it is “fair and balanced!”
4. So we should not be unsettled or disturbed by the events taking place in the world around us. Instead, we should “recognize the times” and be confident that God is in control. He is guiding all things toward the fulfillment of Jesus’ coming and setting up His kingdom here on earth.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Warren Wiersbe tells a story of when he was a young man preaching on the last days with all the events of prophecy clearly laid out and perfectly planned.
2. At the end of the service an older gentleman came up to him and whispered in his ear, "I used to have the Lord’s return planned out to the last detail, but years ago I moved from the planning committee to the welcoming committee."
3. The most important thing is NOT that we know all of the details surrounding the Lord’s Second Coming, but that we have our hearts right and be excited to welcome Jesus back.
B. THE CALL
1. Let’s take a minute to make sure our sins are forgiven, to know we’re washed in the blood, and that we’re ready and prepared to meet the Lord if He were to come tonight.
2. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” Luke 21:28.
3. Let’s get excited! Jesus is coming soon!
