The Israel War & Prophecy 2

THE ISRAEL WAR & PROPHECY 2

Zech. 12:2-3

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. The Tampa Bay (Florida) Tribune reported that Rev. McDonald "gave one of the world's shortest sermons on Sunday. He announced that the focus of his talk would be on sin. 'Don't do it,' he said from the pulpit. 'Amen.' Then he sat down."

2. One father said, “That wasn’t much of a sermon!” His son answered, “Well, you only put $3 in the offering, so what did you expect to get?”

B. TEXT

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves” Zech. 12:2-3.

C. THESIS

1. One year ago, Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 with approx. 5,000 missiles and a ground invasion resulting in over 1,200 Israelis killed or kidnapped. In response Israel mobilized 360,000 reservists and invaded the Gaza strip.

2. Since then, Israel mounted a ground invasion into Gaza, with the result that 17,000 Hamas militants have been killed and at least 329 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Hamas claims another 23,000 civilians have been killed.

3. 2 Iranian Generals were killed in Damascus, Syria on April 2, 2024 when warplanes leveled the Iranian Consulate. Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel.

4. In early July Israel killed Mohammad Nasser, one of Hezbollah’s 3 regional commanders. Hezbollah retaliated by firing 200 missiles into Israel.

5. Then in Sept., 2024, the Israelis detonated 1,000s of pagers and 100s of walkie-talkies being used by Hezbollah commanders. About 50 were killed and 3,500 were wounded.

6. Then on Sept. 27 IDF forces bombed and destroyed Hezbollah's central command headquarters in Beirut, killing the top leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. This was accomplished with U.S. made 2,000 pound “bunker-buster” bombs, that can go up to 30 meters (90 feet) deep before exploding.

7. Then on October 1, we had a new escalation we will talk about next. The title of this message is “The Israel War & Prophecy 2.”

I. ANTISEMITISM & ISRAELI IMMIGRATION

A. RISE OF ANTISEMITISM WORLDWIDE

1. The Bible has many prophecies about God bringing the Jews back to Israel from all the countries where they’d been scattered to. I’ve often wondered how God could motivate them to do so, since they were so safe and prosperous in the Western nations, especially the U.S. About 50% of Jews live in the U.S. while about the same number live in Israel.

2. EXAMPLES OF PROPHECIES:

a. “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people...He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth” Isa. 11:11-12.

b. “The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land” Isa. 14:1.

c. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth” Isa. 43:5-6. See Jer. 16:15; 32:37; Ez. 34:13.

3. But since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, the world has witnessed a significant increase in antisemitism. We have all seen the pro-Palestinian protests at elite schools and government institutions. This has sparked widespread anxiety across Jewish communities. The JPPI report reveals a rise in violent antisemitic assaults: a 45% increase in the United States, 84% in France, and 96% in the United Kingdom. [Jewish People Policy Institute's (JPPI) 2024 Annual Assessment of the Jewish People, titled A Year of War, talked about in JPost.]

4. Since the Hamas attacks on October 7 and the subsequent war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip, 819 acts of anti-Semitism have been reported in France: more incidents in three weeks than over the previous year. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20231102-since-hamas-attack-france-s-jewish-community-faces-a-surge-in-anti-semitism

B. THIS IS EFFECTING JEWISH MIGRATION BACK TO ISRAEL

1. Rising anti-Semitism is prompting Jews around the world to show increased interest in moving to Israel. [“Despite, or Because of, War, Interest in Immigration to Israel ‘Very High’” Troy Fritzhand 11/29/2023]. Kinds of antisemitism many have seen? Tearing down posters of kidnapped Israeli children. Death threats sent to Jewish schools and students. Swastikas spray painted in public spaces. Defacing of Jewish cemetery headstones.

2. Immigration numbers in France and the USA have doubled since 2022, with many more beginning paperwork to coincide with the ending of hostilities.