By Van Yandell
Genesis 12: 2 and 7 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, unto thy seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD.”
God did not establish the Jewish race of people to use them and then abandon them. Their primary purpose was to provide the world with a Savior and that they did.
Genesis 12: 3 “Those that bless Israel will be blessed and those that curse Israel will be cursed and all the world will be blessed through them.” That blessing came in the form of Savior Jesus.
The fighting and hatred all began with Sarah and Hagar. When Sarah took it upon herself to circumvent God’s plan (Genesis 16: 2), she established a nation of people that would always be counteractive to the people Isaac would father. Sarah told Abraham to go to Hagar’s tent and make her pregnant so she (Sarah) would have a son. Sarah fully intended the son of Hagar’s would be hers.
Genesis 16: 12 “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Ishmael and Isaac did not seem to be at odds as were their mothers. This verse, however, further defines a line between the two.
Genesis 21: 9-10 gives account of Ishmael mocking Isaac. I don’t see this as serious or harmful but apparently Sarah did not see it that way.
There is, however, another version of this action by Ishmael against Isaac. Galatians 4: 29 “But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” Of course in our current definitions of the words mocking and persecuted, there is a tremendous difference.
Genesis 21:9-20 tells us the story of the mocking. It could be a case of Sarah overreacting and she had Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. God assured Abraham that Hagar and her son would be protected (Genesis 21: 12-13) and that Ishmael would also be the father of a great nation (great meaning large).
Regardless of the motivations of Sarah and Hagar, their squabble led to 4000 years of turmoil and hatred.
The battle between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac is once again raging. The plan is to perpetrate another Holocaust.The Nazis were seen as the most vile, cruel and inhuman people that ever existed.
The number of innocent Jews murdered by Hamas is currently standing at over 1,500 dead. The world declared war on Nazi Germany partly because of their actions. Are we about to see a repeat of that? Lines of allegiance to both sides are materializing worldwide. These lines within the U.S. are further dividing us.
Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East. Other countries are under bondage by a religion. Women, Christians and anyone not conforming to their religious beliefs are in constant danger. The variances in political and religious ideologies seem to be widening. Tolerance and peaceful co-existence may be gone forever.
One thing all religions have in common is that we all think we are right and everyone else is wrong. If one is truly of the Creator God, it would support extensive evidence and only one belief can make that claim. That is Christianity based on the Holy Bible.
One does not have to be a Bible scholar or a genius to see the connection in today’s events and the Genesis accounts of Ishmael and Isaac as the origin of the two opposing people groups.
There is a much larger picture than a regional war in last week’s actions in the Middle East. The Bible prophesies of the wars of Gog and Magog or Armageddon could be shaping up to happen.
With last year’s action against Ukraine by Russia, this picture may be coming together to evolve into the War of Gog and Magog as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Russia is clearly allied with Iran and North Korea. NK could provide the army of two million soldiers as prophesied in Revelation 9: 16.
If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, a gateway would be opened by rivers and seas from Russia to Israel. His next target may be Belarus. This acquisition would further develop a path from Russia to the Mediterranean.
Ezekiel 38: 2-3 “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. And say, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.”
When we put these pieces of the puzzle together, it seems obvious God’s plan is coming together. HE has allowed the Jewish people to be reduced in numbers to nearly extinction several times in their history. Many have tried to exterminate the Jews and have indeed, reduced their numbers but have failed to eliminate them.
When Israel was declared a nation at the United Nations in New York, it appears the intent of God was completely reversed. May 14th, 1948, that declaration was signed. Many groups and countries in the Middle East have attempted to wage war against them but have all failed.
The reversal becomes evident because prior to 1948, Israel was the world’s punching bag. Since 1948, no one has realized any success in defeating them. To plan and initiate a second Holocaust will not happen.
They were punished by exile from the Promised Land from 70 AD when the Romans burned Jerusalem until 1948. Descriptions of the Promised Land (Joshua 1: 4, Genesis 15: 18, Numbers 34: 3-4, Exodus 23: 31, Ezekiel 47: 15-20) in the Bible describe a land mass of over 300,000 square miles. Current day Israel is only 8,300 square miles.
With this apparent reversal of intent, it certainly appears, God has reinstated them as a succeeding people. Any and all attempts to destroy them will miserably fail.
Zechariah 2:8 “After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”
If any individual, people group or country expects to challenge God’s people and succeed or survive, they best think again. Christians are often referred to as Judeo-Christians. While gentile Christians may not contain Jewish blood, our New Testament is based on the Old Testament which is in part a history of the Jewish people.
Jesus was not a Christian but a Jew, but because of Him Christianity was established. As a perfect man (1 Peter 2: 22), His sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of the world serves as a reminder to us of how much God loves His creation in His image: mankind (Genesis 1: 27).
This is history and an evidentiary fact. Always follow the evidence and it will lead you to the truth. The evidence is overwhelming that Christ Jesus died for the remission of sin and was resurrected.
While the race of Jewish people may not be the largest in number, they are under the care of the Almighty God. If anyone thinks for one second they will be defeated or eliminated, think again.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky. A part of the Bible Connection series. His email: [email protected]
