Sound The Trumpet : The Miracle of Israel

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“The Miracle of Israel”
by Art Sadlier
December 1st, 2009

Everything about Israel is miraculous, from her miraculous birth in the iron furnace of Egypt, to her present day restoration and preservation.

It would take far more space and time than we have here to record that story. We would catalogue but a few of the modern miracles surrounding Israel.

The war of 1948 was a scene reminiscent of the wars of the Old Testament. A handful of untrained, poorly equipped Jewish fighters withstood the might of five well equipped Arab armies. The war lasted six months; Israel trounced the Arabs and drove them out of Israel.

The six day war- For 19 years Russia rearmed the Arabs with the finest of military weapons. They planned a war to utterly destroy Israel; it would be 200 million Arabs against 2 million Jews. On May 3, 1967, the combined armies of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Algeria, and Lebanon attacked

The tiny little nation of Israel responded and within six days drove out their enemies and conquered the Sinai, the Golan Heights, the West Bank (Judea & Samaria) and East Jerusalem. God miraculously gave back to Israel the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. It was an incredible, miraculous victory of Biblical proportions, a victory prophesied in Zechariah 12:6.

The Yom Kippur war- The Arabs rearmed again. October 16, 1973 was not only the Jewish Sabbath but it was also Yom Kippur, the most holy day in Israel. No Jew is supposed to eat, work, travel or listen to the radio or TV on that day. A large part of the Jewish army was on leave! On that day, without warning, the Arab armies launched their greatest assault on Israel. With 1000 planes, 4000 tanks and 800,000 men the Arabs caught Israel by surprise. They penetrated deep into Israel before Israel could mobilize, Israel should have been annihilated. Again Zechariah, 12:6 was fulfilled, within two weeks the bulk of the Arab armies were driven back and destroyed. Israel was poised to take Cairo and Damascus which they voluntarily declined to do.

Today 200 million Arabs are afraid to attack Israel. They fire rockets from the safety of their own territory and send their children to throw stones at the Israel army or blow themselves up to kill a few Jews.

The land of Israel has blossomed like a rose, God has miraculously prospered Israel. Today, Israel feeds much of the world with fruits and vegetable grown in the desert sands. The miracles have not ceased, in the last few years God has preserved Israel, as the whole world pressures Israel to give up much of the land God has promised to them. Israel’s weak unbelieving leaders have tried to negotiate a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, but God has prevented that from happening.

This year the US administration has totally turned against Israel, bringing tremendous pressure and threats against Israel to negotiate an agreement with the PA. The agreement in question would spell an end to the nation of Israel. God has intervened to prevent this from happening.

The miraculous thing is that even now, in spite of all of this pressure, Israel is actually moving into and consolidating its position in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and in East Jerusalem. There are now 250,000 Israeli’s living in the West Bank.

Recently the PA has threatened to unilaterally declare an independent state. Israel’s response is to state that in such case Israel would annex much of the West Bank. We have watched for the last sixty years as the God of Israel has placed Israel in her own land and is preserving her and expanding her position in spite of war, intifada and political pressure from the whole world, and weak leadership within.

All of this is happening in spite of Israel`s unbelief and disobedience. God has performed miracle after miracle for Israel in our own day and continues to do so.

Why does God perform these miraculous things for Israel in spite of her unbelief and disobedience? Why has God chastened Israel and yet preserved her over the long centuries? Why has the Lord not cast Israel off? It is important to know the answer to these questions.

The answer is found in Ezekiel 36:22-23, “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, 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. 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 your eyes.”

God is working in and through Israel to restore and bless her, not because Israel deserves it, but to glorify His own name. God has declared that He will bless and restore Israel and His word and His honour is at stake. He has also purposed to cause the heathen to know Him as well, through His dealings with Israel many of the heathen will be arrested and drawn to God. The heart of God seeks to bless and embrace the whole world.

Having stated how God is preserving Israel and preparing to bless her, we also know from scripture that there waits for Israel one final great chastening. It will follow Israel’s accepting Antichrist and agreeing with him to divide the land in order to gain peace. We read about the time of Jacob’s trouble, the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation period, we learn that two thirds of Israeli’s will die at that time. We also learn that God will preserve and save the one third who have believing hearts, Zechariah 13:8-9.

Every living Jew will be saved at that time, Paul said of that time, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob,” Romans 11:26. See also, Ezekiel 36:24-28.

We are witnessing the fulfillment of another prophecy given to us nearly 3000 years ago. The prophecy that states the nations of the world would join together to destroy Israel. “For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones, for they have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:” Psalm 83:2-5

The very fact that the world is set to destroy Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy. Those that deny and defy God concerning Israel are proving His Word to be true.

Verse 12 of the same Psalm also gives us more of today’s headlines, “Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.” The whole Muslim world claims they will go to war if Israel tries to take back the Temple Mount, they claim it is theirs.

That which is center stage today was clearly prophesied 3000 years ago. Fulfilled prophecy proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that God is the Sovereign Lord of the universe who knows the end from the beginning, and it proves that the Bible is the Word of God.

When we look at Israel we see the miraculous hand of God preserving her, determined to correct her and restore her to himself. The capstone of the Old Testament is found in Zechariah 13:9, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”

Joel lets us look at the last chapter of this story as he gives a glimpse of Armageddon, “I also will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead (judge) with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” Joel 3:2. The stage is now being set for that awful time of judgment that will come upon the whole world.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13