Crisis in Israel

Video footage circulating on social media showed the gunmen descending in paragliders on the gathering. Others came by road. Dozens of Hamas fighters opened fire on the young Israelis who had come together for a night of electronic music to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Videos compiled by Israeli first responders and posted to the social media site Telegram show armed men plunging into the panicked crowd, mowing down fleeing revellers with bursts of automatic fire. Many victims were shot in the back as they ran.
– Al Jazerra

Hamas is a Palestinian militant group which rules the Gaza Strip. It is sworn to Israel’s destruction and wants to replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007.
– BBC

On the ground, along the tense border fence between Gaza and Israel, there are cameras, ground-motion sensors and regular army patrols. The barbed-wire topped fence is supposed to have been a "smart barrier" to prevent exactly the sort of infiltration that has taken place in this attack. Yet, the militants of Hamas simply bulldozed their way through it, cut holes in the wire or entered Israel from the sea and by paraglider.
– BBC

Basically, if a group of people has a shared sense of nationalism, they form a “nation.” The idea of nationalism believes that once a group has defined itself as a nation they have a “natural right” to territory necessary to live in and govern in.

I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”
– Genesis 17:7-8 (HCSB)

“I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.”
– Genesis 17:7 (HCSB)

And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”
– Genesis 17:7-8 (HCSB)

The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
– Genesis 12:1-3 (HCSB)

Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed.
– Genesis 27:29b (HCSB)

He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.
– Numbers 24:9 (HCSB)

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
– Matthew 25:31-34 (HCSB)

In view of the distress in the Tribulation period, it is clear that any believing Jew will have a difficult time surviving. The forces of the world dictator will be doing everything possible to exterminate all Jews. A Gentile going out of his way to assist a Jew in the Tribulation will mean that Gentile has become a believer in Jesus Christ
– Dr. Barbieri

When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains come on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (HCSB)

"So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house. And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again!"
– Matthew 24:15-21 (HCSB)

• Watch 

Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming.
– Mark 13:33 (HCSB)

• Pray

Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayer.
– 1 Peter 4:7 (HCSB)

• Support

“And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”
– Matthew 25:40 (HCSB)

Support: JewsforJesus.org

If you are interested in learning more about the end times and the book of Revelation, check out Pastor Tim's Revelation Study here.

1. Do you think most people have a positive or negative opinion about the nation of Israel? Explain your answer.
2. What do you think is behind the hatred many have for Israel?
3. Read Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 17:7-8. Why is Israel so significant to Christians? How should these promises to Israel impact how we view the nation?
4. What do you think it means to bless Israel? Do you think support for Israel means we agree with everything their leaders say or do? Defend your answer.
5. Read Psalm 46:1-2 and Philippians 4:6-9. Based on these verses, how can we deal with the worry or anxiety we may feel during these uncertain times?
6. What are some things we can do in light of what is happening in our world today?

We Praise You // You Keep Hope Alive // Another in the Fire

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