The only hope of enduring national protection for Israel continues to be God's unfulfilled promises for the near future
How to Prevent the Destruction of Israel . . . by God
The only hope of enduring national protection for Israel continues to be God's unfulfilled promises for the near future, when the protection of all nations has been taken out of the "hands" of men, and all of the resources wasted on the creation of weapons that bring death to the World can be invested in implements of agriculture that help bring life to the World.
ISAIAH 2:1-4
2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come you, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
It has never been an ongoing policy of the God of Israel to protect "Israel" in any of its countless historical configurations. There has been no time in the recorded history of Israel that any individuals calling themselves Israelites, or Jews, or Israelis could reasonably hope that any brief period of "peace" would endure—primarily because of misguided, so-called national "leaders" who think that promoting offensive wars is equivalent to having a "defense" policy.
There is only one reason why GOD has ever chosen to supernaturally protect "Israel" as a nation—to promote His own agenda, which is a 7,000 year Grand Plan to present knowledge of His Plan to every human who has ever lived, and will ever live, on the planet Earth—for the purpose of enabling all to qualify for eternal spirit life in the future unified New Heaven and New Earth.
1 TIMOTHY 2:3-6
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of GOD our Savior;
2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2:5 For there is one GOD, and one mediator between GOD and men, the man Christ Jesus;
2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
HABAKKUK 2:14
2:14 For the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
GOD, the Unlimited—now known as GOD, the Father—has never "favored" or preferred individual Israelites any more than he has favored individuals from any nation of any size on Earth.
ROMANS 2:9-11
2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that does evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
2:10 But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that works good; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
2:11 For there is no favoring of persons with GOD.
EXODUS 19:3-6
19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the House of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
19:4 You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on "eagles' wings", and brought you unto myself.
19:5 Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be an exclusive treasure unto me above all people: for all the Earth is mine:
19:6 And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.
EXODUS 23:20-23
23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
23:22 But if you shall indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto your enemies, and an adversary unto your adversaries.
23:23 For my Angel shall go before you, and bring you in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.
Israel was literally created by GOD's supernatural manipulation and protection of twelve lines of genetic lineage branching from the twelve sons of Isaac's son Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. That occurred after Israel and his twelve sons were relocated to Egypt about two centuries before the Exodus.
The plan was to create a large nation of individuals who would serve GOD as a "showcase" example to all other nations that only the GOD of Israel had power to generate obvious earthly blessings as an ongoing reward for compliance with His principles of morality and ethics. And—after the authorized punitive removal of many of the idolatrous inhabitants of fortified cities in the land—it would become a nation which could live with neighboring nations in relatively peaceful co-existence; with dependence only on their invisible Lord God for protection and provision—in stark contrast to the dependence of all other nations on fortified cities, warlord kings, and submission to numerous devil gods.
However, GOD's promises of protection include numerous conditions and requirements. Exactly as is the case with every nation that has ever existed on Earth, Israel has never been filled with citizens who "glorify" GOD to such a degree that He has ever been inclined to want to supernaturally preserve any "generation", or the territorial configuration of the land it was living on.
Hebrew and World history is filled with evidence that neither Israelites, nor the "land of Israel" have ever been continually "hallowed" or "holy", in the sense of deserving supernatural protection simply because of their existence. To the contrary, it is easy to make the case that "Israel" as a "people" has often been supernaturally prevented from enjoying access to the "promised land", because when they did inhabit it as a "national presence", they brought on themselves the "promised curses" they were warned about by Moses.
DEUTERONOMY 28:47-52
28:47 Because you served not the Lord your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
28:48 Therefore shall you serve your enemies which the Lord shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he have destroyed you.
28:49 The Lord shall bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the Earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;
28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:
28:51 And he shall eat the increase of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you be destroyed; which also shall not leave you either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of your cattle, or flocks of your sheep, until he has destroyed you.
28:52 And he shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fenced walls come down, wherein you trusted, throughout all your land: and he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which the Lord, your God has given you.
"Israel" is special to God because of what it will become for the benefit of the entire Earth after its still future transformation—not because of what it has been at any time in its history, or what it is today. And that principle applies to all major ethnically non-diversified historical "nations" which will be "resurrected" and transformed in due time.
In today's World, especially in the United States, ethnic diversity has reached such extremes that many have no sense of which "old country" their ancestors came from—and couldn't care less. Some who do know their own ethnic ancestry actually attempt to prevent others from being aware of it. Others are able to maintain and enjoy many of the "old country" cultural distinctions that seem "natural" to them—and are. That cultural distinctiveness will be accentuated in the prophesied Messianic Kingdom of God, but without the religion and language barriers that cause confusion and distrust in our World.
ZEPHANIAH 3:8-9
3:8 Therefore wait you upon me, says the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.
Citizens of the major re-formed and transformed nations of the future Messianic World will enjoy their own "refined" God-given ethnic languages, but will also be able to easily learn and use a simplified common World language without effort—a language that will not resemble any of the major or minor God-given languages spoken on Earth today. If one of today's languages was destined to become the "universal" global language of "tomorrow", those who were speaking it at the transformation would never stop attempting to add their old favorite words to the new refined version. The new simplified global language will have an elegance and precision of meaning that will allow all on Earth who will be allowed to enter the Earthly Kingdom of God, to communicate eloquently and fluently with minimal training.
The current national configuration of the land of "Israel" is not the "promised land" as defined in Hebrew scripture. The current boundaries of "Israel" are no more sacrosanct or inviolable today than they have been in all of past history, when the Lord God of Israel, in alliance with "foreign" armies, caused Israel to become a bad memory rather than a homeland.
It will not be humans who will determine the final boundaries of the "promised land", or the Center of World Peace, Jerusalem when the promises are fulfilled. It will be the non-human, supernaturally glorified Messiah/Christ who will provide equitable distribution of national territory around the globe—just as all non-human species have been provided customized environments in which they can make the most of their natural freedom to use their instinctive talents and capabilities—unless that natural freedom has been limited or eliminated by humans.
Many national rulers spend far more time threatening other national rulers with "utter destruction" for crossing mostly uninhabitable "boundaries" than they spend promoting peaceful co-operation. Such rulers are not being rewarded with blessings from GOD—however they define God—but with "self-inflicted curses" of every variety, for themselves and their nation in this World. And they risk being presented with "non-self-inflicted" curses from GOD during the period of their individual personalized Judgment and the determination of their qualification for existence in the next World.
The word "monger" has acquired a negative connotation because it is often applied to one who "sells", or "peddles" something that is considered valueless, or worthless, or even harmful. A pimp could be called a "whoremonger"—a word often confused with "warmonger". If a person applied lipstick to the rear orifice of a pig and tried to market a picture of the end result as a "pin-up", that person would not be as indefensible as those who "glorify" virtually any form of warfare as an opportunity to heroically serve one's country—as they eagerly anticipate more opportunities to demonstrate the "superiority" of armaments they need to sell—since that is "America's hottest export".
Many have been deceived by warmongering national rulers, and warmongering "wanna-be" ruler/politicians who seem to think it pleases GOD when they offer, or offer to offer billions of dollars worth of destructive armaments, and the lives, and limbs, and minds of thousands of human soldiers, for the purpose of "protecting Israel" at any cost—as if GOD can't do that without human assistance if He so chooses. And would He "so choose"? If so—why?
Some, who believe the protection of Israel depends on their prayers—combined with the use of devastating military power—may have gotten that idea from a statement found in the Psalms—not all written by King David.
PSALMS 122:1-9
122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord.
122:2 Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem.
122:3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together:
122:4 Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the House of David.
122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love you.
122:7 Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.
122:8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within you.
122:9 Because of the House of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
Perhaps they can't understand what "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" means. It does not mean pray that Israel, or its allies will be able to use as "few" billions of dollars worth of armaments as is "necessary" to destroy billions of dollars worth of infrastructure in another nation. Imagine what good could have been accomplished with the trillions of dollars wasted on the evil of warfare in recent years.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" does not mean pray that only a "few" thousand young male and female soldiers will "have to" leave their families, and lose their lives and limbs for no good reason while attempting to destroy the lives and limbs of a room-full of suspected "enemies" who are minding their own business in their own homelands—even if that "business" is attempting to repel invading foreign armies that are creating war-zones out of the countries they invade in pursuit of such alleged "terrorists". How many young soldiers will be deployed by old, impotent "potentates" who don't know how to mind their own business—so they entertain themselves trying to "mind" everyone else's business.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" means the same as the apostle Paul's statement regarding why prayers should be offered for those "in office"—or for those who should be expelled from orifices [sic]—spelling is correct.
1 TIMOTHY 2:1-3
2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men;
2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
We should pray that all "in office" will begin to promote peace and quiet in their own homeland, instead of running around like foxes with their tails set on fire (see Judges 15:1-16—an appalling story of one act of revenge leading to another, and another, and another) promoting war and disturbance in other homelands by "remote control"—while trying to "over-rule" those in their own homeland who they imagine to be threatening their "control" of government—which they don't have, even remotely; either here, nor there.
Until the scheduled "end-time" begins—which will conclude all human experimentation with inadequate and incompetent government, but will be replaced by a prophesied forty-two month period of horrendous unrestrained exploitation of government by Satan and his demonic angels—those "in power" within human governments are expected, by GOD, to attempt to maintain "law and order" so that most individuals in any society can live and develop their potentials within a "normal" environment—though "normal" has no adequate definition.
If anyone "in power", or empowered by human government, is promoting, in any nation, an environment of "lawlessness and disorder"—which is an adequate definition of any active war-zone—especially war-zones under "martial law"—that individual is opposing GOD's will and has become a participant in the evil that he, or she is supposed to be minimizing.
ROMANS 13:1-4
13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of GOD. The powers that be are ordained of GOD.
13:2 Whosoever therefore resists the power [that is being used for its authorized purpose], resists the ordinance of GOD; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
13:3 For rulers are not [supposed to be] a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power [of legitimate law enforcement]? Do that which is good, and you shall have praise of the same;
13:4 For he is the administrator of GOD to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain; for he is the administrator of God; a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil. [However, any "administrators" who are doing evil themselves need to fear those administrators who are still performing the authorized function of restraining lawlessness.]
During a period of about four hundred years, after the Lord had expelled several grossly idolatrous and militaristic urban populations from the well-developed and fortified cities they had built, which allowed the children of the Exodus generation to become established in the central area of the future "promised land"; the Lord allowed them to have a relatively peaceful coexistence with those "nations" remaining in the land—if they, themselves, were reasonably self-controlled and weren't indulging in the excesses of idolatry.
The citizens of Israel were expected to do what was "right in everyone's eyes"—not what was wrong—but when inevitable disagreements developed, they were supposed to accept the application of existing statutes and judgments by authorized Judges who could sometimes mediate mutual agreements, or arbitrate equitable resolutions without favoring either side. At least that was the plan.
Often the concept of judicious behavior would vanish within some generations of Israel as a majority, including some dishonorable "judges", would begin to think they could "get away" with anything and not be punished, because of the virtual non-existence of visible "authorities". But the Lord did not agree—though he wasn't willing to "micro-manage" everyone's personal life. He allowed enemy nations to do that—to their own advantage.
JUDGES 2:11-23
2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
2:12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger.
2:13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
2:14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
2:15 Anywhere they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
2:16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
2:17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.
2:18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
2:19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
2:20 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
2:21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
2:22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
2:23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
Even though Israel often suffered from the occupation and oppression of foreign governments; they avoided many years of oppression from a government of their own making. But Israel was not satisfied with living generation after generation, and century after century—probably in the same "non-aging" spacious, green-colored tents provided by GOD at the Exodus—and leaving no more evidence of their existence than any of the other species living on Earth. Only the ruins of the fortified cities taken over by Israel in the time of Joshua remained to be seen.
NUMBERS 24:2-6
24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
24:3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor has said, and the man whose eyes are open has said:
24:4 He has said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
24:5 How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, and your tabernacles, O Israel!
24:6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD has planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.
DEUTERONOMY 29:5
29:5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not becoming old upon you, and your shoe is not becoming old upon your foot.
NEHEMIAH 9:21
9:21 Yea, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
The twelve tribes of Israel wanted to be known as a nation with a powerful human King who could visibly threaten or conquer other "kingdoms", rather than having to depend on a distant, and seemingly non-existent God for protection from the harassment of surrounding nations.
1 SAMUEL 8:4-20
8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
8:5 And said unto him, Behold, you are old, and your sons walk not in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
8:7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto you: for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto you.
8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: nevertheless yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.
8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
8:16 And he will take your male servants, and your maidservants, and your best young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and you shall be his servants.
8:18 And you shall cry out in that day because of your king which you shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, No; but we will have a king over us;
8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
So the Lord provided a King that everyone could "look up to"—an imposing man who stood head and shoulders above everyone else.
1 SAMUEL 10:17-23
10:17 And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh;
10:18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
10:19 And you have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said unto him, No, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.
10:20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
10:21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
10:22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come there. And the Lord answered, Behold he has hid himself among the stuff.
10:23 And they ran and fetched him from that place: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
But, as the Lord forewarned, Saul took their children to serve him and wage war while he wasted their "taxes" on warfare and ceremonial extravagance. And he ended up as a disrespected paranoid sometimes influenced by devil spirits GOD allowed to oppress him.
1 SAMUEL 16:21-23
16:21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.
16:22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray you, stand before me; for he has found favor in my sight.
16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from GOD was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
After Saul was killed in a battle with Philistines, the Lord gave to Israel, King David, who enjoyed an undeserved sense of invincibility as a warrior because of the Lord's determination to supernaturally preserve him and test his loyalty for forty years in preparation for his assigned position as glorified King of Israel when both he and Israel are transformed at the future return of the Messiah/Christ.
JEREMIAH 30:7-9
30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
30:8 For it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and will burst your bonds, and strangers shall no more make use of him:
30:9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their King, whom I will raise up unto them.
EZEKIEL 37:21-28
37:21 And say unto them, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, where they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
37:24 And David my servant shall be King over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
37:27 My Tabernacle also shall be with them: yes, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
37:28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
Unlike current "remote-control" warmongering "commanders", David had actually led armies into battle—armies that were also given supernatural protection enabling David to establish himself as a King worthy of honor as a "savior", which he would not have earned through his natural level of character strength.
NEHEMIAH 9:24-27
9:24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
9:25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dug, vineyards, and olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast your Law behind their backs, and slew your prophets which testified against them to turn them to you, and they wrought great provocations.
9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto you, you heard them from Heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
Thus David became established as a popular and dynamic warlord and savior—the receiver of the "spoils" of many wars he instigated to maintain his aura of invincibility after he learned he could "get away with" continually sending the young men of Israel into battles to subdue other rulers, and to spoil the accomplishments of their nations, because he had decided they were a threat to Israel—or a threat to his freedom to stay home to "protect" the ever-growing stockpiles of gold and silver he was accumulating "for GOD's building fund", while exercising his "appreciation" of wine, women, and song.
1 CHRONICLES 22:7-16
22:7 And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a House unto the name of the Lord my God:
22:8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars: you shall not build a House unto my name, because you have shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
22:10 He shall build a House for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom over Israel forever.
22:11 Now, my son, the Lord be with you; and prosper you, and build the House of the Lord your God, as he has said of you.
22:12 Only the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the Law of the Lord your God.
22:13 Then shall you prosper, if you take heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel. Be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.
22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the House of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand, thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and you may add thereto.
22:15 Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.
22:16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with you.
It's not so easy to plunder the wealth of other nations anymore, since most nations no longer have piles of refined gold and silver that can be carried away after slaughtering the village chieftains. Thus the warmongers of today have to plunder their own national treasuries, and borrow from other national treasuries to pay for offensive wars against undeveloped nations in an effort to "protect" themselves and their vast personal wealth—while imagining they are demonstrating military strength and the superiority of their weapon systems—even though the record shows the opposite is true.
Though the Lord of Israel continued to sustain David's kingship for a full forty years, it seems the Lord didn't appreciate much of what David said or did, and allowed him suffer a degenerative "wasting" disease which destroyed his long-gone youthful "sexiness" and aura of invincibility until almost no one in Israel, or outside of Israel, had any respect for him. David filled dozens of pages of what some irrationally consider "inspired scripture" with bitter complaints about everything in his life, including what he thought was abandonment by the Lord God of Israel.
PSALMS 22:1-19
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
22:2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but you hear not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
22:3 But you are holy, O you that inhabit the praises of Israel.
22:4 Our fathers trusted in you: they trusted, and you did deliver them.
22:5 They cried unto you, and were delivered: they trusted in you, and were not confounded.
22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
22:8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
22:9 But you are he that took me out of the womb: you did make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
22:10 I was cast upon you from the womb: you are my God from my mother's belly.
22:11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
22:12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my flesh.
22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and you have brought me into the dust of death.
22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
22:19 But be not you far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste you to help me.
In spite of his earlier praises of his Lord as his protector and the enabler of his early successes as a warlord, David began to imagine that the Lord's earlier promises had become empty, and that his faith had been misplaced. An increasing number of foreign rulers hated him because they had suffered from his paranoid efforts to protect himself, and had lost the "mountain" of gold and silver his armies had stolen from them. Yet David decided to initiate an even more extensive military campaign for the purpose of piling more wealth on top of what he had been accumulating to "honor" GOD.
In order to determine how many "new" young soldiers he could send into neighboring "enemy" strongholds—meaning the home territories of those he suspected were plotting against him—David ordered a census throughout all of the tribal territories of Israel. It was "the last straw" for the Lord.
The Lord sustained and endured David's reign as King, waiting for the completion of a forty year period when he planned to transform Israel into a nation which would become known for its promotion of peaceful co-existence with all surrounding nations, and its willingness to share revelations of knowledge and wisdom which would be transmitted from the Lord through the son of David and Bathsheba—Solomon. The "salem" of Jerusalem would exemplify "shalom", or peace, instead of being considered a misnomer wrongly associated with a nation of war.
David had lost hope that the Lord would continue to protect and sustain Israel, and he decided he had to do it himself. But he was about to learn that when the Lord says that he will take care of any vengeance that needs to be executed; if he decides to do it; he has no need of human leaders deciding which "evil-doers" must be destroyed. He can do that himself. The Angel of the LORD GOD is the only one who has been given authority by GOD, the Unlimited to judge all humans and decide, on a personal basis, who will be allowed to continue living in any nation—which is generally everyone—and who deserves to be a target of supernatural execution—which is generally no one.
ROMANS 12:17-19
12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
12:18 If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.
12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord. [To which many "religious" would-be rulers reply, Thank you Lord—but we would rather pay and repay ourselves for years and years and years to speed-up the revenge process.]
David had been "rationalizing" that the Lord, God of Israel had apparently left it to him to decide how many young soldiers were "available", and "if need be", "expendable" in the pursuit of "security". But the real threat of death and destruction came from the Angel of the LORD, who forced David to decide how much concern he really had for the population of Israel, or whether his main desire was to regain some of his own former "glory" as an "international" warlord.
2 SAMUEL 24:1-14
24:1 And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. [Similar to the experience of Job, this entire event was designed by the Lord to test David's loyalty to him, and as an "excuse" to eliminate thousands of evil "trouble-makers" within Israel.]
24:2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number you the people, that I may know the number of the people.
24:3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord your God add unto the people, no matter how many they be, a hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the King may see it: but why does my lord the King delight in this thing?
24:4 Notwithstanding, the King's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the King, to number the people of Israel.
24:5 And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lies in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
24:6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,
24:7 And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.
24:8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
24:9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
24:10 And David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done; and now, I plead to you, O Lord, take away the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.
24:11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
24:12 Go and say unto David, Thus says the Lord, I offer you three things; choose you one of them, that I may do it unto you.
24:13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or that there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
24:14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man. [David could no longer portray the fearlessness he expected from his soldiers, when he realized he could be more at risk of being tortured and slaughtered than them.]
Thus the Lord God of Israel taught King David that Israel should not put its faith in any human military commander to protect anything about it--its population, its land, or anything living on it. If the people of Israel, or the people of any other nation become promoters of peaceful coexistence, which often requires literally unsettling compromises that no one believes are "fair"—to themselves; those people will become known by the God of Israel, no matter which country they are living in, and those people may eventually be given power as glorified supernatural kings, queens, and priests in the Millennial Kingdom to administrate the peaceful co-existence of all nations after the return of the Angel of the LORD—the God of Israel—the God of the whole Earth.
ISAIAH 54:4-8
54:4 Fear not; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be you confounded; for you shall not be put to shame: for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
54:5 For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of Hosts is his name; and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole Earth shall he be called.
54:6 For the Lord has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when you were refused, says your God.
54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.
Those individuals around the World who think they should "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" but may actually be praying for the success of human military "protection" of Israel, probably assume that the current territorial configuration of Israel was designed by GOD and that GOD will ensure that it remains as it is if they pray for it. But genuine peace in Jerusalem, or Israel, will never exist until everyone is also praying for the peace of every nation around Israel—and not providing political support for paranoid warmongers who think they are doing GOD's will by threatening to bomb nuclear energy facilities and the non-hostile engineers and construction experts who are building them.
Perhaps those who can't trust anyone but themselves to have access to nuclear material, should be taught which single nation's "leaders", among the leaders of all other nations throughout World history, used not one, but three days later, another bomb capable of vaporizing or scorching the skin and flesh off of close to two hundred thousand civilian men, women, and children. And that wasn't even close to the senseless loss of millions of lives, limbs, and minds caused by stay-at-home "rulers" supposedly "protecting" their piece of the World, while destroying the peace of every other nation to which they could send soldiers and weapons of mass destruction.
Does GOD expect those who "love" Israel to "wage war" against any "foreign" rulers who so disagree with the current political positions of some of Israel's rulers that they might wish Israel didn't exist? The Lord, God of Israel is on record throughout the Hebrew scriptures as being in such extreme disagreement with whatever was the then current political position and behavior of Israel's rulers, throughout Israel's ancient history, that he filled Hebrew scripture with threats that he would destroy them by using the military power of other nations if they didn't start acting as if they cared about what he thought was good—which does not include war.
EXODUS 32:7-14
32:7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get you down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be your gods, O Israel, which have brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
32:9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stubborn people:
32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of you a great nation.
32:11 And Moses besought the Lord, his God, and said, Lord, why does your wrath wax hot against your people, which you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the Earth? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
32:14 And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
It's a good thing Moses didn't think like many politicians today when the God of Israel was so enraged by Israel's complete dismissal of him that he threatened to wipe them off the face of the Earth and replace them with a new nation descended from Moses. Moses did not attempt to form an alliance with the recently vanquished "angel gods" of Egypt to start a pre-emptive war against the Lord God to prevent him from fulfilling his threat to annihilate Israel. Lucifer and his angel gods had attempted to battle the Lord in the past, and it didn't work out very well—most of them being imprisoned within the Earth.
No—Moses decided to "love" Israel, as its leader; and he demonstrated how to prevent the destruction of Israel by God, by attempting to negotiate a "peace settlement" with the Lord—a highly regulated land-sharing agreement that neither the Lord God, nor Israel found agreeable, but which made it possible for most of Israel and their new children to begin receiving his protective blessings rather than having to live in continual fear of their imminent destruction.
Some individuals who "pray for the peace of Jerusalem"—and Israel, by extension, need to understand that GOD has not created the current arbitrary map borders of any nation on Earth. GOD defines nations as individuals related in some way to the original nations He created—nations He will re-create at the return of the supernatural non-human Messiah/Christ.
ACTS 17:16-32
17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17:17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seems to be a proclaimer of strange gods; because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
17:19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof you speak, is?
17:20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We would know therefore what these things mean.
17:21 (For all the Athenians and "foreigners" which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious.
17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
17:24 GOD that made the World and all things therein, seeing that He is LORD of Heaven and Earth, dwells not in temples made with hands;
17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things;
17:26 And has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the Earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
17:27 That they should seek the LORD, if lest by any means they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us:
17:28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His "offspring" [in the general sense—not the specific Spirit sense].
17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the "offspring" of GOD, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winced [grimaced] at; but now commands all men every where to repent:
17:31 Because he has appointed a day, in the which He [GOD] will judge the World in righteousness by that man [Yahshua] whom He has ordained; whereof He has given assurance unto all men, in that He has raised him from the dead.
17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear you again of this matter.
Israel is not a shape on a map that GOD expects any human to offer his life and limbs for. In spite of a room-full of "rulers" determined to "protect" their control over Israel; or acquire control over it at any cost; Israelis have been able to generate super-normal levels of production from land that has been desolated throughout history by warmongers. War does not enable long-term protection of territorial land and the humans who live on it. War causes destruction of land and the humans who live on it-- destruction that often cannot be reversed.
GOD decides what "Israel" is and who is in Israelite, or a Jew, or an Israeli. GOD can protect "all Israel" wherever they live on planet Earth—and they are truly "scattered" all over our planet. Millions aren't even aware of their "Jewish" ancestry—though their physical characteristics, and often their family names are very revealing.
But even if it appears that GOD won't protect Israel, and that humans must "take up the sword" to do GOD's job for Him--remember what was said by the Angel of the LORD, as the human Son of Man, Yahshua of Nazareth, as he was about to be unjustly executed by a room-full of Roman soldier/policemen in fulfillment of many prophecies, on Passover in 30 AD. . .
MATTHEW 26:51-54
26:51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the High Priest's, and struck off his ear.
26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again your sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
26:53 Think you that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Even during the future prophesied forty-two month "reign" of Satan and his devil Princes over the World, any "saints"—believers in the Messiah/Christ—who are not in the primary "place of safety" are advised not to attempt to kill those who will be allowed to have only temporary power, or attempt to defend themselves with man-made weapons because it will be themselves who are killed—by their own weapons.
REVELATION 13:4-10
13:4 And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast; and they worshipped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?
13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against GOD, to blaspheme His name, and His Tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven.
13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all families, and tongues, and nations.
13:8 And all that dwell upon the Earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the World.
13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
13:10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity. He that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Does Israel really have to waste billions of dollars preparing for defensive wars while threatening to start offensive wars in the name of "protecting" itself from a room-full of neighboring rulers who enjoy making war threats as much as the rulers of Israel do? Israel has never been able to prevent its destruction by enemies if the God of Israel is determined to allow it, or enable it, after continual warnings to the rulers in Jerusalem. Hebrew scripture and other Hebrew history records prove that.
Many who control the deployment of military forces preach the simplistic "defense doctrine" that those they label as "terrorists" can only be eliminated with "brute force", since it is assumed, without proof, that "brute force" is "all" that those labeled as terrorists can "understand", and is the only effective means of "dealing" with "suspected terrorists".
Yet, the advocates and promoters of widespread international terror-causing military brute force against "alleged terrorists" are revealing that they can't understand that the use of military "brute force" usually invites, and sometimes legitimizes defensive responses by those attempting to protect themselves in their own homelands from invading forces sent by rulers who never seem to get around to proving that those they have labeled as "suspected terrorists", actually are terrorists.
Is it too difficult to understand that invading another nation; destroying its infrastructure; and removing its rulers by brute force does not qualify as protective self-defense? Of course, any individual who is in the act of attacking others may be constrained by any non-lethal means--even the use of brute force. But there are many non-lethal disabling devices that don't require the wild firing of bullets in the direction of an attacker, with no thought of who those bullets may kill or injure when they miss the targeted attacker—which they usually do.
No ruler on Earth will be able to destroy "Israel" unless GOD allows it, or enables it—as He has many times in the past—just read the Hebrew scriptures. The God of Israel wants Jerusalem to be famous as the World epicenter for the propagation of peace; not the World epicenter for the propaganda of war. Jerusalem has never been allowed to live up to its name—"salem" meaning peace, as in "shalom", or the "Solom" of Solomon—man of peace.
1 CHRONICLES 22:9
22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
HEBREWS 7:1-4
7:1 For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the Most High GOD, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first, being by interpretation, King of Righteousness, and after that also, King of Salem, which is, King of Peace;
7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent; having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.
7:4 Now consider how great this "man" was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Abraham, was not a habitual warmonger like David, but felt obligated to lead his servants on a mission to rescue his nephew Lot from an alliance of militant kings who were determined to steal the wealth of several weaker kings who were incapable of repelling them.
When Abraham's rescue mission succeeded beyond all expectation and he found himself in possession of an enormous amount of "goods" that had been stolen by the alliance of invading kings, he gave a tenth, or tithe of them to the mysterious Melchizedek, who was known as the King of Salem, or King of Peace, as the apostle Paul understood it.
Salem was the area in which Abraham would later be tested by the one he had known as the never-aging Melchizadek, the priest of the Most High GOD, and also as the Angel of the LORD who visited him in person and promised the supernaturally enabled birth of his son Isaac, and the one who later visited him and seemingly required Isaac to be offered as a human sacrifice so he could return to GOD who had given him to Abraham.
GENESIS 14:11-24
14:11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
14:12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
14:15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and struck them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
14:16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the Priest of the Most High GOD.
14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High GOD, possessor of Heaven and Earth:
14:20 And blessed be the Most High GOD, which has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
14:21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to yourself.
14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, the Most High GOD, the possessor of Heaven and Earth,
14:23 That I will not take from a thread, even to a shoe lace, and that I will not take any thing that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich:
14:24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
GENESIS 13:2
13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Abraham was an extremely wealthy man and had no interest in piling even more wealth on what he had if it was unearned and acquired through bloodshed—unlike King David who was very willing to send young men into battle to "acquire" more and more gold, silver, brass, and other "additions" to his "building fund". David claimed he was amassing phenomenal wealth to build a "house for GOD". But the Lord, God of Israel did not need, or want one.
1 CHRONICLES 17:4-6
17:4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the LORD, You shall not build me a house to dwell in;
17:5 For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
17:6 Wherever I have walked with all Israel, spoke I a word to any of the Judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have all of you not built me an house of cedars?
The attitudes of Abraham toward his children, and his loyalty to the Angel of the LORD have made him much more than the literal genetic "father of many nations". They have made him an example of what type of "father" should be emulated or imitated by the innumerable millions of descendants who still have replications of portions of his DNA genome determining their identity and influencing the structure and appearance of their bodies—as did Yahshua of Nazareth.
Every year, during the evening called Passover, it has become a Jewish tradition to include provision for the possible re-appearance of the prophet Elijah because of the final message given by the God of Israel in the "book" of Malachi.
MALACHI 4:5-6
4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord:
4:6 And he shall turn the "heart" of the fathers to the children, and the "heart" of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the Earth with a curse.
Elijah will "turn" (return memory of) the "heart" (the mindset or attitude of faithful loyalty ) of the patriarchal fathers to the children (descendants of the patriarchal fathers), and facilitate the conversion of the "heart" (mindset or attitude) of the children (descendants) to a state of harmony with the "heart" exhibited by the "fathers".
REVELATION 1:1-3
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which GOD gave unto him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His Angel unto His servant John,
1:2 Who bore record of the word of GOD, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
1:3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand.
Most who acknowledge their ancestral Israelite identity have probably been led to believe they should not accept, or even read the extended end-time revelations by the LORD, GOD transmitted through His Angel, Yahshua/Jesus Christ to the apostle John and presented in the scriptural book of Revelation, which is shunned by many "Jews" as being "Christian". However, there is still general acceptance of that final message of Malachi from the Angel of the LORD (Hebrew for angel, or messenger, is "malach") who, as explained in another presentation, identifies himself as Christ with an X (Greek "chi") — Malach-chi.
MALACHI 4:1-6
4:1 For, behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
4:2 But unto you that fear my name [Yahwh] shall the "Sun" of righteousness [meaning himself] arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
4:3 And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of Hosts.
4:4 Remember you the Law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb [Mt. Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
4:5 Behold, I will send you the [original] Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord:
4:6 And he shall [re]turn [understanding of] the "heart" of the [patriarchal] fathers to the children [of Israel], and [return] the "heart" of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the Earth with a curse [instead of peace and blessing] .
The original Elijah will be returned to life as one of the "two witnesses" who will continually warn all who are transported to Jerusalem to worship the enormous, abominable, idol image of the Beast which Satan will "possess" and animate during the forty-two months Satan will be allowed to demonstrate how well he can "rule" the entire World with the demon angels that consider him to be the "most high God" rather than GOD, the Father.
The end-time true Elijah will have an opportunity to lead countless other supernaturally inspired teachers in unifying the minds of all of the children of Israel, returning their "hearts" or minds not only to an attitude of respect for their ancestral patriarchal fathers, but also to the LORD, GOD, the Father, and His Angel, who became the God of Israel—the primary "father figure" to the children of Israel.
JEREMIAH 3:6-22
3:6 The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot.
3:7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn you unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
3:9 And it came to pass through the levity of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned unto me with her whole "heart", but feignedly, says the Lord.
3:11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel has justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, you backsliding Israel, says the Lord; and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, says the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
3:13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, says the Lord.
3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, says the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
3:15 And I will give you pastors according to my "heart", which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
3:16 And it shall come to pass, when you be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall say no more, The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil "heart".
3:18 In those days the House of Judah shall walk with the House of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
3:19 But I said, How shall I put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, You shall call me, My father; and shall not turn away from me.
3:20 Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O House of Israel, says the Lord.
3:21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God.
3:22 Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto you; for you are the Lord our God.
Though it was the LORD GOD, the Unlimited who had literally created "Israel" as a true father by maintaining control and separation of the genetic lines of descent from the twelve sons of Jacob; the Angel of the Lord was considered "married" to the generation of Israel he led out of Egypt—the Exodus. But the rejection of the LORD's Angel as a "husband", almost immediately after the covenant ceremony at Mount Sinai, caused him to resolve to annul the marriage in the most permanent manner possible—removing Israel from existence as a living nation.
But Moses convinced him to continue living with his "wife" Israel "for the children's sake" and he agreed, acting as a "father" (and a "mother") to the them; viewing them as immature "juvenile delinquents" through the centuries. He even continued calling his disciples "children" during the end of his human life as the Son of Man.
MATTHEW 23:37
23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not [respond]!
MARK 10:24
10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answers again, and says unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!
That father/child relationship will continue even into the Spirit Kingdom of GOD on the New Earth; though some—a hundred and forty-four thousand—will have the ultimate husband/wife relationship with him. The father/child relationship between the Lord and those he calls "children" must not be confused with the magnificent relationship of GOD, the Father with those He "begets" with His Holy Spirit while they are still human, and will transform into perfected spirit Sons and Daughters in the process known as "being born again" of the Spirit.
REVELATION 21:6-7
21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.
21:7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
2:6 Who, being in the form of GOD, thought it not robbery to be equated with GOD:
2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
2:9 Wherefore GOD also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the earth;
2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of GOD, the Father.
During a very short time period, when the true and original Elijah, along with all others who will lead many to righteousness are granted a continuation of their first life, or have their current first life protected, all Israel will be taught how to acquire the "heart" or "mind" of Christ, the Messiah and will begin to understand and want to emulate the "heart" of the patriarchal "fathers" which was an example of faithful belief that pleased GOD and His Angel, the Lord God of Israel.
DANIEL 12:2-3
12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the day sky; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
1 SAMUEL 13:13-14
13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you: for now would the Lord have established your kingdom upon Israel forever.
13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought him a man after his own "heart", and the Lord has commanded him to be captain over his people, because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you.
ACTS 13:22
13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their King; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own "heart", which shall fulfill all my will.
The Lord considered David "a man after his own heart" early in his life because David was trying to understand and be in harmony with the "heart" of his Lord in spite of his compulsion for self-indulgent warmongering. The Lord, of course, did not think of himself as a self-indulgent warmonger—though some do. He was giving David credit for continual loyalty to him, the Angel of the LORD, even as he has always been perfectly loyal to the Most High GOD, the Unlimited, who he represents as a singular personification.
EZEKIEL 37:11-13
37:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole House of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost. We are cut off for our parts.
37:12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
37:13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
When the "hearts "of "all Israel" have been brought into harmony with the "hearts" of the literal patriarchal fathers of Israel after Israel's resurrection, mentioned in Ezekiel 37, they will be able to understand who was the greatest "father" to Israel throughout World history—though most of "Israel" never realized it, or appreciated it.
If a wise father has foolish, immature children who ignore him; disregard the protection he has to offer; and think they will be safe only if they protect their own "arses" with arsenals of man-made weapons; some even simulating how they would use them on "suspected" human threats by enjoying the "big game" of hunting and killing non-threatening live animals which are trying to live and mind their own business in their own natural habitats—such a wise father might try to warn his foolish, immature children that the possession of armaments does not guarantee protection and may even attract the lethal attention of those who want to test their ability to neutralize what they see as threats.
If GOD decides to neutralize the effectiveness of any personal or national arsenal—no amount of money will be able to stop it. When the two witnesses—Elijah and the apostle John are supernaturally given a continuation of their former human lives; which have not been finalized yet; they will be protected from all that Satan and his minions can use to eliminate them—while having access to supernatural weapons they can use against any enemy—natural, or supernatural.
REVELATION 11:3-7
11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
11:4 These are the two olive trees [Zechariah 4:11-14], and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth.
11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the Beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
But that time will not occur until after a specified period of relative World peace and prosperity which was typified by a documented event in ancient Hebrew history. It will be an undeserved global demonstration of provision that will be attributable only to GOD's providence—though countless humans will take credit for it. It will be a preview of what will be possible during the Messianic Kingdom of GOD as the Gospel of the Kingdom of GOD is published, and preached in all the World as a witness to all nations.
MARK 13:10
13:10 And the Gospel must first be published among all nations.
MATTHEW 24:14
24:14 And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
LUKE 1:11-17
1:11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
1:12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
1:14 And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the "hearts" of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
JOHN 1:14-23
1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father); full of grace and truth.
1:15 John bore witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spoke, He that comes after me is preferred before me; for he was before me.
1:16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
1:17 For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
1:18 No man has seen GOD at any time, except the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. He has declared him.
1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?
1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
1:21 And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are you that prophet? And he answered, No.
1:22 Then said they unto him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself?
1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.
It will also be a lengthy opportunity for Elijah counterparts—as John "the Baptist" was—to participate in the presentation of understanding of what it means to be "a people prepared for the Lord"—people prepared to recognize the true Messiah /Christ—people who will not be deceived by false "Elijahs"; especially the one referred to as the "False Prophet" in the book of Revelation; and false "Christs"; especially the one referred to as the "Beast" in Revelation, who will be so convincing , due to ability to perform supernatural "miracles", that even some of the "Elect"—those chosen by the Angel of the LORD to be written in his "Lamb's Book of Life", will be tempted to accept him as the Messiah.
MATTHEW 24:24
24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very Elect.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:8-11
2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2:11 And for this cause GOD shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
REVELATION 19:19-20
19:19 And I saw the Beast, and the kings of the Earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
19:20 And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
No person or nation is obligated by GOD, or His Angel to "protect" Israel or its population in its current form, or any form it may have in the future. Neither GOD, or His Angel will base their final judgment of any person on that person's opinion of "Israel"—only on each person's opinion of and response to the God of Israel. If any person wants to please the God of Israel, he will try to harmonize his own "heart" or attitude and behavior with that of the primary singular "father" of Israel—the Angel of the Lord.
The Angel of the LORD, the God of Israel, has provided an enormous amount of documentation in traditional Hebrew scripture which reveals that he would never support the waste of innumerable billions of dollars and the jeopardizing of innumerable human lives in human efforts to protect an idealized "Israel" which has never existed any more than any other nation on Earth has ever existed in an idealized state that must be "protected" at any cost.
If you have read much of what has been presented on this website, Xrayzr Revelations, you should realize that traditional scripture "from Genesis to Revelation" is concerned with the pre-development, development, past re-developments, and future transformation of Israel, and with its entire history, which began long before the life of Isaac's son Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, and whose twelve sons became the literal genetic fathers of a "nation" of seventy, the "fewest of all people" referred to in Deuteronomy 7:7 and 10:22
DEUTERONOMY 7:6-8
7:6 For you are an holy people unto the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the Earth.
7:7 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people:
7:8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, has the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
DEUTERONOMY 10:22
10:22 Your fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude.
DEUTERONOMY 5:1-33
5:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and keep, and do them.
5:2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb [Mt. Sinai].
5:3 The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
5:4 The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
5:5 (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord: for you were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
5:6 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
5:7 You shall have no other gods before me.
5:8 You shall not make you any engraved image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
5:9 You shall not bow down yourself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
5:10 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
5:11 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
5:12 Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord your God has commanded you.
5:13 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work:
5:14 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
5:15 And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out from that place through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
5:17 You shall not kill.
5:18 Neither shall you commit adultery.
5:19 Neither shall you steal.
5:20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
5:21 Neither shall you desire your neighbor's wife, neither shall you covet your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is your neighbor's.
5:22 These words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
5:23 And it came to pass, when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that you came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
5:24 And you said, Behold, the Lord our God has showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God does talk with man, and he lives.
5:25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die.
5:26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
5:27 Go you near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak you unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto you; and we will hear it, and do it.
5:28 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when you spoke unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto you: they have well said all that they have spoken.
5:29 O that there were such a "heart" in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
5:30 Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.
5:31 But as for you, stand you here by me, and I will speak unto you all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.
5:32 You shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God has commanded you: you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
5:33 You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
DEUTERONOMY 6:1-25
6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it:
6:2 That you might fear the Lord your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.
6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey.
6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
6:5 And you shall love the Lord your God with your "heart", and with all your soul, and with all your might.
6:6 And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your "heart":
6:7 And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
6:8 And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
6:9 And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.
6:10 And it shall be, when the Lord your God shall have brought you into the land which he swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and goodly cities, which you built not,
6:11 And houses full of all good things, which you filled not, and wells dug, which you dug not, vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not; when you shall have eaten and be full;
6:12 Then beware lest you forget the Lord, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
6:13 You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him, and shall swear by his name.
6:14 You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
6:15 (For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and destroy you from off the face of the Earth.
6:16 You shall not tempt the Lord your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
6:17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.
6:18 And you shall do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore unto your fathers.
6:19 To cast out your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
6:20 And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God has commanded you?
6:21 Then you shall say unto your son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:
6:22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
6:23 And he brought us out from that place, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore unto our fathers.
6:24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.
DEUTERONOMY 8:10-20
8:10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you.
8:11 Beware that you forget not the Lord your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command you this day:
8:12 Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
8:13 And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;
8:14 Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
8:15 Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint;
8:16 Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers knew not, that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end;
8:17 And you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.
8:18 But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.
8:19 And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
8:20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before your face, so shall you perish; because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
The ancient promises of the God of Israel have not become null and void, and neither have his warnings. The grown children of the adult generation of Israel taken out of Egypt were empowered to enter the "promised land" intended for their parents and given authority to overthrow the existing idolatrous governments and their enablers. Israel is no longer surrounded by idolatrous nations and has no GOD-given authority or reason to invade them for the purpose of overthrowing their governments. And paranoid fear of a few, probably misinterpreted verbal threats does not begin to approach being a justifiable reason to attempt the military overthrow of any government or the military destruction of a government's legitimate efforts to improve its nation's infrastructure.
DEUTERONOMY 8:18-20
8:18 But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.
8:19 And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
8:20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before your face, so shall you perish; because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
The worship, or veneration of other "gods" instead of the LORD GOD, was never simply a matter of bowing before 'doll-sized representations of imaginary gods. In "ancient" Israel it sometimes meant submitting to the murderous demands of invisible Satanic forces in "high places"—literal high places sometimes, which were devoted to the sacrificing of young children to devil gods—and it meant submitting to the demands of warring "hill-top" "ivory tower" rulers requiring the youth under their control to sacrifice their lives in battles with the youth of other nations for no justifiable reason.
JEREMIAH 19:3-8
19:3 And say, Hear you the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever hears, his ears shall tingle.
19:4 Because they have forsaken me, and have cut off this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocent persons;
19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
19:6 Therefore, behold, the days come, says the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
19:7 And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcasses will I give to be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
19:8 And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passes thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.
EPHESIANS 6:12
6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
EZEKIEL 6:1-10
6:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
6:2 Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
6:3 And say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
6:4 And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
6:5 And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
6:6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
6:7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
6:8 Yet will I leave a remnant, that you may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when you shall be scattered through the countries.
6:9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations where they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
6:10 And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
This presentation is not intended to be a "prophecy from GOD" directed toward anyone in any current nation on Earth. It is a review of why the citizens of Israel, throughout its history, have sometimes been unable to prevent the destruction of their nation by GOD. There is no reason whatsoever to imagine that GOD has any current plans for causing, or allowing the imminent destruction of Israel. But Hebrew scripture is full of unfulfilled ancient plans, by GOD, to allow "all Israel" to experience a final destruction and brief period of life or death testing designed to determine who will become the citizens of the future full-sized "promised land"—and who won't.
Will this presentation prevent the destruction of Israel—by human armies; by demonic armies; or by GOD? No it won't. But this presentation does review many important scriptural statements by the Angel of the LORD, the God of Israel, in which he reveals his "heart" as the Prince of Peace. And those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the peace of all other national capitols around Jerusalem, and around the World, will ensure that they will witness and participate in the fulfillment of one of the most delightful prophecies recorded by Isaiah in reference to the Angel of the LORD, as the Messiah, who was required by GOD to endure a true life and death as a mortal human—to become "perfect" so that he will be able to perfect us . . .
HEBREWS 2:16-18
2:16 For truly he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
2:17 Wherefore in all things it was essential for him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to GOD, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
2:18 For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help them that are tempted.
HEBREWS 5:5-10
5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a High Priest; but He that said unto him, You are my Son, today have I begotten you.
5:6 As He says also in another place, You are a Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.
5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
5:10 Called of GOD a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
ISAIAH 9:6-7
9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the Government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God [of the whole Earth—Isaiah 54:5], The everlasting Father [of "all Israel"], The Prince of Peace.
9:7 Of the increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.
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