"How did Israel destroy Gaza without the Ark of the Covenant?"

How did Israel destroy Gaza without the ark of the covenant?

Finally, God has brought Israel back to occupy the land that He gave to them. The people living in Israel today have come from over 100 different nations around the world. They've come from regions like Europe, from Africa, from the Middle East, from Asia, North and South America, and many nations among these areas of the world. This is no doubt the fulfillment of key scriptures found in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. This is Israel's final return from exile to the homeland. And this time, they cannot be removed. In Isaiah 11:11, the Lord promised to assemble the outcast of Israel and gather the dispersed people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

This is backed up by Jeremiah 16, by Ezekiel 36. In spite of the biblical truth that fighting against Israel is fighting against God, Israel has not been able to get rid of its enemies. Nor has Israel been able to beat them down to total submission. In fact, Israel's enemies have consistently gone away for a season after each conflict. In the meantime, Israel becomes complacent and slips into wickedness. As they become a stench in God's nostril, He then allows their enemies to rebuild and rise up to attack them even more viciously than before. This trend continued until Israel was no more a nation. Then the enemies of Israel tried to occupy their vacant land one after the other and they all failed. The land was like a stallion that only allows its owner to ride it.

However, for the last 77 years, when Israel's enemies returned, they have found Israel to be stronger than before. Israel, which used to be the most feared nation in the world, is now approaching that most feared status again. It has become a serious force to be reckoned with in the whole world. The population of the nation continues to grow in number. In 1948, for instance, there were 630,000 to 800,000 Jews in all of Israel. Today, there are more than 7 million living there. And the numbers continue to grow.

Let us pray. Dear Lord, we give You thanks and praise for this wonderful day and for this message. We thank You for the peace of Jerusalem. May the enemies of Your beloved nation live at peace with them. We pray Your blessing upon Jews everywhere in the world. And we pray that You would open their eyes that they may come and receive Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach, as their Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Since their reestablishment in 1948, Israel has been very fierce in battle. They are using cutting edge technology in recent wars, innovative techniques, and strategic targeting not seen in conflicts before. They're receiving great support from the United States government, which has been their most consistent partner for decades, and whether that will continue remains to be seen. They've had decisive victories in several major conflicts. Then there is the Gaza war, which is no exception. The war started in 2023 in response to the October 7th massacre of Israelis by Hamas and the Palestinians. The Palestinians have lost more than 70,000 including women and children in battle since that conflict began in 2023 and Israel has only lost just over 2,000 according to a Wikipedia report. However, legal trouble loom ahead for Israel because there have also been 248 journalists and 24 humanitarian aid workers killed in that conflict. And this is terrible. And the conflict continues to sputter along in spite of a recent ceasefire negotiated by the US government.

The destruction in Gaza is widespread and monumental and the UN says it is destruction never seen before. Almost everything left is rubble. 81% of all structures have been damaged. 90% of all housing in the Gaza city have been destroyed. All wastewater treatment plants are damaged and 80% of power supply is nonfunctional. In addition, there's very little clean water available. A minimal amount of hospital facilities are available. Universities have been destroyed and only 20% of schools are functioning. Reports say there are 60 tons of debris and human remains in Gaza and it will take years and years to clear the rubble away. 95% of the Palestinians have been displaced numerous times and thousands upon thousands are living in tents. It is a horrible nightmare from which most Gazans fear they will never wake up. This is the greatest disaster in modern history. And all of this is generating more and more antisemitism in the world. The hate for Israel by the next generation if Christ tarries will rise to a boiling point.

Israel on the other hand has been unstoppable and this is in accordance with scripture. But problems loom ahead as much of the world has turned against them. On the road to their present place of prominence in military power, there were a number of victories and no defeats. There was the decisive victory in the war of independence in 1948. There was also the military victory of the 1956 Suez crisis in the Gaza and cyanide. However, international pressure caused their withdrawal sometime after. Again in 1967 there was a decisive and swift victory over the Sinai Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Golden Heights. Then there were the 1982 and the 2006 Lebanon wars. And again, the enemy has come back. Even though Israel has never been defeated since their independence, the conflicts continue because the disputes at the bottom of these conflicts remain unresolved. The real conflicts are ideological, political and religious in nature and these uncompromising religious differences will always be sources of conflicts. Therefore, wars and fights will continue until Christ comes to settle them once and for all.

In the days of the Old Testament, when Israel was faithful to God, every morning and every evening they presented offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They would set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they lit the lamps of the golden lampstand. They were carrying out the requirements of the Lord. Because they were doing this faithfully and were obedient to the Lord, He was with them as their head. And in times of war, His priests blew their trumpets, sounding the battle call against the enemy. Israel's God was feared more than any other God, and they dominated for many, many years. But Israel continually fell into disobedience and became a stench in God's nostril. And He allowed their enemies to beat them down until they were no longer a nation. After the Jewish people were banished, the land of Israel became a wild stallion that no one could tame. But the Lord promised that He would bring them back to occupy the land He gave them. This time, no one will be able to move them.

According to Amos 9:15, the Lord told Israel, "Prosperity will return to their land so bountifully that the days are coming when the plowman shall overtake the one who gathers the harvest, and the one who treads the grapes shall overtake the one who sows the seed. For the harvest will continue until it is planting time. And the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills shall melt. The Word of God says, which means that everything that was once barren will become fruitful and will overflow with streams of blessings.

The Lord promised that when they had been brought back from captivity to their land again, He would reestablish them, and they shall never be moved again. This is how the Lord said it to them through the prophet Amos in chapter 9 and verse 13. I will plant them on their land and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God. This promise is backed up by Ezekiel 37's rendering of the valley of the dry bones, which talks of God's everlasting covenant of peace, which He will reestablish with Israel, ensuring their security in the land that He's brought them back to.

In days of old, Israel had a foolproof strategy that brought them victory after victory in many conflicts. The Lord had instructed them to carefully build something called the ark of the covenant with precise measurements and detailed instructions. And this sacred ornament would represent the presence of the Lord and be their meeting place with Him. It was a sacred gold plated wooden chest that kept the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. It was the holiest ornament in the entire Jewish kingdom and on the entire earth. It also contained a golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded. The solid gold lid had a design that included two golden cherubims with outstretched wings. And it was said that the Lord met with the Israelites between the two cherubims.

Whenever the ark of the covenant did not go to battle with them, they were usually defeated. But when the ark was brought into the camp, all the Israelites would make a mighty shout with one voice. And this would be a deafening shout that would even cause the earth to shake. According to 1st Samuel 4 and 5, this shout would put their enemies in fear of Israel's God and cause their enemies to tremble.

There was only one time when the ark was with them and they were defeated. This was the battle of Aphek, fought against the Philistines. In this battle, the high priest Eli's sons Hophni and Phineas were killed. And the Philistines seized the ark and carried it away to their country.

They placed the ark in the temple of their God, whose name was Dagon, and set the ark next to Dagon. But Israel's ark of the covenant failed to bring blessings into the nation of their enemies. In fact, the next morning, their god, the Philistines god, Dagon was found on the ground face down before the ark of the covenant as if bowing in reverence to Him. They lifted Dagon up and set him in his place again. The following morning, they found Dagon face down before the ark again. But this time, the head and both palms of their impotent god were severed, and only Dagon's torso remained. In addition, the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of this nation as He ravaged them with rats and plagues. And those that did not die, the Lord struck with painful hemorrhoids or tumors. So the leaders met and decided to send the ark of the covenant back to Israel. But they decided it would be foolish to send Him back without some kind of peace offering. So they got two pure milking cows, hitched them to a brand new wagon, placed golden tumors and golden rats in a chest on the inside of the wagon, and sent the ark back to Israel.

Apparently, the ark was taken again and lost for good when the temple was destroyed in 587 BCE. Even today there are many stories about where the ark of the covenant might be. Many nations have claimed to have the ark. Among them are Rome, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia just to name a few. In fact, the Ethiopians claim that the ark of the covenant resides in Axum, Ethiopia, and is housed in a chapel near the church of our lady Mary of Zion, where it is guarded by a monk and is inaccessible to others.

All we have to do is read the holy scriptures, which tell us precisely where the ark of the covenant is today. We find the answer in revelation 11:19. It is a part of the prophecy of the apostle John who was shown the ark in a vision. And John said, "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven. The ark of His covenant was seen in His temple, and there were lightnings, noises, thundering's, an earthquake and great hail." That settles the question about the location of God's ark for me because I do not believe that God would allow such a holy and divine ornament to be trampled upon for thousands of years. After all, it was the holy place where he met with His people.

But please know it was not the ark that brought victory to Israel. It is not a good luck charm or something like that. It was obedience to God that brought them victory. And when they were disobedient, He allowed them to be defeated. But today, Israel has no powerful symbol that has replaced the ark of the covenant when they go to war. Yet, they continue winning on the battlefield. What they have today are the faithful promises of God for this season in which they will be invincible.

Isaiah 12 tell us that in that day the people of God will say, "Oh Lord, I will praise You though You were angry with me. Your anger is turned away and You come for me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid for Yah the Lord is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say, "Praise the Lord. Call upon His name. Declare His deeds among the peoples. Make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord for He has done excellent things. This is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst. God bless this precious and wonderful word.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Well, we want to give you an opportunity to make a commitment today and make it right with God once and for all.

Please engage your heart and say this prayer after me:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I am sorry for all my sins.

• I crave Your forgiveness, dear Lord,

• And I thank You for forgiving me.

• I have decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

• Dear Lord Jesus, make my heart Your

  home.

• I give You the key to my heart because I

  now belong to You forever.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Amen.

Welcome, friend, to the body of believers in Christ. There are many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. Please let your pastor know that you've committed your life to the Lord and you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized.

Begin reading the Word of God every day. It is your daily food. You need it in order to stay strong in Christ and to be able to fend off the attacks of the enemy.

Begin reading in the book of John. Then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning, the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself. And we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.