"Sympathy For Israel Is Low Due To The Gaza/Lebanon Wars"

Sympathy for Israel is low due to the Gaza/Lebanon wars. That's our message. The text is taken from Psalm 122.

A serious rise in Jewish hate will be a by-product of the great falling away that will come upon the church as we approach the revealing of the Antichrist. No doubt, it has discouraged some Christians from praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and as they have observed some of the news coming out of Gaza and Lebanon about the large numbers killed in these conflicts including women and children. As we prepared to record this message a peace deal in the Lebanon war was continuing to hold. Both sides were hoping it will be permanent! And a peace deal for the Gaza war was said to be close!

Just as there will be a falling away in the churches according to 2nd Thessalonians 2. Some believers in Christ will also fall away from supporting Israel. And it has already begun to happen! I urge you to pray for the peace of Israel, because when Israel finally gets peace, and only then, the entire world will be at peace! And praying for Israel's peace will bring peace into your own personal life, also!

Believe it or not, Israel wants peace, my friend, not war. Apparently there is a Hebrew prayer called, Sim Shalom and this term means, "Grant peace." So here are the words of the Sim Shalom prayer, "Grant peace, goodness, blessing, grace, loving kindness, and compassion to us and to all Israel your people. Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your presence."

This special prayer is a blessing that is recited by most Jews at the end of the morning prayer, and during fast days. This daily prayer is clear evidence that Israel wants peace as an entire nation. And they say praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a privilege and responsibility of believers, because it keeps alive the hope of the end time, and the coming of God's Kingdom of Peace.

Father we thank You today for the blood of Jesus over Israel and the people of Israel Father wherever they are in the world. We thank You Lord for Your peace resting upon them. Cause their enemies to live at peace with them Father we pray in the holy and the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. And bring a conclusion to the conflicts that Israel is presently involved in. We thank You and praise You for Father, in Jesus holy name. Amen.

In the last year much of the world has turned against Israel! And what is the reason that this has happened? Very simply, the terrorist groups have a fine-tuned propaganda machine. Their public relations campaign to ensure that the world's sympathy is on their side has been working very effectively. They strike at Israel, then they run to their civilian population, and hide among everyday people or they hide in residential areas among their family members. Then, when we see what appears to be images of children being pulled from the rubble as the IDF targets these terrorists, it does something to our hearts. Meanwhile, they tell the Palestinian and the Lebanese people that the innocent killed in the conflict are Martyrs, and are ushered immediately into paradise! How much of this is staged, we cannot say for sure! But what is certain is the fact that, those who fight against Israel, fight against God Himself! And they will not prevail.

But here are some mind blowing facts about the history of Gaza tunnels. A 2000 Middle East eye report says that Egypt had actually destroyed more than 2,000 tunnels in Gaza according to secret military files that were uncovered at that time. These tunnels led into Israel and into Egypt. Then, a 2014 report said that the Egyptian military had destroyed 1659 of these smuggling tunnels. At the time, the president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas agreed with the destruction of the smuggling tunnels, arguing that they had produced 1,800 millionaires. He said, the tunnels were used for smuggling weapons, drugs, cash and equipment for forging documents. Then on September 11th, 2015, the Egyptian army began to pump water from the Mediterranean Sea into the tunnels. In 2021 a senior Hamas representative to Lebanon, Ahmad Abd Al- Hadi spoke about the idea of digging tunnels. And he said that there are 360 km or 224 miles of tunnels underground in Gaza. However a 2024 January 16th report by The Times of Israel says that, Gaza tunnels actually stretch at least 350 miles, far longer than past estimates.

In addition to all of this, I was inspired to write this sermon after seeing groups of people chased Jewish individuals after a soccer game in Amsterdam, and listening to the curses and racial slurs that were thrown at them. And after watching these hate groups stomping and kicking them mercilessly. What was their crime or their offense against these groups?

Here is what was reported. The Amsterdam government banned all protests. However the Arabs defied the ban, and held an illegal protest near the soccer game where an Israeli team was playing. And then they blamed the Jewish soccer fans for starting trouble by burning a Palestinian flag! On that night there were some 60 to 100 Arabs arrested in Amsterdam, at least 30 young Jewish people were injured and taken to hospital. The Israeli government sent planes to Amsterdam to bring them home, when they heard the news. When Hitler and Nazi Germany attacked and killed 6 million Jews what was their offense against the German people? Nothing at all, they were simply being Jews.

As I watch what has been going on in Gaza and Lebanon I must admit, there are times that I have some mixed feelings, and wondered why Israel does not stop its present onslaught against the terrorists in Lebanon and Gaza? I am sympathetic to the suffering of every man, because of Jesus Christ who said to us, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you." Matthew 5:44. Then, in Proverbs 25 and 21 we are told, "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he's thirsty give him water to drink."

True believers in Christ feel the hurt of every man, and most especially of women and children. And the Word of God given through Jesus Christ has instilled in His children a spirit of love and sympathetic concern for the underprivileged, and those suffering and facing hardships everywhere in the world. The Spirit of the Living God has given believers in Christ compassion for everyone's pain.

So, when we turn on the TV, and see the images of children being carried by weeping fathers, when we hear the screams of grieving mothers, we are appalled. When we see trailers lined up and waiting to get into Gaza we are flabbergasted! Believing what we see and hear, we wonder why this is happening? However, often times these reports are offset by other reports that say that the terrorists have been hijacking and stock piling the aid for themselves, and have themselves been instrumental in preventing aid from getting to the Palestinian people. We also see reports of UNWRA and the UN accusing them of being a part of Hamas campaign, working along with terrorists against Israel. And, we do not know what to make of these numbers of the dying, the dead and the injured flashing on the screen of the popular Arab station that has been banned from Israel.

However, as we observe the recent destruction of terrorist tunnels in Gaza and Lebanon by the IDF, as we see images of the winding underground tunnels that have been built, then we should feel compelled to ask ourselves, why have these elaborate systems been built 150 ft underground? What is the agenda of the masterminds of these massive tunnel structures which include massive amounts of stored food, money, weaponry of every kind, and the most dangerous weapons of war. And when we see images of underground gun and bomb making shops, and when we see trucks drive through the tunnels and into Israel and Egypt. When we look at the elaborate tunnel systems of these terrorist regimes, then we are forced to ask the question. What is it that they have hoped to achieve by building these underground cities and transportation systems?

Then we must ask the question, whether Israel is so terrible that his enemies are forced to hate him in this manner? Does Israel have an elaborate system above or below ground with the objective of eliminating every Islamic nation in the Middle East? Of course they do not. Or, do they simply want to live in peace in the land that God has given to them? And yes, Israel has built a powerful army, and the IDF can stand toe-to-toe with almost any army in the world to defend themselves. They can at least put up a good fight with the greatest. But the idea of building such a strong Army is for the purpose of protecting Israel from Israel's enemies. And every progressive nation on Earth tries to build a strong military to protect their people, so this is the norm. Most of them have no secret agenda, but simply want to live in peace. But as revealed to us, these underground tunnels are abnormal, and all lead into Israel and Egypt, with a hidden evil agenda.

On September 24th, 2024, the FBI released a report stating that there were some 1832 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023, which was a rise of 63%. In a report by the ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) which is said to be the leading anti-hate group in the world, they say that there were as many as 8,873 hate crimes according to their records. In one online story, I counted 203 reports of significant Global incidents against Jewish people that have occurred since the October 7th, Hamas Massacre of almost 1200 people in Israel.

These reports came from countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium, Chile, Canada, and these are only some of the nations. I've named these nations to impress upon our psyche the vast extent of this sickness toward Jewish people everywhere in the world.

A similar sickness will be aimed at Christian people in the years to come, and will be aimed at all Jew sympathizers everywhere! There are quite a number of stories online that confirm the rise in Jewish hate, proving that anti-Semitism is reaching alarming levels in the entire world. 2023 and 2024 reports by PBS, CNN, BBC, NPR, Reuters, the Hill, and the Guardian can be found online, showing that antisemitic incidents have been surging.

3,000 years ago however the Lord God inspired King David to write Psalm 122, and to insert a consequential instruction in verses 6 to 9 for all who believe in the Lord God, promising that, by praying for Israel we will be blessed. And the verses say, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you." Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good." This is an everlasting command, that has become even more recognizable in this season as we observe the history of Israel and the Jewish people, and witness what has happened to them.

And we must always pray for them because, Israel's peace is the secret to world's peace! In addition we should all want to please God whose Word says, without faith it is impossible to please Him. So prayer for Israel is a demonstration of our faith in God's end time promises, and His promise to send down the New Jerusalem. This eternal city is going to descend from heaven, and we will go in and out of it with great joy and celebration of our Great God forever and ever. And those who hate Israel will not enter the New Jerusalem!

Of course the Lord God knew the turmoil that Israel would face in this season, and was quite aware of the hate that would be directed toward the city of God and toward His people. He knew that there would be no rest for them for thousands of years. And therefore, the Lord God required that we should pray for their peace, and in so doing, we shall bring forth His peace upon Israel, and also upon the entire Earth! And we will also bring forth His peace upon ourselves, upon our families, and upon all that belongs to us! May God's peace fall upon every listener to this message, in the name of The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We want to give you an opportunity to make that commitment today. Please engage your heart and say this prayer after me:

-Father I am a sinner and I am sorry for all my sins.

-Dear Lord I crave Your forgiveness and I want to return to You.

-Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness.

-Today I invite Jesus Christ into my heart.

-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.

-Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime we encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. It is a part of the salvation process.

Begin reading the Word of God everyday. Begin in the Book of John and 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 forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.