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What Does The Bible Say About War In Israel

Israel Must Not Only Be Present In Here Land She Must Be Prosperous In Her Land

The Future of Israel

Ezekiel prophesied that when the Jewish people return to their homeland, God will bless them beyond anything they have known in their history. Ezekiel 36:11 describes Israels wealth this way, I will multiply upon you man and beast and they shall increase and bear young I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. The modern fulfillment of this prophecy is evident in Israels thriving economy, which has been ranked as the worlds third most innovative, behind Finland and Switzerland and just ahead of Japan and the United States.4 Modern Israel is a center of innovation and entrepreneurship, which means the second prerequisite to Russias invasion has been met.

What Is The Just War Theory

Some believers hold to a Just War Theory. This is when there is a CLEAR just cause. All aggression is highly condemned and that defensive war is the only legitimate war. It must also have just intention peace is the goal, not revenge or conquest. A Just War also must be a last resort, be given a formal declaration, with limited objectives. This must be conducted with proportionate means we cant just go and nuke a whole country and be done with it. A Just War also includes immunity for the noncombatants. God doesnt LOVE war or rush to it, nor should we. He allows it and uses it for our good and His glory. But ultimately it is the result of sin.

23. Ezekial 33:11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

24. Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

Lifted From The Bible

Numerous accounts of wars and battles that involved ancient Israel, Judah, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and other powers in the region are recorded in the Bible and other ancient sources. Some of these conflicts may never have taken place, while others occurred but didn’t have the results that the Bible claims. Here’s a look at tales from 12 “biblical” ancient wars and battles.

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War Between Israel And Judah

The Hebrew Bible claims that the kingdom of Israel split apart during the reign of King Rehoboam . After the split, Rehoboam ruled a kingdom based at Jerusalem that was called Judah, while another Jewish state that kept the name Israel formed a separate kingdom. The Hebrew Bible claims that disputes over taxes and Corvée labor drove apart the kingdom that formerly united the Jewish people.

The Hebrew Bible claims that Israel and Judah often fought each other, sometimes allying with different powers in the region. In their last war, Judah allied with Assyria while Israel allied with another power named Aram. This last war led to the destruction of Israel by an Assyrian force in 723 B.C.

While archaeologists and historians generally agree that two separate Jewish kingdoms existed, how they broke up or whether they were ever united is a matter of debate among scholars.

Gog Will Be Thwarted By The Power Of Two Witnesses

World War 3 in Bible Prophecy

One question that arises as one studies the prophetic picture is, How could a nation as tiny as modern Israel stand against the combined armies of the world? The answer lies in an understanding of the role of two important participants in these great events.

John the Revelator gave the most detailed picture of these two participants. They are called the âtwo witnesses,â the âtwo olive treesâ and the âtwo candlesticksâ . Latter-day revelation teaches that they are âtwo prophets ⦠raised up to the Jewish nationâ who will âprophesy to after they are gathered and have built ⦠Jerusalemâ .

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote:

âThese two shall be followers of that humble man, Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord of Heaven restored the fulness of his everlasting gospel in this final dispensation of grace. No doubt they will be members of the Council of the Twelve or of the First Presidency of the Church. Their prophetic ministry to rebellious Jewry shall be the same in length as was our Lordâs personal ministry among their rebellious forebears.

âThe two olive trees, and the two candlesticks symbols of the two witnesses meaning, perhaps, that as olive trees, they shall provide oil for the lamps of those who go forth to meet the Bridegroom ⦠and that as lamp stands they shall reflect to men that light which comes from Him who is the Light of the World.â

These prophets will have power to pronounce great judgments upon the earth .

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Plagues And The Bible

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In a number of places in the Bible, there is mention of plagues, pestilence, or pandemics killing people. For example, in Lev. 26:25, when Israel falls into covenant violations, God says, I will send pestilence among you. In II Chronicles 6:28, Solomon says if there is pestilence, famine or blight, may God hear from the temple the prayers of the people. In the next chapter, II Chron. 7:13, God says that if he sends pestilence, the people can pray and humble themselves . Plague number four on the Egyptians is pestilence on their livestock, and as a result they all die as mentioned in Exod. 9:3-6. In II Sam. 24:15, God sends a pestilence that kills 70,000 Israelites because of Davids ill-conceived census. Jesus says in Luke 21:11 that there will be plagues. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah speak of God sending plagues, for example, in Ezek. 14:21 and 33:27, and Jer. 21:6, 7 and 9. In Rev. 6:8, the Pale Rider kills a fourth of the earth with the sword, famine, and pestilence.

Psalm 91:5-6, a great psalm of protection, says that we will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow of the day, the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that comes at noon.

What Does God Say About War

The Bible tells us of a great many wars. God many times ordered the Israelites into war against their enemies. He even would sometimes order the Israelite army to slaughter all the inhabitants of certain people groups. He created people, and He can choose to take them out at any time He pleases. For He is God and we are not. We have all committed treason against Him and deserve nothing less than the full force of His wrath which would be eternal torment in Hell. He is being merciful by not killing all of us right now.

4. Ecclesiastes 3:8 A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace.

5. Isaiah 2:4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

6. Matthew 24:6-7 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

7. Matthew 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

8. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.

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Israel In The Last Days

The incredible prophecies of Israel in the Last Days are the key to understanding just how close we are to the End of the Age. The Bible predicts virtually everything that has happened to Israel over the last 100 years. These prophecies are so detailed that we can now create a chronological chart that maps out exactly where Israel and the world are heading in this pivotable generation. These prophecies prove that God is working in the world to bring about the Return of Christ and the redemption of Israel exactly as promised.

In the previous section, The Sign Posts of History, we looked at the overall chronology of the universe from the perspective of the Bible. Toward the end of that timeline, two events were listed with no further detail: The Rebirth of Israel and The Second Coming of Christ. In this section, we will examine more closely the time period surrounding these events and develop a chronology that focuses specifically on the Last Days and the prophetic events related to the nation of Israel.

This process allows us to piece together the events prophesied in the Bible and fit them perfectly into a chronological map of where we are heading in the End Times. Many of these events include the fulfillment of prophecies that have already occurred from our perspective, and now become clear signals of the nearness of the Lords return.

War In The New Testament

Israeli minister: The Bible says West Bank is ours – UpFront

In the New Testament we see fewer depictions of war, but it is still discussed. God shows us that war is still going to be a part of life here on earth. We can also see that God encourages us to protect ourselves with enough force to stop someone.

20. Luke 3:14 What should we do? asked some soldiers. John replied, Dont extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.

21. Matthew 10:34 Dont imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

22. Luke 22:36 He said to them, But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

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Nebuchadnezzar Ii’s Conquest Of Jerusalem

In 587 B.C., the Babylonian Empire, led by King Nebuchadnezzar II, conquered Jerusalem. The Hebrew Bible says that the Babylonian force looted and set fire to the First Temple, the holiest temple for the Jewish people. The Babylonians also tore down Jerusalem’s walls, sacked and destroyed much of the city and deported much of the populace to various sites around the Babylonian Empire. The Kingdom of Judah was destroyed.

Recently, several cuneiform tablets have emerged in Iraq that describe the lives of the Jews who were exiled to Babylonia. The tablets say that some of the exiles and their descendants lived at a village called l-Yahdu which means the “village of Judea.” The tablets say that the exiled people who lived at l-Yahdu adopted local languages and legal traditions. Many of the tablets have been purchased by private collectors from the antiquities market, raising concerns that the tablets were looted.

Armageddon : The True History Of The End Of The World

Revelations associates Megiddo in northern Israel with the end of days, but as the struggle over Jerusalem threatens to bring the apocalypse closer, we may want to revisit that assumption

We use the word “Armageddon” to mean the end of the world, but where did the word come from? How did it become associated with the final catastrophe that will end humanity? This turns out to be a difficult question to answer, because it requires us to peer into the mind of a man we only know of as “John.”

Early Judaism had no tradition of the world ending in a day of divine judgment. No such notion appears in First Temple-period material in the Hebrew Bible. But the idea does suddenly appear in prophetic books penned after the late 6th century B.C.E., such as Deutero-Isaiah, Zechariah and Daniel. For example:

Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you .

Since this belief is uncommon in ancient religions, it could hardly be a coincidence that Jews began to believe in a final reckoning just when the Persians entered their lives and became their overlords . The Persian religion, Zoroastrianism, holds that the world will end with a final showdown between good and evil. Jews must have learned it from them.

The origin of the word Armageddon is far more difficult to explain.

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Armageddon: The Final Extremity

John showed that eventually the two prophets will be captured and killed by the opposing army, and their bodies will be left in the streets of Jerusalem for âthree days and an halfâ as the forces of evil engage in a great celebration over their death .

âThat level of spiritual debauchery is shown forth by the fact that the wicked not only slay the prophets of God, but boast of their deeds and glory in them. Such people, as the Jaredites and Nephites before them, are ripened in iniquity and are ready for that destruction and burning which shall cleanse the vineyard of corruption when Jesus descends with his chariots of fire.â

During the âthree days and an halfâ that the prophets lie dead in the streets, the army will ravage the city of Jerusalem and the remaining population of Israel . Elder Pratt explained: âAfter a struggle of three years and a half, they will at length succeed in destroying these two prophets and then overrunning much of the city they will send gifts to each other because of the death of the two prophets, and in the meantime will not allow their dead bodies to be put in graves, but will suffer them to lie in the streets of Jerusalem three days and a half, during which time the armies of the Gentiles, consisting of many kindreds, tongues, and nations, passing through the city, plundering the Jews, will see their dead bodies lying in the street.â

Book Of The Wars Of The Lord

Bible Battles

The Book of the Wars of the Lord is one of several non-canonical books referenced in the Bible which have now been completely lost. It is mentioned in Numbers 21:1415, which reads:

“From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the desert and bounding the Amorite territory. For Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. That is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says: ‘… Waheb in Suphah and the ravines of Arnon, and at the stream of the ravines that lead to the dwelling of Ar, which lies along the border of Moab.'”

David Rosenberg suggests in The Book of David that it was written in 1100 BC or thereabouts. Theologian Joseph Barber Lightfoot suggested that it was merely another title for the mysterious biblical Book of Jasher.

The Book of the Wars of the Lord is cited in the medieval Book of Jasher as being a collaborative record written by Moses, Joshua, and the children of Israel.

A notable reference to an unnamed book is found in Exodus 17:14, where God commanded Moses to inscribe an Israelite military victory over the Amalekites in a book and recount it later in the hearing of his successor Joshua. The book is not specifically mentioned by name. However, some Torah scholars such as Moses ibn Ezra have suggested this book may refer to the Book of the Wars of the Lord.

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Events Leading To Israels Rebirth

The initial events that led to the fulfillment of End Times Biblical prophecy concerning Israel began to occur in the later part of the 19th Century and the early part of the 20th Century. One of the most important developments, which would eventually lead to the reestablishment of the state of Israel, was the beginning of the Zionist movement in the late 1900s. Theodor Herzl is considered the founder of this movement, and he formed the Zionist Organization to primarily promote Jewish immigration back to Palestine .

In Herzls 1896 book Der Judenstaat , which became in effect the Zionist manifesto, he wrote of his vision of a near future, independent Jewish homeland that would be reestablished sometime in the 20th Century. The name of his movement, Zionism, was borrowed from the name of the hill near Jerusalem called Zion, which also became synonymous with the capital of Israel and the universal symbol for all those Jews yearning to return to their land.

Zionism first became a popular movement among the Jews in Europe, particularly during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Antisemitic persecutions against Jewish people during this period and combined with the rising tide of the Zionist movement fueled the passion that resulted in mass migrations of Jews out of Europe and back to the land which was formerly Israels.

Ezekiel wrote of these future events in powerful terms:

Ezekiel 20:33-34

Does The Bible Say There Will Be A Jewish State And A Palestinian State

Jerusalem

See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore He would give to your fathersto Abraham, Isaac and Jacoband to their descendants after them.

The ties of the Jewish People to this Holy Land are ancient and eternal,

US President Donald Trump is the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall.

The historical record is clear: The Jewish People have lived in Jerusalem since King David purchased the threshing floor on Mount Moriah 3,000 years ago.

David told the owner of the land,

Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORDgive it to me at its full price I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing. So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.

Even after the Romans destroyed the second Jewish Temple in AD 70 and scattered the Jewish People into exile, a remnant have lived throughout the Holy Land ever since.

Yet contradictory statements have left many Christians wondering, Does the Land of Israel belong to the Jews or the Palestinians?

As bewildering and complex as the question may seem, there is a clear answer.

The Bible tells us that the Land of Israel and its boundaries arise from a covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendantsthe Jewish People.

David Ben-Gurion publicly pronounced the Declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

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