Israel Loves Their Enemies

Matthew 5:43-44 illustrates Jesus saying, "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.'"

This is part of the Word of God that might cause us to think, "I do not desire to keep this directive from our Lord and Savior." However, if you lived in Israel, even now during the war they are fighting, you would witness this every day. Yes, even now, a surgeon living in Israel was asked, "If a terrorist who was injured was brought to you for treatment, would you treat him?" The surgeon replied, "Absolutely, YES!"

We will explore this question further by looking at daily life in Israel. Israel is described as a Pluralistic Democracy which gives equal rights to all including Arabs. They have more freedom in Israel than any other country in the Middle East. For example, Arabs living in Israel can become citizens meaning they vote in elections and elect members to the Knesset which is the governing body of Israel.

Arab women living in Israel have more freedom than any Arab country since they can attend any school, college or university. This is not the case in traditional Arab societies because it reduces male authority and respect. This raises the question, "Do Israelites living in Arab countries have similar rights and freedoms?" NO!

By the way, the Old Covenant also declares in the Torah that we should love our enemies. Leviticus 19:18 says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Let us all love our enemies using Israel as our example.

Blessings,

Frank  

Blessing Israel

Genesis 12:3 shows Jehovah God speaking to Abraham and his descendants who became the Jewish People, "I will bless those who bless you." Is there a more important time than right now for all of us to Bless Israel? The question is, how can we do this? Certainly, a place to start is to pray daily for the Peace Of Jerusalem. {Psalm 122:6} Additionally and very important, we can speak the truth concerning the events in Gaza as many mistruths are currently evident.

Following are some examples from the Word of God showing how those who Bless Israel were in turn blessed. The Book of Luke describes a situation where a Roman Centurion had a servant who was about to die. The Centurion sent Jewish Elders to Jesus asking Him to come and heal the servant. The Elders informed Jesus that the Centurion "Loves Israel and has built a Synagogue." {Luke 7:4-6} Jesus then went to the Gentile's house and healed his servant! Hallelujah!

Another example is about Cornelius, a Gentile, who was described "As a devout man and one who feared God . . . who gave alms generously to the people." {Acts 10:2} The people referred to were the Jews who lived near Cornelius in Caesarea. Cornelius's house was selected by God to be the first Gentile house to receive the Gospel Of Salvation and the first to receive the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit. Praise The Lord!

Currently, an example of a person who is blessed is Tom Hess, who leads the Jerusalem House Of Prayer For All Nations located on the Mount Of Olives. This ministry has people coming daily from all over the world to pray for Israel 24 hours a day. When a person enters the ministry building, they will hear harpists worshiping The Lord with beautiful music. {Psalm 150:3}

Especially now, we who love God and the Jewish People, need to persevere in our daily prayers and our actions in support of Israel!

Blessings,

Frank           

Israel At War

For all of us who love Israel and "Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem" these days are very disturbing because Israel Is At War. Almost two weeks ago, Israel was viciously invaded and attacked by the terror organization Hamas. To date, many Israelis have been killed, many have been injured and many have been taken as hostages. However, this is a terror attack, it is not a war Israel must fight that is prophesied in the Word of God.  

We at For Zion's Sake Ministry sense it would be appropriate at this time to study a war that is in Israel's future - The Battle Of Gog And Magog. The timing of this war is debatable among Bible Scholars. Some feel it will take place prior to the Tribulation Period while others feel it will take place at the end of the Tribulation Period.

This battle that Israel will have to fight is described in Ezekiel 38 - 39. Jehovah God speaks to Gog who is believed to be the leader of Russia who will lead a coalition of nations that will invade Israel. Ezekiel 38:11 says this coalition of nations will invade "A land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars or gates." This shows a description of Israel in the future. As a result, they will effectively recover from this current battle they are fighting, Praise The Lord!

Wonderful News! . . . Israel Wins The Battle Of Gog And Magog!

Ezekiel 38:21,23 describes God saying, "I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all my mountains. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am The Lord."

Israel has won every war it has fought, there is no reason to believe God will not bring them to victory in Gaza. Let us all pray Psalm 122:6 each and everyday! Hallelujah! Praise The Lord!

 Blessings,

Frank   

Israel - A Blessing To The World

Our last two messages illustrated how God chose the Jewish People to be a "Great Nation." He is accomplishing this through an Unconditional Covenant meaning He alone is making it happen. {Genesis 12:2} This verse also says of the Jewish People "You shall be a blessing." Indeed, Israel has been and continues to be a blessing to the world.

When Israel was founded it was a barren desert land. Today the desert blossoms and drinking water comes from thin air. Diseases are caught early enough for effective treatment. Israeli doctors treat patients in Israel but also include Palestinians and even send their doctors to other countries. They also share their technology with the rest of the world. When a tragedy happens anywhere in the world, Israeli doctors are the first on the scene .

Yes, Israel is a blessing to the world and has been a blessing since it was founded in 1948. All the world knows Israel is currently fighting for its very existence. The terror group Hamas has started a war with Israel by firing rockets into Southern and Central Israel. Additionally, Hamas terrorists have infiltrated Israel and have attacked and murdered many men, women and children.

Please Join Me In Praying These Psalms For Israel

Psalm 2:1-6 "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against The Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 'let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure; yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."

Psalm 9:1-5 "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. When My enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence. For You have maintained My right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever."

Psalm 28:7-9 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever."

Psalm 105:1-11 "Oh, give thanks to The Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing Psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those rejoice who seek The Lord. Seek The Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore. Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders and the judgements of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, 'to you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance.'"

Blessinga,

Frank 

Israel - How And Why

In our previous message we learned that Jehovah God chose Abrahm's Descendants to become His People and His Land. He established an Unconditional Covenant with the Jewish People. Our message will describe how this critically important event took place.

Abram started questioning Jehovah God about how He will make Abram and his descendants into a "Great Nation?" Our Lord and Savior responded to Abram in Genesis 13:14-17 saying, "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth."

Abram is still questioning Jehovah God and asked Him in Genesis 15:8 "Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" Jehovah God responded to Abram in Genesis 15:9,10 "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle and placed each piece opposite the other."

Genesis 15:17 says, "And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces." All of us who study the Word of God know that our God works in mysterious ways. This verse certainly fits into that category.

However, Bible Scholars believe Jehovah God was the "Smoking Oven and Burning Torch" establishing His Unconditional Covenant with His Chosen People in this manner. Please notice Genesis 15:18 confirmed God was establishing a Covenant, "On the same day The Lord made a Covenant with Abram saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.'"

This Ends The Land Dispute In Israel!

Jehovah God Gave To His Chosen People

 A Major Portion Of The Middle East! 

End Of Discussion! 

Blessings,

Frank  

      

Israel - How And Why?

For Zion's Sake Ministry is celebrating ten years of sharing a message from Jehovah God every week. We thank Him for this special honor and privilege, we also thank Him for the 74,000 people who have read these messages during the ten years. We also sense it is time to transition to a new series of messages entitled "Israel - How And Why?"

We will start by studying Genesis 12:1-3. Our Lord God speaks to Abram in a relatively short message but an extremely important message since it introduces the concepts of:

The Jews - God's People . . . Israel - God's Nation

Genesis 12:1-3, "Now the Lord said to Abram; 'Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" 

Please notice Abraham was called Abram at this time. God speaks to Abram and directs him to leave his family and his home and go to a place unknown to Abram. How many of us would immediately obey in a similar situation?

God then says to Abram, "I will make you into a great nation." In reality, God is speaking to Abram and to his descendants who will become the Jewish people and will become "The Great Nation." We need to illustrate here that this "Great Nation" has a two-fold meaning. This "Great Nation" will become the physical state of Israel and also it refers to God's Chosen People - The Jews.

Shortly after Jehovah God declares to Abraham about the "Great Nation," He establishes with them an Unconditional Covenant. A Covenant is an agreement between two parties that is unbreakable. Please notice in verses 2 and 3 God promises exactly what He will do for His New Unconditional People - The Jews.

God promises: He will make them into a Great Nation...He will bless them...He will make their name great...He will make them into a blessing...He will bless those who bless them...He will curse those who curse them. Pease notice Jehovah God is doing it all!

In conclusion, Genesis 12:1-3 is the foundation road map of how God chose the Jewish People to be His "Covenant People." Could we say they are "His Chosen People?" In our next message, we will exam how the Covenant was physically established. Stay Tuned!

Blessings,

Frank          

The Northern Border Of Israel

"The land is Lebanese, the control is Iranian and the target is Israel," said Israel's Defense Minister Gallant. Iran has built a base for terrorist organizations at an airport 12 miles from the border with Israel. In pictures you can see Iranian flags flying over the runways. The defense minister of Israel said, "If it comes to a conflict, we will activate the Israeli Defense Forces. Hezbullah and Lebanon will pay a heavy price."

Gallant charged Iran with organizing the most recent surge of Palestinian Terrorism in Israel, Iran seeks every means to harm Israelis. Israeli officials have alerted citizens of Israel to be extra alert during the Jewish Holidays in September.

Let Us Pray For The Jewish People During Their Holy Days

By Praying Psalm 121

Vs. 1 - "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help."

Vs. 2 - "My help comes from The Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Vs. 3 - "He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber."

Vs. 4 - "Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."

Vs. 5 - "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand."

Vs. 6 - "The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night."

Vs. 7 - "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul."

Vs. 8 - "The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore."

Blessings, Frank

Starting with our next message, we will have a new format which will be a teaching about Israel's past and present anointing from Jehovah God!