“For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.” Ezekiel 21:21.
Long ago, one of the most powerful rulers of ancient history stood probably in the Jordan Valley at Israel’s back door. He asked his sorcerers to determine what he should do. Should he go up and attack Jerusalem or turn east and subdue the Ammonites? His sorcerers led him straight to Jerusalem. Because of his decision, his glorious empire of Babylon soon became a ruin. It has continued to be so for over 2000 years. According to the scripture it will remain cursed with eternal desolations.
TODAY’S MIDDLE EAST PROBLEM DESIGNED BY GOD
Today’s Middle East problem reminds us somewhat of Nebuchadnezzar’s day. Both situations were not only foreseen by God, but it seems that they were specifically designed by him to test the nations. To put it simply, King Nebuchadnezzar took the bait. He walked into the snare which had been set by the Almighty. Today rulers and nations gleefully eye the bait and the trap which has been set by God. They consult their wise men and their sorcerers. Some are still in the valley of decision. Others have already determined in their hearts to go up against Jerusalem.
O could these nations only hear the words of a much enlightened Nebuchadnezzar after he had been humbled by God. He had this to say about the mighty God of Israel: “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” (Dan 4:35).
There are abundant scriptures which illustrate to us that God has designed the present difficult situation in the Middle East specifically to test and judge the nations. In the book of Joel the Lord speaks about this with these words, “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land (Joel 3:2). God also says, “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves” (Zech. 12:3).
GOD’S CONTROVERSY WITH THE NATIONS
It is plain in scripture that God has a controversy with the nations. The prophets speak of this controversy, and of the day in which it will be worked out: “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause” (Isa. 34:8). We might ask, what is the basis of this controversy? Actually it is based on many things. Here are just a few of them.
There is the age-old mistreatment of his people. The Scripture tells us that God chose the Jewish people above all other people for his own special purposes (Deut. 7:6). We are able to see now that they were chosen to bring the knowledge of the one true God to all nations. Much of this purpose has surely been accomplished. As Christians, our Messiah and our Bible have been handed down to us by the Jews. Unfortunately, anti-God forces in this world have viciously attacked the Jewish people over the centuries. They have been driven from nation to nation over the last 2500 years, and have been persecuted in every place. They were slaughtered by the Nazis, with almost a third of the entire Jewish race annihilated. Now the nations are busy tightening their noose around the Jewish homeland of Israel.
But the world has not only rejected the Jewish people. It has also largely rejected the gospel which has come through them. We see from the Bible that the Christian gospel was to be “…preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations…” (Matt. 24:14). After that, the end of the age would come.
It seems that God in his wisdom never planned for the Gentile proclamation of the gospel to bring about total and permanent change in the world. It was preached as a witness to the nations in order that the fullness of Gentiles would believe and be saved. Afterward the momentum of world redemption would swing back to Israel. It is Israel who is called to be a light to the nations. In God’s time she will fulfill her calling. The law will go forth from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4) and all nations will be governed out of Zion.
Also, God is about to deal with the nations over their gross hypocrisy concerning Israel. The nations, through the agency of the UN, have condemned Israel on some 49 occasions while refusing to condemn Arab states for their flagrant atrocities. Until the outbreak of the First Gulf War (1990-91), there had not been a condemnation of a single Arab state. The UN in its hypocrisy also made that shameful declaration that Zionism is racism. The nations have also routinely recognized the capitals of all the countries on earth, but they refuse to this day to recognize the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.
The nations have often risen up in rage over the smallest events if there were Jews involved, but they have closed their eyes to events of much greater magnitude when there were no Jews implicated. For instance, the world press goes crazy with rage when one Palestinian is expelled from Israel, even though he is usually a proven criminal. Yet, there were 230,000 Palestinians expelled from Kuwait in the First Gulf War and it hardly made the back page of the papers.
GOD IS USING ISRAEL TO DEAL WITH THE NATIONS
From the perspective of Israel it is difficult to escape the conclusion that God is somehow using Israel to deal with the nations and peoples in relation to this problem. It is almost as if God were baiting the nations with Israel. The prophets seem to have realized that God would use Israel in this way. The Lord says of Israel through Jeremiah, “You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms…” (Jer. 51:20). Micah says, “Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze, and you will break to pieces many nations…” (Mic. 4:13).
ISRAEL WILL SURVIVE, THE NATIONS MAY NOT
Today we now see presidents, rulers and nations taking their stand against the covenant people. It would seem that all the odds are against Israel. Israel, however, has one thing in her favor. The King of the Universe is on her side and will remain so forever. It is Israel who will be the ultimate winner in any contest. Nations who come against her will vanish away (Psa. 129:6). Those who stand with her will be blessed both now and hereafter.
From the Scripture we are told that some nations will not survive their contest with Israel. Already there have been some casualties such as ancient Edom (Mal. 1:3-4). The Scripture indicates that Israel’s persistent antagonist, Syria, may not survive. It appears that the city of Damascus actually may cease to exist (Isa. 17:1). Those nations who have persecuted dispersed Israel may suffer a similar fate. The Lord says through the prophet, “I am with you and will save you,’ ‘declares the LORD. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you…’” (Jer. 30:11).
The prophet Zechariah paints us a picture of what it will be like in those days for the nations who have been fortunate enough to survive their contest with Israel: “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles” (Zech. 14:16).
At last God will make an end of the hatred which has infected Arab countries in the Middle East. Their bitter attacks upon Israel will cease, “No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezek. 28:24). Isaiah is even more graphic in saying, “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 60:14).
If we believe the Bible, we should understand that it is high time that we made some decisions about how we will react to what is going on in our world. Is God’s word really true, or is it only valid in areas of personal salvation? We believe it is true in all areas, in areas of salvation and in areas concerning the political events of our world today. We feel that the times are serious, and serious minded believers must into action against these trends.
The establishment of the nation of Israel and the miraculous return of its scattered citizens is proof enough that God has not changed his mind about that nation. God still says of Israel, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” (1 Chron.16:22). Truly it is decision making time in the valley of decision and all of us like King Nebuchadnezzar of old stand at the parting of the way.
-Jim Gerrish
This article is republished courtesy of Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem. Original publication date, 1991.