Gog and Magog begins NOW!

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Ezekiel 38-39

The prophet Ezekiel speaks of a horrible end time war where many nations attack Israel. Does the current war against Israel fit this prophecy?

Ezekiel 38:14-16: “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwell safely, shalt thou not know it? You will come up from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days.”

Confusion and anxiety oppress our souls as the game of war changes every few hours and we are forced to bow to the pressure the nations relentlessly place on us! Many struggle to find an anchor of hope to cling to in this struggle. As we fight to keep our sanity, let’s take a small detour—a short study comparing the details of the ongoing Hamas war against Israel with this prophecy of Ezekiel. Maybe some of it fits the picture. But to understand it, we need a few definitions from the Bible and from ancient maps and other prophecies of Gog and Magog?

There have been several attempts to destroy the State of Israel since it became a nation. Ezekiel portrays more than anything we have seen so far as we see impending disaster again and again. It speaks of end times and several aspects of the current war seem to fit. Let’s check it out!

Genesis 10 is the first mention of Magog as a son of Japheth, son of Noah. His sons are listed in Gen 10: 2 “The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.”

These sons of Japheth settled in different geographical regions which are shown on the biblical map. They include places like Turkey and Iran, Iraq, Armenia, the tip of Russia, Greece and Italy. Many of these places are countries that have anciently and even presently troubled Israel. Below is a map identifying the areas where the sons of Noah settled. Sons became tribes and then nations. Japheth and his sons are listed in the prophecy. The challenge is to locate these with their modern names.

There are 3 places in Tanakh where Magog is mentioned:

Eze 38: 2 “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.”

Num 24:5-7: “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, like aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag (Magog), and his kingdom shall be exalted.”

Numbers 24:7 uses the Hebrew word מֵֽאֲגַג magag, which is translated “from Agag.”

And though it is true that the prefix mem “מֵֽ” before a word does mean “from,” Magog may be the actual word written without the prefix. If the mem is used as a prefix, then with the three letters following the mem, אֲגַג (agag), it would correctly read “from” Agag. However because of the placement of the word in Balaam’s prophecy about Israel’s future in Numbers, I believe the interpretation has been mistakenly applied to the story of king Agag and the corresponding descent of Amalek, when in reality it may be speaking of a future rising up of Israel above Magog.

But why is Magag in this instance spelled without the Hebrew letter for O? Let us look closer at the Hebrew. The word מֵֽאֲגַג could be missing the holem vav “וֹ” that shows up in Genesis 10 and later in Ezekiel, where is rendered Magog מָּגוֹג. The fact that the letter vav is missing between the two consonants is common in Hebrew usage, since the o sound can be signified without a vav by placing a vowel point before the next letter, that would be between the two gimels (גַג -gg). For those that know Biblical Hebrew, this is common.

According to Wikipedia, “The Septuagint for Numbers 24:7 reads “Gog” instead of “Agag.” But how would that help the story? It would show that the king of Israel will rise higher than Magog at the latter day. This is not talking about principally Amalek’s descendants which do not descend from Japheth, And about this king, we do not know yet who he is. Most believe it to be the Mashiach. Or perhaps the Israeli leadership at that time. This goes well with what Ezekiel says; Ezek 38:2 אֶרֶץ הַמָּגוֹג –the land of Magog.

Further, In the story of the capture of Agag, the king of Amalek (1 Sam 15), the timing is off—he would not be the same Agag as in the prophecy of Balaam. The prophecy covered the history of Israel even to end times. Thus my assertion that the word magag should have been written מָּגוֹג Magog in Numbers 24.

The last reference to Magog is in Ezekiel 39, throughout the chapter:

Eze 39:-6 “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

Who is Gog? “The chief prince of Meshach and Tubal.” Some commentators present Russia as Gog and Magog as China. According to the map, Magog is North of Israel, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Meshech seems to be Modern Turkey. It is very possible that Russia is the head of the snake in this battle (or as referred to biblically, “the chief prince.”) China doesn’t seem to be Gog or Magog.

Chapter 38 of Ezekiel is the most extensive description of what happens with Gog and Magog concerning Israel in “the latter days.” It may seem a bit long, but there is a lot of information that seems to fit what is going on in the world. Let’s open it up! I will comment as I see things that fit.

Eze 38:1-23: 1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

According to our map (above) Meshach and Tubal are located in present day Turkey. Also here is a quote from Wikipedia:

“Most reference books, following Flavius Josephus, identify Tubal in Ezekiel’s time as an area that is now in Turkey.” (Source)

So who would be Gog, the chief prince of Magog? Iran? Or is it Russia who enables Iran and all of these countries?

3. And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarma of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

8. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

The highlighted parts speak of this war: In the latter years, the land that is brought back from the sword, gathered out of many people, Israel has been always waste. The gathering has been brought forth out of the nations, and it is a time when those in Israel dwell safely.

We see the Jews returning en mass to Israel. “Out of the 15.2 million Jewish people in the world, 47% reside in Israel.” (Click Jewish Virtual Library). This has become a reality for the Jewish people in the years since the Holocaust. The towns (without walls) for the most part have been safe to live in. Maybe this is why there has not been the degree of vigilance in Israel that there should be. (hold on to this thought when we see verse 11.)

9 Thou (Gog, Magog) shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land,

How does modern warfare present itself? From the air? Rockets, Missiles, Paragliders—these come in the sky, sometimes like a cloud to cover the land.

“…thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.”

10 “Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,“

The cities and villages in Israel are mostly without gates or walls, and the windows are not barred in many places. We have felt content and secure in our dwellings, just as the prophet describes.
12 “To take a spoil, and to take a prey (kidnapping); to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, (again, the in-gathering of the exiles from many nations) which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.”

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwell safely, shalt thou not know it?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the North parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses (military transport), a great company, and a mighty army: 16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

“I will bring thee against My Land:” Gog is clearly leading the attack from the North. However, it is the God of Israel who is leading in the attack for the verse says “I will bring thee against my land,” and it states that the purpose is that the Eternal be “sanctified in thee, O Gog”!

To sanctify in Hebrew means to set apart, make clean or make holy. So how does the God of Israel become sanctified through Gog? There is a reference to this sanctifying the God of Israel in the example of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus:

Lev 10:1-3 “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.”

In this instance the death of Nadab and Abihu cleansed the camp of the folly of disobeying Hashem’s direct instructions regarding the tabernacle service. The Eternal was glorified (could we say it became clear through the death of these sons of Aaron, that God means what He says?) And in the case of Gog being destroyed before all the nations, I believe it is the same context. You don’t mess with His Land or His people who are Set Apart for Holiness—the sons of Jacob.

Next we will see in the last part of chapter 38, the final act—the God of Israel arises in wrath to destroy Gog and Magog. Earthquakes, fire, brimstone, blood, hailstones, torrential rain, mountains tumble and the enemy will turn on each other. This will magnify and sanctify the Eternal YHVH. How? By cleansing the camp of the evil ones!

17 “Thus saith YHVH Elohim; [Art] thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? 18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith YHVH Elohim, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him (Gog and Magog) with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am YHVH.

A closer look at Gog:

Ezekiel says Gog is the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal, sons of Japheth. Gog cannot be an Arab nation for Arabs originally came from Shem (and perhaps mixed with Ham) not Japheth. Both Ishmael and Esau were from Shem. So who would be the “chief prince, or leader of the Turks (the area of ancient Magog) today? Meshach and Tubal, when the ancient maps are studied, are located in Turkey. Could it be that Gog is Iran? Who funds and inspires their military quests? Iran sponsors terrorist organizations including Hezbollah and Hamas. But who leads Iran? Is it Russia? And is Iran even a possibility when we look at the maps? Actually, yes Iran was once Persia and the location is in the area of Japheth. But that would be Magog since Magog was the son of Japheth and settled there. And Gog we remember is from the far North, Gog also means roof in Hebrew signifying the top of the world.

And speaking of the Turks:

“Almost all the Ottoman historians of the 15th century claimed that the Ottoman dynasty stemmed from Japheth, the son of Noah. Japheth was generally regarded as the ancestor of the Turks in Muslim historiography. That is why the Ottoman historians accepted Japheth as their ancestor, although the descendants of Japheth were less respected than those of Shem, from whom the Prophets originated.” Jstage

According to another ancient biblical map (here), and the one shown above, Gomer (son of Japheth), Tubal, Madai, all are settled near the Caucuses mountains (Syria and Iraq), Turkey and the area near the Black and Caspian seas including present day Georgia and Armenia. The tip of Russia is also there. But the way things are playing out, it seems that Iran has a key function, perhaps part of the prophecy. Is Iran Gog? Or is Russia sponsoring Iran as Iran brings on the war, using Hamas and Hezbollah?

Who joins in with the battle?

Eze 38: 5, 6, 13: “Persia (present day Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarma…13. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish…” We see these on the map in the beginning of this article.

Let’s look again at the descendants of Japheth from Genesis:

Genesis 10:2, 4 “Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan (Greece), and Tubal, and Meshech (Turkey), and Tiras. (Italy)…And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim (Chittim) and Dodanim.”

Balaam’s prophecy speaks of end times—for the Ships of Chittim or Kittim, see this list: (Here)

Num 24:23-24 “ And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this! 24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim (Cypress, see here), and shall afflict Asshur (Assyria see below), and shall afflict Eber (Persia/Iran see below), and he also shall perish for ever.

Assyria:

“The Assyrians are the indigenous people of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, southeastern Turkey, and eastern Syria. Today there are over 5 million Assyrians worldwide and they speak the Aramaic language, also known as Syriac. These peoples are also referred to as the Chaldeans, Aramaeans, and Syriacs. Modern Assyrians are the descendants of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian empires, one of the earliest civilizations emerging in the Middle East.” For reference, click here.

Eber, the area where one of his sons, Qahtan, settled is claimed by the Muslims to be the land of Ishmael see wikipedia, see Map, Ancient Persia, as we saw, is in the location of modern day Iran.

Chittim: As mentioned in Balaam’s prophecy is Cypress, See Britannica. Chittim is mentioned in several biblical passages:

Isa 23:1, 12 “The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. 12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.”

In the time that has passed since October 7, there have been many ships from other nations waiting in the Mediterranean near Cypress (Chittim). The question is; Will they come against Israel?

Dan 11:30 “For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.” Who is this speaking of? Israel’s leadership? Do they take counsel with those who forsake the covenant?

Who is Hamas according to prophecy?

Recently several people have reminded me that in Biblical Hebrew, the word for violence (Hamas) in Genesis 6 and other places, is a secret pointing to our time. Let’s take a look at what else the Bible says:

Gen 6:13 “And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

יג וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ, קֵץ כָּל-בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי–כִּי-מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס, מִפְּנֵיהֶם; וְהִנְנִי מַשְׁחִיתָם, אֶת-הָאָרֶץ

The “end of all flesh?” Can the beginning be a reflection of the end? We now see the end staring us in the face. If nuclear bombs come at this time, unless the Creator of the world intervenes, there will be none alive to see another day!

“The Earth is filled with violence (Hamas)”…Well, that is what God told Noah and the situation today is the same, it includes all terrorists around the world and has been for some time!

“I will destroy them with the earth.”

My hope is that Hamas will be destroyed but that the earth will not need to be destroyed! That many people, even the nations, will be saved from destruction through Covenant that Hashem made with the People of the Book.

Could the use of the Hebrew word חֲמַס in the Bible, be a coincidence? It stood out as a sign to me that at the time the Hamas terror struck Israel, Shabbat October 7, Religious Jews were set to begin Parsha Bereshit, chapters 1-6 of Genesis starting the following day, this passage includes the above verse.

Is there somewhere else the word Hamas is used in Tanakh? In fact, there are 44 references that use it. Here are a few, they all refer to physical violence.

Oba 1:10: (speaking of Esau): “For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever.”

מֵחֲמַס אָחִיךָ יַעֲקֹב, תְּכַסְּךָ בוּשָׁה; וְנִכְרַתָּ, לְעוֹלָם.

Jdg 9:24: “that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers.”

לָבוֹא, חֲמַס שִׁבְעִים בְּנֵי-יְרֻבָּעַל; וְדָמָם, לָשׂוּם עַל-אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אֲחִיהֶם אֲשֶׁר הָרַג אוֹתָם, וְעַל בַּעֲלֵי שְׁכֶם, אֲשֶׁר-חִזְּקוּ אֶת-יָדָיו לַהֲרֹג אֶת-אֶחָיו.

Check out the book of Habakkuk (whose tomb, by the way is close to us here—actually just outside Tiberias) the prophet was speaking of a murderous onslaught by Israel’s enemies, sent as a punishment for greed and other sins. He uses the word Hamas over and over throughout the book. Here are a few of the verses:

Hab 1:2 “How long, O LORD, shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save.”

עַד-אָנָה יְהוָה שִׁוַּעְתִּי, וְלֹא תִשְׁמָע: אֶזְעַק אֵלֶיךָ חָמָס, וְלֹא תוֹשִׁיעַ.

Hab 1:9 “They come all of them for violence; their faces are set eagerly as the east wind; and they gather captives (kidnapping) as the sand.

כֻּלֹּה לְחָמָס יָבוֹא, מְגַמַּת פְּנֵיהֶם קָדִימָה; וַיֶּאֱסֹף כַּחוֹל, שֶׁבִי.

Hab 2:17 “For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.”

כִּי חֲמַס לְבָנוֹן יְכַסֶּךָּ, וְשֹׁד בְּהֵמוֹת יְחִיתַן, מִדְּמֵי אָדָם וַחֲמַס-אֶרֶץ, קִרְיָה וְכָל-יֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ.

Despite this depressing description in Habakkuk of the attacks our our enemies, we see in the last part of Ezekiel 38 the end of Gog and Magog (Hamas and his cohorts).

Ezekiel 39 shows the final destruction of all the nations that come against Israel. Below are the first 12 verses of chapter 39. Please take time to read the continuing graphic description in the rest of the chapter!

Ezekiel 39:1-12 (Koren Jerusalem Bible):

“And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshekh and Tuval:

and I will turn thee about, and entice thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the far sides of the north, and will bring thee against the mountains of Yisra᾽el:

and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thy arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Yisra᾽el, thou, and all thy bands, and the peoples that are with thee: I will give thee to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, says the Lord God.

And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell securely in the coastlines: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Yisra᾽el; and I will not allow my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Yisra᾽el.

Behold, it comes, and it is accomplished, says the Lord God; this is the day of which I have spoken.

And they that dwell in the cities of Yisra᾽el shall go forth, and shall set fire to the weapons, and burn them, both shield and buckler, bow and arrows, and the staves, and the spears, and they shall make fires with them for seven years.

So that they shall take no wood out of the field, nor cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fire with the weapons: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, says the Lord God.

And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will give to Gog a place for burial in Yisra᾽el, the valley of those who travel to the east of the sea: and it shall block the path of the travelers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The Valley of Hamon-gog (the Multitude of Gog).

And seven months shall the house of Yisra᾽el be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.”

So what can we take away from this prophecy? The context of the prophecy for a time when Israel who have been lost among the nations return to the Land which had been left as a wasteland. We see names of ancient peoples who became nations that fit geographically with many of those who have been enemies of Israel, nations whose desire is that Israel be driven into the sea. We see aerial attacks represented by verses that speak of covering the sky. We see references to kidnapping (take a prey). We see ships waiting outside Israel, some near Cypress. The war in Ezekiel 38 happens in the latter days. The prophecy shows that Israel rises above Magog and is also mentioned in Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24.

The outcome of these prophecies present an element of hope. We can cling to the promise of a better day even in the dark moments of uncertainty in our present situation. There is hope in these passages, hope which we all need at this time.

May the people of Israel stay faithful to our Covenant with the Most High and continue to hold high the moral standard that our God has required of His Chosen People!

Yours in the Hope of a Better Future for Israel and the entire World!

Ariella

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Step out of My Comfort Zone? Who Me?

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Where will you be when the war to end all wars is upon us? Will you be doing the same thing and expecting different results? Where are you now?

People confess to me that they want their world back—the one that they grew up in. I tell them that is not possible. We have stepped into another reality and this reality is not going to be strawberry shortcake and mom’s apple pie! Is it just possible that time has sped up and the world is wobbling off course to a final disastrous end? Still, I believe there is time to make a difference!

Even now is that time and those who sit on the sidelines or straddle the fence for a bit longer will be swept away in the coming chaos. But there are those who have already stepped over the line that has been clearly drawn in the sand by the events of that fateful morning of October 7. Where do you stand my friend?

So I ask if you will support Israel in our time of trouble? Many are praying, many are making YouTube videos, or sending out newsletters to raise money and stating their decision to stand with Israel. Will you come and help even for a few weeks to bring in the harvest on farms where the owners are fighting the war? Are you a trained soldier? Can you support the soldiers in providing badly needed supplies? Their is no limit to what people can do to join this fight!

To not make a decision is to make a decision. To ride along believing that life will go back to what we were comfortable with even 10 or 20 years ago is to bury our heads in the sand. It means taking the Blue Pill and staying asleep for a little while longer.

The stark reality is that a monstrous movement is marching through the world and those who do not rise to fight it will be carried away in it’s wake. People are afraid. People join the multitudes in hate marches because they think they can hide that way, join the wrong side? Is that safety? To not buck the tide when it is going down a sink hole is to go on down with it. What? Are we going to give up our ideals to save a little bit of a life we once knew? Are we going to hide our eyes when genocide has been threatened to the People of the Book in a tiny country called the Holy Land? Do we really think it doesn’t matter in the end game of all games?

People tell me there are still safe spots in America. Hmmm…whom do they think they are kidding? In Europe and America Jews have been counseled to wear ball caps to cover their kippahs, tuck in their tzitzit, remove mezuzahs, Hanukias and Stars of David and Israeli flags that they might have on display. And who are these Jews who think that America or England, which may have been their home for many years is certainly safer than Israel? They are wrong.

We in Israel know that the God of Israel has a destiny for the Jewish people. Yes there will be losses—there already have been losses—of lives and personal wealth, people living near the borders have been evacuated for weeks now and may not be able to return to their homes for months yet, but Israel is the homeland of the sons of Jacob. And Israel will play a big part on the final earthly stage—no matter the cost. Will you be on the stage or will you be watching from a distance while the bombs fall? Will you save your own life at the cost of your brothers and sisters? Really?

It is urgent that you find a way to come to Israel. You may need to find an online job. Come for a few days or weeks even. Cook for the soldiers or volunteer to serve them coffee. Sacrifice for the good of all! You may need to sell a house or two, but by all means come; for the destiny of the world is being played out at this very moment!

As illustrated by Moses in the day after the golden calf was ground to powder, so the call is true for us today:

Exo 32:26 “Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is on the LORD’s side–come to me!’ And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.”

Later Joshua in his last speech challenged Israel:

Jos 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

So today, the lands of those who are governed by nations that are not worshipers of the true God, are not the lands destined for the perpetuity of the sons of Jacob. We are called to return and stand with the rest of the House of Israel. By standing together we will accomplish more than we have ever dreamed. But even if many do not come to stand by us in the land with Israel, we still will win this war for Israel! And sadly, to those who prefer the comfort and the riches of the lands that have provided a home in the exile, to those who close their ears to the cries of their greater family in Israel, all I can say is, God help them for at these moments the conditions of pre-Nazi Germany are present in every part of the globe.

Israel invites you to come home. There is a promise of a future here and nowhere else!

Shalom v’Bracha

Ariella

Mentes malvadas: Hamás, Sodoma, los antediluvianos

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¿Por qué ciertas personas parecen ser malas desde el momento de nacer y otras tienen buenas obras a lo largo de su vida? ¿Será que hay un mal heredado que pasa a través del árbol genealógico? ¿Está afectado su ADN real? Por ejemplo, si consideramos la mentalidad de Hamás, tenemos ejemplos de este mal cultivado en las escuelas y por los padres, pero ¿es sólo un mal cultivado? ¿Qué pasaría si los niños fueran adoptados y criados en un ambiente pacífico? ¿Entonces que? ¿O todavía tendrían tendencias a matar y engañar? ¿Por qué los árabes de Medio Oriente, en su mayor parte, odian a los judíos y desean eliminarlos? ¿Ha venido esta actitud de Ismael, Esaú y los otros hijos de Cetura, la concubina de Abraham? Como explicó recientemente un árabe cristiano, la gente en Occidente no comprende la mentalidad de los árabes en el Medio Oriente. No piensan como los occidentales. Estas personas a menudo matan a sus propios hijos y esposas por cualquier pequeña desobediencia o supuesta deshonra. No hay compasión. El robo se recompensa con el corte de una mano, y la segunda vez, con el corte de la otra mano. Entonces, por supuesto, no pueden alimentarse por sí mismos y mueren. Las mujeres sospechosas de haber cometido indiscreción con otro hombre son asesinadas incluso cuando no hay pruebas. El miedo reina donde no hay piedad.

Tal vez esto parezca una actitud crítica o incluso racista, pero ¿qué pasa con los textos bíblicos que parecen estar de acuerdo con esto?

Sodoma y Gomorra:

Abraham le rogó al Eterno que considerara salvar a Sodoma si solo se encontraban allí 10 personas justas, con la esperanza de evitar la destrucción. Como podemos imaginar, los niños pequeños y los bebés fueron aniquilados por el fuego y el azufre junto con todos los adultos culpables, excepto los cinco rescatados por los dos ángeles que visitaron a Lot la noche anterior. Esos niños no fueron víctimas inocentes de la ira de Dios: ¡El Eterno sabe lo que hace! Y como veremos más adelante incluso las dos hijas de Lot produjeron, a través del incesto, dos naciones que continuamente irritaban a los hijos de Jacob. ¿Cuál fue el mal inherente de Sodoma que maldijo a esa generación para que cargara con el mismo mal hasta el punto de que no hubiera manera de escapar de la condena de una destrucción ardiente? El incesto y la inmoralidad son como un cáncer en la sociedad. Matar, violar, robar… todo esto trae el mal a toda una población.

El Diluvio:

Cuando el Creador vio antes del diluvio que los pensamientos de los hombres en la tierra eran “sólo el mal continuamente”; Le declaró a Noé:

Génesis 6:13: “Y dijo Dios a Noé: El fin de toda carne ha venido delante de mí; porque la tierra está llena de violencia por causa de ellos; y he aquí, yo los destruiré junto con la tierra”.

¿Realmente no había ninguna cura redentora para los pequeños que aún no habían probado los placeres del mal absoluto? Según la historia, no hubo ningún hombre, mujer o niño que subiera al arca con Noé y su familia de ocho miembros. Y con respecto al relato que Noé predicó durante 120 años para tratar de salvar a algunos, esto no es parte de la historia tal como se da en Génesis. Noé y su familia fueron los únicos seres humanos vivos que fueron considerados dignos de ser salvados por el Eterno. ¿Qué pasó para que todo el resto de la humanidad se hubiera corrompido hasta el punto de ser irredimible? Es interesante observar los dos linajes y sus descendientes. El linaje de Caín y el linaje de Set. Los hijos de Set fueron los que llevaron el linaje de los justos…Enoc, Matusalén, Noé. Y parece que después del diluvio, los hijos de Noé se dividieron en el linaje de los justos y el linaje de los malvados cananeos. ¿Canaán hizo algo que corrompió su linaje hasta el punto de que a Israel se le ordenó exterminar a todos los cananeos de la tierra? ¿Por qué buen linaje y mal linaje? ¿Son algunos pecados tan malvados que las siguientes generaciones son maldecidas hasta el punto de que pocos, si es que alguno, escapan?

¿Existen hoy pueblos en la tierra que sean irredimibles? ¿Hay algo que ha conquistado las mentes de la multitud para que no puedan elegir el bien sobre el mal? En la situación actual con Hamás y las atrocidades que se han cometido contra niños, mujeres y ancianos inocentes, así como contra soldados y hombres civiles, es evidente que el mal está en primer lugar en su forma de pensar. No queda nada bueno en una persona que se jacta de violar y matar personalmente a personas inocentes. La persona que hace estas cosas ha ido más allá de su capacidad de arrepentirse. Un poder del mal lo controla y él está sujeto a este poder de destrucción. Está atado por las cuerdas de sus propios pecados y no puede liberarse. Él/ella ha ido demasiado lejos.

El pecado pasa de generación en generación:

Cuando Dios dio los mandamientos en el Sinaí, declaró que Él “visitaría la iniquidad de los padres sobre los hijos hasta la tercera y cuarta generación de los que me odian”. Éxodo 20:5. Si los padres no se arrepienten de sus pecados, ¿hay esperanza para los hijos? Seguramente hay casos raros, pero las tendencias a continuar en el camino del mal son abrumadoras. Quizás exista algo llamado ADN corrupto.

La ciencia de cómo el mal se apodera de una mente a partir del abuso y el pecado habitual es horrible. ¿Me atrevería a decir que no hay escapatoria? Hay ejemplos de arrepentimiento, pero pocos. Nadie sabe el nivel exacto al que una persona no puede escapar ni arrepentirse.

Mientras está escrito en Ezequiel:

Eze 18:20 – “El alma que pecare, esa morirá. El hijo no llevará la iniquidad del padre, ni el padre llevará la iniquidad del hijo; la justicia del justo será sobre él, y la maldad de los impíos será sobre él”.

Siempre he citado eso, pero esto no quiere decir que los niños serán justos. Quizás dé un atisbo de esperanza de que un hijo o una hija puedan enmendar su conducta y apartarse de la maldad de sus padres. Y vemos que aunque los pecados de los padres no recaen sobre los hijos, sus propios pecados continúan abundando a menos que encuentren fuerza personal para resistir. Encontrar fuerza en la Mano extendida del Dios Altísimo es el único camino hacia la superación.

El panorama del declive de la Tierra desde la moralidad hasta el mal absoluto es sombrío. ¿Estamos en el punto de la desaparición de la Tierra en el que no hay retorno del mal rampante entre nosotros? ¿Hay esperanza de que unas cuantas luces brillantes representen la verdad y traigan un arrepentimiento final y un retorno a la justicia como no se ha visto en muchas generaciones? ¿O será necesaria nuevamente la ira Divina para limpiar la tierra del mal y preparar un hogar para aquellos que se aferran al Pacto Divino que asegura la rectitud y la justicia en la tierra?

Suyo en la esperanza de un nuevo mundo the paz!

Ariella

Evil Minds—Hamas, Sodom, the Antediluvians

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Why do certain people seem to be evil from the moment of birth and others have good deeds throughout their lives? Could it be that there is an inherited evil that passes down through the family tree? Is their actual DNA affected? For instance, if we consider the mindset of Hamas, we have examples of this evil being cultivated in the schools and by the parents, but is it only a cultivated evil? What if the children were adopted and raised in a peaceful environment? What then? Or would they still have tendencies to kill and deceive? Why do Arabs in the Middle East, for the most part, hate the Jews and desire to eliminate them? Has this attitude come down from Ishmael and Esau and the other sons of Abraham’s concubine Keturah? As one Christian Arab explained recently, people in the West do not understand the mindset of Arabs in the Middle East. They do not think like Westerners. These people often kill their own children and wives for any little disobedience or assumed disgrace. There is no compassion. Stealing is rewarded with cutting off a hand, and second occurrence cuts off the other hand. Then, of course they cannot feed themselves so they die. Women who are suspected of indiscretion with another man are killed even when there is no proof. Fear reigns where there is no mercy.

Maybe this seems like a judgmental or even racist attitude, but what about Biblical texts that seem to go along with this?

Sodom and Gomorrah:

Abraham begged the Eternal to consider saving Sodom if only 10 righteous people were found there, hoping to prevent the destruction. As we can imagine, little children and babes were wiped out by the fire and brimstone along with all the guilty adults, except the five rescued by the two angels who visited Lot the night before. Those kids were not the innocent victims of God’s wrath—The Eternal knows what He does! And as we see later even the two daughters of Lot produced, through incest, two nations that continually provoked the sons of Jacob. What was the inherent evil of Sodom that cursed that generation to carry the same evil to the extent that there was no escaping the doom of a fiery destruction? Incest and immorality are like a cancer on society. Killing, rape, thievery…all these bring evil upon an entire population.

The Flood:

When the Creator saw before the flood that the thoughts of men on the earth were “only evil continually;” He declared to Noah:

Gen 6:13: “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Was there really no redemptive cure for the little ones who had not yet tasted the pleasures of outright evil? According to the story, there was no man, woman or child who boarded the ark with Noah and his family of eight. And regarding the account that Noah preached for 120 years to try to save some, this is not part of the story as given in Genesis. Noah and his family were the only living humans who were counted as worthy to be saved by the Eternal. What happened that the entire remainder of humanity had corrupted themselves to the point of being unredeemable? It is interesting to note the two lineages and their descendants. Cain’s lineage and Seth’s lineage. The sons of Seth were the ones who carried the line of the righteous…Enoch, Methuselah, Noah. And it seems that after the flood, the sons of Noah were split into the lineage of the righteous and the lineage of the evil Canaanites. Did Canaan do something that corrupted his lineage to the point that Israel was commanded to exterminate all of the Canaanites in the land? Why good lineage and bad lineage? Are some sins so evil that the following generations are cursed to the point that few if any escape?

Are there peoples on the earth today who are unredeemable? Is there something that has conquered the minds of the multitude so that they cannot choose good over evil? In the current was with Hamas and the atrocities that have been committed against innocent children, women, and elderly, as well as soldiers and civilian men, it is apparent that the evil is foremost in their thinking. There is nothing good left in a person who one brags about personally raping and killing innocent people. The person who does these things has gone beyond the ability to repent. A power of evil controls him and he is subject to this power of destruction. He is tied by the cords of his own sins and cannot release himself. He/she has gone too far.

Sin Passes Down from Generation to Generation:

When God gave the commandments at Sinai, he declared that He would “visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” Exo 20:5. If the parents do not repent of their sins, is there hope for the children? There are rare instances for sure, but the tendencies to continue in the path of evil are overwhelming. Maybe there is such a thing as corrupted DNA. The science of how evil takes over a mind from habitual abuse and sin is horrific. Would I dare say there is no escape? There are examples of repentance, but few. No one knows the exact level at which a person cannot escape—nor repent.

On the other hand, it is written in Ezekiel:

Eze 18:20 – “The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

I have always quoted this verse as giving hope for those with bad parentage, but this is not saying that the children will be righteous without an intense struggle. Perhaps it gives an inkling of hope that a son or daughter can mend his ways and turn from the evil of his parents. And we see that though the sins of the fathers are not charged to the children, their own sins continue to abound unless they find personal strength to resist. Finding strength in the outstretched Hand of the Most High God is the only path to overcoming.

The outlook of earth’s decline from morality to outright evil is grim. Are we to the point in earth’s demise that there is no returning from the evil rampant among us? Is there hope that a few bright lights will stand for truth and bring a final repentance and return to righteousness such as has not been seen for many generations? Or will Divine wrath again be necessary to cleanse the earth of the evil and prepare a home for those who hold onto the Divine Covenant which insures righteousness and justice in the land?

Yours in the Hope of a Better World…Soon!

Ariella