Just today in fact it was reported in the Times of Israel that “Pope Francis raised eyebrows on Friday by supporting the candidacy for sainthood of a French priest whose dossier was put on hold in 2005 because of his alleged anti-Semitic views.”  According to French newspapers in 2005 Leon Dehon called anti semitism “a sign of hope.”  The Vatican has said that you just have to take it in the context of the day.  I’m not sure how that affects anything; based on that we can take Pius XII’s agreements with the Nazi’s into historical context and it’s all ok.  I think the difference is at that time the Vatican was happy to openly show their anti semitism whereas now they feel the need to slightly cover it.

Even FIFA the world soccer body was raising concerns about how the Palestinian players were being treated as they have to stop at check points like the rest of the population.  Never mind the fact that the checkpoints directly save Jewish lives.

An MK in Israel got up in the Knesset this week and said “It’s not politically correct to be anti-Semitic today, but it’s super-in to be anti-Israel”… “People used to delegitimize the Jews and now they do it to our country.”

The members of the Fogel family who were brutally murdered while they slept in 2011.

How about the Dutch travel advisory for its citizens traveling to Israel.  It has the following warning:  “Jewish colonists live in illegal West Bank settlements and organize demonstrations regularly around and on the road. These colonists are sometimes violent. At times, these colonists throw stones at Palestinians and international vehicles, so be alert when traveling around settlements of Jewish colonists.”  Could you get any more ridiculous!  If you have ever traveled in the West Bank the last thing you are concerned about is Jewish settlers; this is nothing short of calling black white.  If anyone has bullet proof glass it will be a Jewish car and it is the Jews that live in gated communities for fear of an attack like the one on the Fogel family.  That attack was four years ago in 2011; two Palestinians  broke into the settlement of Itamar late in the evening and murdered five members of the same family in their beds.  Both parents were killed and three children, the youngest of whom was only three months old.  Three children survived.  The attack does stand out for its brutality but many, many families in Judea and Samaria have lost family to terror.  In fact it is the one year anniversary of the deaths of the three teens that were murdered near Gush Etzion - Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah.

It was Canada’s new Foreign Minister, Rob Nicholson this week that said "we understand that Israel's neighbourhood is as dangerous as Canada's is peaceful.”

Many have a feeling that the Palestinians are living under repressive conditions and that in some way it kind of balances out, especially when Israel has the larger modern military.  I think that it is important to see how much the media is biased against Israel.  You may think that you are not affected by it but there is some truth in the saying “if you throw enough mud at the wall some will stick.”  The truth is that if all you listen to is the BBC and CNN or news stations like it you will be clouded in your outlook.  If you want to know what is going on in Israel be sure that your list of sources includes israelnationalnews.com as a start.

Well if you really want to see black called white can you get any better a place than the UN?  Last month Ynet News reported that “out of nine official documents produced from the UN's annual Commission on the Status of Women report, only one of the UN's 193 members were mentioned in regards to ongoing infringement of women's rights – Israel”  You could laugh if it was not so serious.  And there’s more, Israel National News reported that “Israel was condemned, by a vote of 104 to 4 at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the only country in the world that violates health rights.”  Again, so insane, here is Israel with a history of offering treatment to its enemies, (which the article points out) from in the Golan to Gaza and Ramallah, and a country that sent aid to Nepal during the earthquake.

We know from the prophecies that in the end Israel will stand alone until the intervention of the Messiah so we cannot be surprised when we see this happening.  That said it still blows your mind when you see how mad the world is.  

When we come to Ezekiel 38 we have the picture of a northern confederacy of nations coming “against my people Israel.”  the following words are from verse 14 - 19.

14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth 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, 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.

17 Thus saith the Lord God; 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 the Lord God, 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..."

God's fury comes up in his face because of the treatment of his people.  Based on that I think we should all understand and be aware of the growing anti-Semitism, further to that it should bother us to the core.

Another note is that in the end the United States is not there to rescue the Jewish people. Yes, there are nations speaking out against the moves, you can see that in verse 13:

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?"

Lots of talk, little action.

I believe that in the end the United States and the other lion powers are unable to stop the advance of the northern power.  That said under the current administration the US is jumping on the band wagon and turning its back on Israel, in as much as they are able.  Just this week Obama went on Israeli television and said “If in fact there is no prospect of a peace process, if no one believes there is a peace process, it becomes more difficult to argue with those who are concerned about settlement construction, more difficult for me to say, ‘Be patient, we have a process here.’”  He is ultimately upset because Netanyahu said that a Palestinian State was not going to happen any time soon.  The reality is that giving land for peace does not work and more than that Israel has no real partner to talk peace with.  Trying to make peace with Hamas and the PA is like trying to talk nice to a rabid dog and no that is not an exaggeration.  In the area under PA control they are naming streets after terrorists.  Seriously. 

Lord Balfour who penned the Balfour Declaration.

As far as the US and growing anti-Semitism in the west it coincides with the Bible being thrown out of society.  In the years leading up to Israel being a nation you had many in positions of power who helped the cause considerably based on their love of the Bible and therefore God's people.  People like Lord Palmerston, Winston Churchill and of course Lord Balfour another prime minister of Britain; the man behind the Balfour declaration.  But beyond figures at the top you also had ones like Laurence Oliphant and Orde Wingate.

Today there are some acceptations, we have mentioned Canada and I think Canada will stay favourable to Israel for as long as Stephen Harper stays as Prime Minister.  The other very interesting news item this week was regarding Saudi Arabia.  Long have Bible students looked for a softening in the relationship based again on Ezekiel 38 as Saudi Arabia is in the territory of Sheba and Dedan of Biblical times.  Normally Saudi Arabia likes to keep quiet any hint of working with Israel but this week it was announced that the two countries are working together on the Iran file.   Not really surprising but the fact that they are announcing it is a huge change, and in line with the Bible.

There are many angles to look at where we stand in the plan and purpose of God.  We may not know the day in which Christ will return, but of this we can be sure, we are in the era.  The Jews are back on the mountains of Israel and are in need of the Messiah, as do we all.  May we all be found ready and prepared when the day soon comes.  We will end with the following word from Psalm 2:

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

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