Defensible Borders

What’s this? How can the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, a man whose political history includes fighting for the
establishment of Israeli settlements, suddenly turn against the
majority of his party and his past actions? With the
‘encouragement’ of President George Bush, he now
wants to displace thousands of his own Jewish people.

And so the age-old saga continues. The story of Israel is an
incredible tale of promise and pain, hope and despair, worship of
the Living God and idolatry. The Jews are a people who have been,
and are being supernaturally re-gathered to the land of Israel
even while they live in unbelief. It has been said many times
– peace can not come to the Middle East until the Prince of
peace arrives on the scene.

The world has forsaken Israel historically, and will again
prophetically – ultimately leading to the scene of
Armageddon. Current U.S. pressure on PM Sharon is part and parcel
of this picture. Prime Minister Sharon has long boasted that Bush
has promised him that he would support Israel’s right to
retain large settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria in any
final-status arrangement. However, Bush’s latest remarks
represent a regression even from previous American positions
which favoured UN Resolution 242, where the talk centred around
Israel having ‘defensible borders.’ Incredibly, Bush
is now referring not to the 1967 borders, but rather to the 1949
Armistice Lines, which are even less generous to Israel, and
downright dangerous in some areas, because it will be next to
impossible to secure and protect.

And where is God in the middle of all of this? Has God
forsaken Israel? A thousand ‘No’s!’ The
prophecy from Zechariah 12:10 shows us where God is taking
Israel: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me who they have pierced,
and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son,
and shall be in bitterness for him…". There must be a time
of mourning - before the Messiah returns.

The true Church today (the Bride of Christ) will also
experience the same dealings of purification and refinement
– before the Bridegroom returns. That’s why we need
prophecy today.

The Apostle Peter reminds us of the importance of the written
prophetic Word, which is "a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto
ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts…" The beautiful assurance from God is that His
prophetic Word will produce the following outcomes: Light which
dispels the darkness. New beginnings – the dawning of a
‘new day’ and the rising of the Day Star (Jesus
Christ) in our hearts. We are reminded in closing, that the
written prophecies did not come about as a result of human will,
but "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost"

In 2005, true Israel, and the true church need to identify the
true enemy – and hear from God as to our defensible
borders.