There is a spirit at work in the world that seeks to destroy God's plans—as if that were possible. This spirit seeks to influence men by suggesting they wipe out the nation of Israel. This desire by Satan to upset God's plan among the Jewish people has happened at different times in history. The Book of Esther tells the story of a man named Haman, who plotted to wipe out the Jewish people (Esther 3:6). What happened to him? He hung on the very gallows he had built for his Jewish enemy Mordecai (Esther 7:9). Pharaoh also attempted to kill all the male babies of Israel (Exodus 1:16). This plan also failed. Through the last 2000 years, the Jewish people have been persecuted, culminating with Hitler’s attempt to murder six million systematically. Since the birth of the Jewish nation in 1948, the enemies of God have influenced men such as the president of Egypt, Abdul Nasser, who said, "We are going to drive the Jews into the sea and wipe them out as a nation." War broke out in 1956, and Nasser lost. Nasser again declared on 27 May 1967, "Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight." He didn't realize it, but President Abdul Nasser was fulfilling prophetic Scripture:
"And they have said, 'Come and let us wipe them out as a nation. Let the name of Israel be remembered no more'" (Psalm 83:4).
In the Six-Day War, the Israeli people took just six days to destroy the Egyptian and Syrian armed forces. I believe that God was fighting for them and helping them. This fight to eradicate the Jewish people is part of a bigger spiritual war of dark, satanic invisible forces planning to bring about a one-world government and put their leader, Antichrist, on the throne of the world, seated in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:4). These dark invisible forces continue to influence leaders of nations to demonize the state of Israel repeatedly and openly call for its destruction at every opportunity. But what does God say?
35This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD Almighty is his name: 36“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” 37This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
Some men have hearts so darkened by the evil one that they give their lives in pursuit of a cause in opposition to the God of the Universe. They are fighting against God. The Lord will not turn from accomplishing His plan to bring the Messiah (Christ) to sit upon the throne of David and rule the world from Jerusalem. The One who sits on the throne in heaven laughs against such vain attempts to fight against Him. To all the kings and leaders influenced by dark, evil forces, this is what God, the King of the Universe, says:
1Why do the nations conspire and the people's plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3“Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” (Psalm 2:1-6).
My advice is to find out what God loves in the Scriptures and quit opposing Him—why fight against God? This One who will come to rule is the same One who died in your place to take your sin, guilt, and shame away. He loves you and desires to give you mercy. Keith Thomas