As one of the 12 spies Moses sent to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, Joshua, along with Caleb, had been eager to trust in the Lord and seize the Promised Land. When the other spies discouraged the people, filling them with tales of giants and challenges, the Lord sentenced the nation to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, long enough for that faithless generation to pass away. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to live long enough to enter the Promised Land.
Joshua had the distinct honor of following in the footsteps of Moses as the designated leader of the Hebrew nation. But, that honor represented an incredible challenge. What must have Joshua been thinking as he prepared to lead his people into the land of promise?
To help us find Jesus in the book of Joshua, Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel Ministries joined us on a recent episode of Christ in Prophecy.
The Thorn in the Side
Nathan Jones: An interesting situation occurred as Joshua and his armies spread out across Canaan. They were defeating different kings and claiming their God-given land of promise, but as they started to settle into their new homes and take some rest, we encounter one of the most tragic verses in the Bible. We read in Joshua 16:10, "But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So, the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day."
We learn that the Israelites had grown weary of obeying what God had commanded them to do. They had grown weary of fighting and were willing to settle for dwelling interspersed among the pagans. That poor decision to not fully obey God ended up affecting Israel then and throughout the rest of their history.
Tim Moore: The entire world seems to deny the right of Israel to possess the very land in which you, Amir, are living right now. And so, they deny the land promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their descendants forever. How does that unbiblical attitude threaten the peace and security of Israel today?
Amir Tsarfati: Well, we can all see the threats facing Israel each and every day. I believe the struggle against God and His chosen people goes all the way back to Genesis 3:15. Satan is always on the move to try and see where and how that "seed of the woman" that was going to crush his head and inevitably destroy him could be waylaid. Israel, Satan realized, if he could get rid of them he could get rid of the prophesied Messiah.
Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would not see Him again until a believing remnant of Jewish people proclaimed at Christ's Second Coming, "Baruch ha-ba b'shem Adonai." Jesus didn't say He'd return when the people cried out in Arabic to welcome Allah, or anyone else in any other language, rather it is Jewish people alone welcoming their Messiah. So, for that to happen, the Jews have to come back to their land. They have to get back their capital of Jerusalem. They have to repossess all of the land as the prophets promised.
The world knows what has happened over the last 80-some years. Israel becoming a nation again stunned everyone all around us, whether they were believers or not. It's just that people have a hard time understanding that God is still in the business of fighting for Israel. The Almighty helps Israel, bringing them to the point of not just surviving, but to the point of thriving in the middle of a very, very dangerous and war-surrounded area.
To me, the resistance to what God is doing with and through Israel today is basically the work of the Enemy trying to stop the Messiah from returning to Israel and to rescue His people. God still longs for the Jewish people to accept Yeshua and receive Him as their Messiah and to institute His thousand-year Millennial Kingdom. Everything prophetically is tied to the Jewish people.
I know from Bible prophecy that no person who attempts to try and stop Israel from repossessing the land will ever succeed. There will be more wars, there will be more agony and pain, but eventually, Israel will be back fully in the land. Jesus will come back to reign from Jerusalem, and once again, Jerusalem will be the recognized capital of the land of Israel and the believing Jewish people will be the head of all the nations in Christ's Kingdom.
Existential Threats to Israel
Nathan Jones: Big picture. Let's leave Joshua's time, when the biggest threat that the Hebrew people had to deal with was conquering giants, to today's giants we read about in the news, such as Iran and Hezbollah. What do you think is the greatest threat to Israel's sovereignty right now? Would you say a nuclear Iran, or the BDS Movement, or UN Sanctions?
Amir Tsarfati: I believe it's a combination of what we are seeing right now. Basically, on one hand, the greatest ally of Israel, the superpower of the world — America — is slowly releasing its grip on the Middle East, and by doing so leaving Israel exposed. On the other hand, you can clearly see that as a result of the waning of America's global influence has caused all of the bandits to become emboldened and to do whatever they want to do. Under the 45th President, they would not do what they are doing right now, and we all know why. So, my point is, we can see a convergence of so many consequences due to the identity of the person sitting in the Oval Office all the way up to what is going on in Iran.
Remember, Iran is not standing by itself against Israel. The Bible in Ezekiel 38-39 foretells a coalition of countries that will come against Israel, and Ezekiel speaks of Iran as one of the several.
We also must remember that there is a prophecy in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 about Damascus being destroyed in just one evening by Israel. That prophecy clearly has not yet been fulfilled.
I would also keep my eyes on Syria, for whatever goes on in Syria will eventually affect, I believe, the timing of the coalition led by Russia along with Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and Iran. Whatever happens will eventually turn into the Gog-Magog War that Israel by itself cannot possibly win. Only by the intervention of God in a very amazing and supernatural way will Israel survive such a massive attack.
Watch the entire interview on this week's episode of Christ in Prophecy!
|
