The U.S. and Israel: Three Tragic Verses – One Unavoidable Conclusion.

The U.S. and Israel: Three Tragic Verses – One Unavoidable Conclusion. The U. S. will not help Israel at a critical time and … When presented with the facts, no matter how much we don’t like what they say, sometimes the conclusion is unavoidable. Just look at Ukraine and you get an idea of what’s coming.

One unavoidable conclusion:

The U.S. and Israel: Three Tragic Verses - One Unavoidable Conclusion.

The U. S. will not help Israel at a critical time – and we will be part of ushering in “The End”.

Impossible, right?

Sorry, but it’s not impossible. In fact, it is going to happen. And as hard as it may be to accept, Jews and Christians should both believe it. Even believe it without a shred of doubt.

Two of the three tragic verses I refer to are in the Old Testament. Sacred scripture for both Jews and Christians. The third is in the New Testament. Sacred scripture for Christians.

Have I got your attention now?

I started to write this back in October 2018.  It was a time when lots of people probably didn't want to believe it.  Really didn't think it could happen.  Trump was President.  "Peace" deals were being worked out.  More on that another day though, with the link to be added here when it's ready.  Or, you can subscribe with the button at the top of the page on a desktop or below on a phone.
But today, March 14, 2022, I feel like it's more important, and obvious, than ever.  It's time to finish it.

Three tragically depressing verses from the Bible are these –

Eze 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

Zec 12:3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Let’s take a look, one verse at a time. We’ll what God says. And along the way ask, “Who do we trust? God, or our leaders?”

#1 of the three tragic verses

The first one comes from Ezekiel 22, from a section titled Jerusalem’s Sins in the NIV translation.

Jerusalem’s Sins
Eze 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

Before we dig into the passage containing this verse, let’s look at some background on it:

22:30 So I sought for a man. Ezekiel and Jeremiah were faithful, but apart from them God sought a man capable of advocacy for Israel when its sin had gone so far. But no one could lead the people to repentance and draw the nation back from the brink of the judgment that came in 586 B.C. (Jer. 7:26, 34; 19:15). Only God’s Messiah, God Himself, will have the character and the credentials sufficient to do what no man can do, intercede for Israel (cf. Is. 59:16–19; 63:5; Rev. 5). He was rejected by them in His earthly ministry, so the effects of this judgment continue today, until they turn to Him in faith (cf. Zech. 12:10; 13:1).  [1]MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1181). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

Notice what this is about: Sin. As we go through the passage, pay attention to how often sin is mentioned.

I think it’s also important to be cognizant of the fact that the problem isn’t because Ezekiel and Jeremiah weren’t “good enough” prophets. The problem is that God’s people were so far away from Him, and no one could turn them back to Him.

The verse from Ezekiel is, in one sense, about the sins of Israel at that time.  However, in another sense, it’s also prophesy.  Prophesy about the sins of the world. Today.  About the time when God will decide that enough is enough and He will usher in the End Times.

To put it into a bit more context, here’s the last two paragraphs of the section that contains this verse –

Jerusalem’s Sins

Eze 22:23 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has had no rain or showers in the day of wrath.’ 25 There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says’—when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.

Eze 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Again the word of the LORD came to me

As I was writing, it occurred to me that many people have trouble with the Old Testament being viewed as prophesy.  They say it was for that time.  For those people.  So it has nothing to do with us.  The first two things are true – it was for those people at that time.  And yet, those who claim it has no value to us are forgetting something.  Or maybe someone.  In any case, they’re forgetting the past. 

There was this man – George Santayana.  Maybe you remember, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”  Or maybe you remember it as, “Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”  The real quote was, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Somehow, condemned seems really appropriate for our current discussion.  Something along the lines of those who don’t learn from the Old Testament are condemned to repeat it.  In the Old Testament days, they certainly didn’t learn – and they certainly repeated their errors over and over. 

Guess what?  We haven’t learned either.  And we repeat the same errors.  Over and over.  One of the things to remember is from when God first called Abram.  You may remember, that’s when Abraham was still called Abram.  Later, as part of the fulfillment of God’s promise, He changed Abram’s name to Abraham.

Maybe part of our problem is that we refuse to deal with words like condemned?  Like, that’s why we keep repeating the past?  Because we don’t really pay attention to the lessons we should be learning from the past? 

The Call of Abram

Ge 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

Ge 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

Ge 12:3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

Remember, Abraham’s descendants were the Israelites.  The Hebrew people.  Jewish people.  As in modern-day Israel.  And God promises to bless everyone on earth through them.  Unless, as it says, we curse Israel.

Question – will we learn not to curse Israel and the Jewish people?
Answer – it appears that the answer is a resounding, No!

Back to the original topic. The first of the three tragic verses.

That first paragraph very much describes the world today.  Including this country. And, of course, Israel. And I shouldn’t need to say it, but, it includes every country in the world. All of us.

You are a land that has had no rain or showers in the day of wrath.

Eze 22:23 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has had no rain or showers in the day of wrath.’

To give you an idea of what rain meant to the people of that time, here’s something from Jeremiah. Something also related to all the sins of Israel. I’ve also left enough context to show how it fits in with what’s going on today. Verse 22, underlined, is the one about rain.

Drought, Famine, Sword

Jer 14:1 This is the word of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

Jer 14:2 “Judah mourns,
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

Jer 14:10 This is what the LORD says about this people:

“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.
So the LORD does not accept them;
he will now remember their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”

Jer 14:11 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

Jer 14:13 But I said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.

Jer 14:17 “Speak this word to them:
“ ‘Let my eyes overflow with tears
night and day without ceasing;
for my virgin daughter—my people—
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.

Jer 14:22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, O LORD our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.

Jer 15:11 The LORD said,
“Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.

Jer 15:19 Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.

Jer 15:20 I will make you a wall to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”
declares the LORD.

Jer 15:21 “I will save you from the hands of the wicked
and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.”

  1. First off, we see that ultimately God has a purpose for what’s going to happen to the people of Israel. It’s to have them return to Him. Keep that in mind as we remember the title of this piece – The U.S. and Israel: Three Tragic Verses – One Unavoidable Conclusion. Can you think of even one thing from the relationship between the U.S. and Israel that’s about returning to God?
  2. And no, I don’t mean religious freedom. That’s my second point. In fact, religious freedom is exactly the opposite of what God’s going to do. It’s always that way. Why? because when things are too easy is when we tend to turn away from God! We seem to need the difficulties to make us realize just how much we need God.
  3. Third, there’s nothing in here of building alliances with other countries to save Israel. It was God who set aside the Hebrew people as His chosen ones. It was God who brought them to Israel. And it was God who delivered the land to them. But then, it was the people’s failure to follow God that led to their loss of the land.

And now that Israel looks to other countries to help them, they yet again turn from God. They look to the U.S. to sell weapons. Other countries to make alleged peace treaties. But not God. Just as the three verses point out that they need to do this. However, Israel hasn’t gone so far as to completely abandon God. At least not yet. And possibly not ever. We’ll get back to that later on.

Having said all that, let’s take a closer look at verse 24. look at a different translation of this verse.  No pun intended, but the 1984 NIV transnational above waters it down too much.  Here’s the 2010 translation from the NIV:

Eze 22:24  “Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’”

This is interesting, since we see something beyond just the idea of rain.  This one says “cleansed”.  It really is more appropriate, since the original Hebrew word is this:

2891 טָהֵר [taher /taw·hare/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 792; GK 3197; 94 occurrences; AV translates as “clean” 80 times, “purify” six times, “purge” five times, “pure” twice, and “purifier” once. 1 to be clean, be pure. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to be clean (physically—of disease). 1A2 to be clean ceremonially. 1A3 to purify, be clean morally, made clean. 1B (Piel). 1B1 to cleanse, purify. 1B1A physically. 1B1B ceremonially. 1B1C morally. 1B2 to pronounce clean. 1B3 to perform the ceremony of cleansing. 1C (Pual) to be cleansed, be pronounced clean. 1D (Hithpael). 1D1 to purify oneself. 1D1A ceremonially. 1D1B morally. 1D2 to present oneself for purification.  [2]Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

This passage, and even the whole train of thought, just took a major turn. The focus is really intensified on the need to turn to God!

In the day of wrath

Now we can see the importance of the word cleansed, as opposed to just rain.  It had the concept of rain being a method of cleansing the land – in a ceremonial way.  It was a cleansing from God.  A gift.  Without it, the land and everything that came from the land would be ceremonially unclean.

Now, for those that realize we (Christians) are no longer under the old Jewish law, and ceremonial cleansing, as a matter of law, isn’t required any longer.  However, there is a very real sense in which this cleansing is important.  Even today.

With no rain, like what happens here where I live in southern California, things die.  Plants.  A couple years ago, even large 150-year-old trees.  And animals.

But in other parts of the country, and the world, there’s too much water.  Yes, there is rain.  But it’s hardly cleansing.  In fact, it overwhelms the capabilities of water treatment plants and things like that.  We end up with mud, debris, toxic chemicals and even human waste contaminating the water systems and the land.  And so, even when the rain does come, it’s not the cleansing kind of rain that God provided in the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament days, rain was refreshing.   It was water that was needed for life.  And it was from God.  But now, things have gotten so bad that we often don’t get the cleansing kind of rain.  Back then, no rain was a sign of judgment.  Of course, these days, we think we know better.  That no rain and/or too much rain is because humans have caused global warming.  But do we really?  Or is that just something we’re told to make us feel better and to forget that God exists and that He is important?  Are we just ignoring the possibility that global warming isn’t simply because we did things we shouldn’t have?  That maybe the laws of nature were set up by God as a warning that when we do those things, it will affect the cleansing rain?

Summary of Verse #1 – I looked for a man … but I found none

Here’s the first of the three tragic verses again:

Eze 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

Sadly, we’re even worse off today than Israel was in the time of Ezekiel. At that time they had prophets from God at that time. Today? We have none. We don’t even have mainstream Christian leaders who will say these things. Of course, that may be because if someone did say this, they’d be criticized, marginalized, called extremists, and all sorts of other things.

However, no matter the cause, the reality is it’s just not something we hear very much about these days. If anything Christians have less and less of an impact here in the U.S, except as a political force to try to elect many people who are far from Christian in their words and actions.

It’s no wonder God said, but I found none.


#2 of the three tragic verses

The second one comes from Zechariah 12, from a section titled Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed in the NIV translation.

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

Zec 12:3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

At first glance, this might sound good. However, if we read the whole passage, something different appears. As you read it, remember, the point of view for us today is that this is about The End.

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

An Oracle

Zec 12:1 This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

What should we notice here? How about the word “I”? As in all the things God says, I will do this.

Also note that even as God prepares to destroy Israel’s enemies, God says, Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. If you pay any attention at all to what’s going on in the world, you’ve seen just a small part of what’s coming. Even for Jerusalem.

Also, pay attention to what God has set up. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her … It certainly doesn’t call out the United States as an exception. But, as I’ve pointed out before, it would be weird to list something that doesn’t exist or isn’t known about. Not specifically, anyway. But then, it does say all the nations of the earth. It does not say all but one nation. Or even most nations.

Therefore, it does mean we are one of the nations that will be against Israel. Unless, of course, we have ceased to exist at that time. Either way, it’s not good for us.

And finally, the paragraph end with God saying, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

If all of that doesn’t quite scare you, how’s this analysis?

3. The expression in that day occurs sixteen times in the remainder of this prophecy. This lets us know that though some things similar to the things contained in this section may have occurred in Israel’s past, nothing has completely fulfilled them. They deal with the ultimate consummation of Israel’s history and are, therefore, most important.

As I said, it is prophecy. And it’s for us. Also, given that this is the consummation of Israel’s history, and given what already happened to them, we must also realize that God’s not going to go out with a whimper. Think about what happened to the Egyptians and Pharaoh, when he held God’s people as slaves. The final act against the Egyptians was far worse than anything that came before it. We have no reason to expect anything less in The End.

The expression the day of the LORD occurs seventeen times; Jerusalem is referred to twenty-two times; and gentile nations are referred to thirteen times.

Again, this includes us. Assuming that we still exist as a country. The MAD theory of Nuclear war is quickly showing itself to be flawed. BTW – MAD is Mutually Assured Destruction. MAD assumes no side will start a nuclear war, because they don’t want to be wiped out in the response. Putin is making that theory out to be quite flawed.

Putting these facts together gives the clue to the importance of these chapters, for they portray the relationship of gentile nations to Jerusalem in the Day of the Lord. They refer primarily to the gentile invasion of Palestine and the Battle of Armageddon in the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation.

As I’ve written many times, in many articles, this is important stuff. It’s going to happen. When? We don’t know. But it’s a promise from God. One based on His knowledge of what we will do.

 When the great gentile invasion takes place, Jehovah will … make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. Some have thought that underlying the prophet’s thought is a reference to some athletic contest used to test the strength of young men.

To be sure, I read the idea of strength challenges in many commentaries. But that seems most anticlimactic, compared to everything else that’s already gone on in Israel’s past. It hardly seems fitting for the final battle between good and evil.

The author’s conclusion is much more in line with what I expected.

 The figure of verse 2 (cup) indicates that that which the gentile nations experience is an outpouring of the wrath of God. The figure is changed to a burdensome stone in verse 3 to portray the effect of their experience. All that burden themselves with it (i.e., the burdensome stone, Jerusalem) shall be cut in pieces. Jehovah promises that in the final consummative struggle when the Gentile confederacy seeks to take Jerusalem (and will meet with seeming success, cf. 14:2), they will meet with a fate similar to that suffered by Sennacherib when he laid siege to Jerusalem in 701 B.C. Those who would crush God’s holy city will be crushed by it instead. One sure way to seal their doom is to burden themselves with the intent to destroy Israel. The confederacy of the last day will be extensive, involving all the people of the earth; but it will be as nothing and will be totally ineffective against the divine intervention of Jehovah on behalf of His people and His city.  [3]Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M., eds. (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (pp. 1834–1835). Thomas Nelson.

One more time – it will involve all the people of the earth. And nothing will work against God.

Summary of Verse #2 – On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her

The remainder of the passage shows more of the destruction that will come with the second of the three tragic verses.

4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the LORD. “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’

Zec 12:6 “On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

Zec 12:7 “The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. 8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

#3 of the three tragic verses

The last of the three tragic verses come from Revelation. The book that describes how we got to that point and what’s going to happen.

The Throne in Heaven

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

If you’re not familiar with it, this is when Jesus, after His death, resurrection, and ascension back to Heaven, shows John what’s going to happen in The End.

No, I’m not going to go through the rest of the book of Revelation to give you the details. Just the short excerpt below on this one verse.

4:1. John saw the vision of the heavenly throne after he heard the revelation of the messages to the churches. The time sequence is indicated by the expression after this (meta tauta, in the NASB, “after these things”).

John saw a door … open in heaven and heard a voice inviting him, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. The words “what must take place after this” are similar to those in 1:19, “what will take place later.” Whereas 1:19 indicates that the events will take place later, in 4:1b the Greek word dei is used, which means that the events must occur. This points not only to the future but also to the sovereign purpose of God.  [4]Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 943). Victor Books.

Yes, The End is going to happen. There’s nothing we can do to prevent it. No so-called peace treaties will work. No amount of military might to scare someone into not starting a war will work. No amount of talking, or as we call it diplomacy, will work. It is coming. Period.

Conclusion – The U.S. and Israel: Three Tragic Verses – One Unavoidable Conclusion.

As you can see, regarding Israel and the U.S. there’s just the one unavoidable conclusion. The three tragic verses make it abundantly clear.

There is one possibility that some of you may be hanging on to. I brought it up earlier. Here it is again.

And now that Israel looks to other countries to help them, they yet again turn from God. They look to the U.S. to sell weapons. Other countries to make alleged peace treaties. But not God. Just as the three verses point out that they need to do this. However, Israel hasn’t gone so far as to completely abandon God. At least not yet. And possibly not ever. We’ll get back to that later on.

Peace treaties.

Look at what’s happening now in Europe. We do not have a peace (read protection) treaty with Ukraine. Ukraine is not part of NATO. Therefore, even though we “support” them, we will not defend them.

Guess what? Israel does not have any kind of protection treaty with any country. That includes us. Sorry some of you who think Trump did that, but he didn’t. And we don’t have one with them. Here’s info from foreignpolicy.com, from an article titled, Should the United States and Israel Make It Official?

It is odd indeed that the United States and Israel are not parties to a defense treaty.  The relationship has long been dubbed an alliance, and Israel is often characterized in U.S. discourse as an ally, in the way that the sea is always wine-dark and Achilles is always fleet-footed in Homeric myth. Yet, strictly speaking, allies are states that have entered a treaty relationship with each other. And there is no such treaty between the United States and Israel.

Still, the idea of alliance keeps popping up, in part because the level of bilateral security cooperation and long-standing emotional ties seem to comprise the logical basis for a formalized and institutionalized relationship. It’s also reappeared now and then as a desirable thing for Israelis nervous about the reliability of U.S. pledges to defend the Jewish state should it find itself imperiled by an assault it cannot repel on its own.

But it is Israelis who have most resisted the idea of a formalized arrangement, despite these virtues. Even though David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, insisted that Israel have a great-power backer, he and his successors did not want to depend on foreigners fighting their country’s battles. They were also unenthusiastic about the central principle of such treaties: that the parties agree to reciprocal obligations under the terms of the pact.

Especially note the part about it is Israelis who have most resisted the idea of a formalized arrangement.

How much of that reluctance stems from a reliance on God, only God knows. We certainly don’t. Either way though, it does set up the scenario where no one will come to the aid of Israel.

If you still have doubts, consider this from the U.S. Department of State website fact sheet titled U.S. Security Cooperation with Israel.

Israel has been designated as a U.S. Major Non-NATO Ally under U.S. law.  This status provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation and is a powerful symbol of their close relationship with the United States.

Here’s what the State Department fact sheet for Ukraine says.

The United States established diplomatic relations with Ukraine in 1991, following its independence from the Soviet Union. The United States attaches great importance to the success of Ukraine as a free and democratic state with a flourishing market economy. U.S. policy is centered on supporting Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression as it advances reforms to strengthen democratic institutions, fight corruption, and promote conditions for economic growth and competition. The United States does not, and will not ever, recognize Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea, and continues to work with our partners to seek a diplomatic solution to the Russia-instigated conflict in eastern Ukraine. The U.S.-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership highlights the importance of the bilateral relationship and the continued commitment of the United States to support enhanced engagement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Ukraine.

and

U.S. Government assistance to Ukraine aims to support the development of a secure, democratic, prosperous, and free Ukraine, fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community.

and finally

The United States has granted Ukraine market economy status and terminated the application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Ukraine, giving Ukraine permanent normal trade relations status. The United States and Ukraine have a bilateral investment treaty. U.S. exports to Ukraine include coal, machinery, vehicles, agricultural products, fish and seafood, and aircraft. U.S. imports from Ukraine include iron and steel, inorganic chemicals, oil, iron and steel products, aircraft, and agricultural products. The U.S.-Ukraine Council on Trade and Investment was established under the countries’ agreement on trade and investment cooperation and works to increase commercial and investment opportunities by identifying and removing impediments to bilateral trade and investment flows.

On the news, U.S. leaders have referred to Ukraine as a non-NATO ally. However, that’s not the official status according to government sites.

However, even on the State Department documents, there is much said about commitments to Ukraine’s freedom.

And yet, what we’re willing to do isn’t actual defense. Why not” Because they are not members of NATO. Well, as you can see, neither is Israel. Therefore, as the Bible tells us, the U.S. will not defend or come to the aid of Israel when the time comes for the prophesied events we read earlier.

What will come in The End?

Gog and Magog. As in:

Satan’s Doom

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Gog and Magog

Many try to say this refers to Russia. And it might. But then, it might not. After all, Russia, like the United States, didn’t exist in Biblical times. Here’s a fairly comprehensive look at it.


Gog and Magog in Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s identification of Gog appears to be connected with the table of nations in Gen 10, as he associates Gog with Magog, Meshech, Tubal, and Gomer, all sons of Japheth. The description of Gog as an invading power follows standard prophetic themes, with multiple allusions to Isaiah (compare Ezek 38:8 with Isa 2:2–4, Ezek 38:10-12 with Isa 10:6). The notion that Yahweh will incite Gog to attack the people of Israel in service to His purposes—and later turn against the invader in wrath—is rooted in Isaiah’s theology of dual-agency (Isa 10:12).
Ezekiel may have been influenced by prophetic descriptions of an “enemy from the north” (Jer 1:13–15, 4:6) and perhaps has connected this prophecy with Gyges of Lydia, a renowned king from Anatolia. The cosmic disruption described in Ezek 38:19–23 is rooted in the “Day of the Lord” prophetic tradition, in which God appears as warrior, judge, and king to defeat His enemies (e.g., Joel 2).

Gog and Magog in Later Traditions

Gog and Magog have been consistent features in apocalyptic rhetoric throughout history, a witness to the power of God to defeat His enemies and rescue faithful ones from oppression and violence. In describing Yahweh’s destruction of Gog’s army, Ezekiel established metaphorical patterns that became central in both Jewish and Christian apocalyptic traditions. In the Qumran War Scroll, Gog appears as the recipient of God’s final judgment (1QM 11:16–17). In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are two nations that fight on the side of Satan in the final battle against God. They are devoured by fire from heaven while the devil is cast into eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:9–10).
Jewish and Christian interpreters have long attempted to identify these elusive names and places. Gog and Magog were identified in early Judaism with the Scythians, and they appear in the later Jewish apocalyptic tradition (3 Enoch 45:5, Sibylline Oracles 3:319–322, and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan 11:26). Ancient Christian references include:

• Augustine’s interpretation that Gog and Magog represent those in whom the devil dwells and the devil himself (City of God 10.11)
• Theodoret’s identification of them with the Huns who threaten civilization (Ecclesiastical History 5.37.4).
• Christian apocalypticists have identified Gog as any number of historical enemies, from Rome and the Goths to the Mongols and the Russians.  [5]Bibb, B. D. (2016). Gog and Magog. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. … Continue reading

The kings from the east

Oftentimes, something or someone coming from the east is not a good thing. In the Bible, something from the east is likely to represent trouble or evil. As in the passage below. See the underlined verse 12.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

Rev 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

Rev 16:2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

Rev 16:3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

Rev 16:4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
“You are just in these judgments,
you who are and who were, the Holy One,
because you have so judged;

Rev 16:6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” 7 And I heard the altar respond:
“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
true and just are your judgments.”

Rev 16:8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

Rev 16:10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Rev 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

Rev 16:15 “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

Rev 16:16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Rev 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

What about the U.S. coming from the west?

You could maybe consider going west into Egypt. But then, how often does Israel get into trouble because of things happening with Egypt? Probably not a likely way for the U.S. to come to Israel’s aid.

If the U.S. comes across the ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, it might be possible to send ships to defend Israel. But considering the narrow paths between enemies of Israel, this doesn’t seem likely. The same problem exists for air defense. If every other country in the world is fighting against Israel, they won’t let our planes fly over their airspace to defend Israel.

Having said all that, it’s much ado about nothing, according to Biblical prophecy. It will be the path not taken, since the U.S. won’t be taking it. The only thing we don’t know is, why not? Will it be because the U.S. doesn’t exist? Or will it be because the U.S. will join every other country in attacking Israel? Only time will tell.

However, either way, based on the three tragic verses, the unavoidable conclusion is that then the world unites against Israel, there will be no help from the U.S. BTW – no matter who’s in charge. God has said this will come to pass. For any Christian to say otherwise is to call God a liar.

So – who’s your “god”?

The god of people who say humans can keep God’s prophecy from being fulfilled?

Or the God who created you, wants to save you, and will bring these things to happen when the time comes?

Choose wisely!


Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay


References

References
1 MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1181). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
2 Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
3 Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M., eds. (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (pp. 1834–1835). Thomas Nelson.
4 Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 943). Victor Books.
5 Bibb, B. D. (2016). Gog and Magog. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

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