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Now I want you to pay attention. It wasn't anything in Israel wasn't the third their military size.
I got to make a confession to you. I Was just a little bit Over optimistic and being able to finish up this series on Israel. I got to confess to you. I wanted to go to the Olivet discourse Aka Matthew chapter 24 today, but man, I can't get past.
1972.
And I'm just being honest with you. I'm gonna have to kick Matthew 24 to a later date. I don't know where's pastor. I don't know whether I am I preaching next Sunday. We don't know yet. We don't know yet.
But anyways, I will get to the future of Israel. But man, there was just so much to go over here today. You know When we praise God We praise God for things that he does in healing. Most of you probably don't know this but a week ago my third child Got a report from a CT scan that there was an Abnormality in the occipital part the right part of his brain.
29 years old and It was looking pretty ominous. We prayed as a family as Individuals. We fasted God, please. I remember pastor Josiah and I went and picked him up and we were running errands with him and he just broke down crying and This is what he said.
He said if God will save someone through my death then glory be to his name.
But.
What about his wife and daughter JVN and Skylar. And he was just brokenhearted and I at that point said Well son if you do die, can I have your car? No, I didn't say that. Sorry, I had to break the tension there.
I said son, you know That there's no way on God's green earth That we would allow anything to happen. Your family is my family. He finally got an MRI and.
And.
For all you medical people I want to appreciate your steadfast work and Always being able to help us in the immediate need that we need. Five weeks after getting a report like that. But anyways He went had his MRI done Friday and we got the results Friday night.
And it was just a bunch of gobbledygook. But basically it said we found nothing Absolutely nothing. That's probably a coincidence. It probably is it's probably one of those things that because you have never had an Intimate life that relies on nothing but faith the skepticism of your doubts That aren't healthy.
It's okay to have doubts.
But when you never matriculate after years of being a Christian of putting your faith in Christ. Will you go through the emotionalism and hoping that that brings you a sense of foundational strength that it never does.
You never grow up and after going through that over and over again. You keep finding plausible deniability and you trust more in the power of this world Than you do in the sovereignty of God. Well today's sermon is just that.
I Challenge. I dare I bet I will ask Anyone to explain to me. And and you can gather all the intellectuals that you can find. Explain to me the existence today of a little sliver of land the size of. Not even New Jersey.
Sitting surrounded by enemies how it exists today as a nation when it hasn't existed for 2 ,500 years. I Say because the Word of God says it will. And God in his Sovereignty. And apparently from the Wednesday night Bible study.
We need to go over that definition again. Sovereignty is God does what he wants when he wants. With whom he wants whenever he wants without anybody's advice or Permission. Because he's God. And he owns this place.
He is the owner of the universe. What heights of arrogance must your mind reach to to question God? I remember in the book of Job Job sits there and after everything he goes through he says God. This isn't fair.
You know what? God's answer was where were you when I was making the whales, buddy? You have nothing to do but to play the actor upon a stage which is already set by God's Sovereignty. So Israel. I ask you what is the reality of Israel?
Well something you need to understand is this why are we talking about this? There we go. Oh my bad. I am NOT a computer nerd. Why don't we talk about this. Read Zechariah chapter 2 verse 8 with me for this is what the Lord Almighty says.
Now remember this was.
Written.
Before Jesus was born. This is what the Lord God Almighty says Lord Almighty Sovereignty after the glorious one has sent me against the nations that have plundered you. For whoever touches you Touches the apple of my eye.
Why are we talking about Israel this morning? Well, I'm gonna be real honest with you. This is why because God said these people are my chosen and I'm gonna tell you the other reason why they are an anomaly in human history.
That cannot ever be explained by any military political or economic power their existence. Just like a blank MRI is a strengthening of faith to the born-again believer. To the child of God who really sees God's words not as a Bible story or sermon or a.
Religious creed, but is the.
Overwhelming evidence of the truth of God's Word and his sovereignty. It is Massively important that you understand this as as we look at this I want to just share with you a couple of things last week.
We talked about the birth of Israel in May of 1948. We talked about that how it was just absolutely out of the blue and in one day as Isaiah 66 10 says in one day a nation was born that has never happened in human history ever.
But yet in one day a nation was born. We know that they fought that little nine-month war. I always think that's cute. Israel was reborn again in nine months. And the war it was declared in one day. But they had to fight for nine months and they won everything they defeated every army that came against them.
And I know some of y 'all say pastor Jeff, please don't review too much. Well, I'm sorry guys. This isn't a story. This is history. So there has to be just a little bit of review. So just sit back relax take an Adderall.
It'll be okay. So here we go. Israel was born in 1948 and you had several things happen after that you had the the the Suez Canal crisis and you can read that on your own, but in 1959 please remember this date 1959.
An organization was founded 10 11 years after Israel was refounded. It was called the PLO. There was this cat named Yasser Arafat who became the chairman of the Palestinian liberal Liberation organization, please keep that in mind.
Especially if you want to talk to an internet sensation millennial who might not know history Israel had won it had won all that territory.
Jerusalem was still divided in Zechariah chapter 14. God tells the people that there's going to be a time when the nation of Israel will exist. With the city of Jerusalem still divided in half. Let me say that to you again hundreds of years before Jesus was born all the way to 1948.
Yeah, you're going to be a nation again, but Israel will be split in two in reality. That's exactly what it happened after Israel won its independence. The western side of Jerusalem was controlled by Israel, but the eastern side was controlled by the PLO by the Arab League and that eastern side is where the Temple Mount was.
It was. Where the wailing wall was it was where the most important holiest sites in? Israel were Israel said. Okay. We're cool. We can wait because see they trusted in something other than just simple silly man's words.
Fast-forward a few years 19 years later to be exact and we enter.
1967 in.
1967 here was the political situation going on by the way. That's two years before I was born. Who was born in night. We don't have a lot of 19 who was born in 67 or before. Okay, yes, Carrie. We know who I said 67 not 49 67.
Right, okay. All right a few. We're kind of a young church, but a few of us. Okay, a few of us. So this is how everything was going. 19 years had passed since that war of independence and Everybody was still very angry.
Everyone hated Israel with a flaming Passion. In fact, they kept saying talking about well when we're ready We're gonna wipe you guys off the face of the earth. In fact at that point in May and June of 1967 Israel stood alone against Egypt Syria Jordan Iraq and Lebanon with support from Algeria Kuwait Libya Morocco Palestine Sudan Tunisia and The Soviet Union.
You see it wasn't just a bunch of Arabs on Camels, okay. It was at that time. They were Funded and they were supplied by the Soviet Union. So all these nations gathered around Israel had the most advanced Equipment available to them now.
I know some of you were immediately saying well, yeah, the u .s. Was supplying Israel. We were with the stuff left over from World War two.
All the stuff that they had had. Yeah.
But the real person who's really supporting Israel at that time y 'all are gonna be shocked by this was France. France was really the one giving them a lot of gear, but it was still not enough. In May of 1967 Israel was surrounded by enemies and they were outnumbered 80 to 1.
80 to 1. Hmm, let's just look for a second. This was the plan of the Arab League in 1967 this was their plan. They decided they came up they all met together. They didn't do it in secret. They were actually a guy named Nasser who was the head of Egypt and the head of the Arab League.
United Arab Army was just basically go around talking smack saying look we're gonna kill all you we're gonna walk in. We're gonna butcher all of y 'all. Y 'all have been here long enough. In fact in May of 67 he broadcast on the radio radio Cairo, and he said this and I quote.
He said the existence of Israel has continued too long 19 years. The battle has come in which we will destroy him. The president of Iraq mimicked or mirrored those comments when he said this the existence of Israel is an error.
Which must be.
Rectified our goal is clear. We will wipe Israel off the map. Hmm the next day. The next day after this in the first part of June Israel our Egypt said to all the UN forces in the Sinai Desert Y 'all need to get up out of here because we're fitting to kick butt and take names and the UN who.
Boy, they do so much good work the UN that were there now watch it. Their name were Peacekeepers. When Egypt said y 'all need to go they said deuces. We're out. They loaded up on ships and they were gone.
Israel Literally was alone. There were no u .s. Troops. There were nothing there outnumbered 80 to 1. This was the plan that would happen. Sorry, this is what actually did happen. So on June 5th.
1967.
Israel sat there they sat down and they said okay. Here's where we're at. We are surrounded and outnumbered in tanks men artillery and airplanes. We are going to die. So here's what we can do. We can wait until they attack or we can strike first.
Hmm, that's a good idea.
Who do we attack? Israel was facing a five to one Superiority with Egypt alone in airplanes and if any of y 'all know anything about military strategy if you have tanks running across open ground. Airplanes air cover is a very important thing.
Okay, so Israel said this here's what we're gonna do. Tomorrow we're gonna fly into Egypt and we're gonna blow up all their planes while they're still on the ground. We're not gonna wait for them to attack us now.
Remember the day before Egypt had said we're fixing to attack. They had moved all their troops right up to the borders Jordan and Syria and Iraq and Lebanon. All of them had moved troops. They were they were closing in and Israel said nah, man.
This ain't gonna happen if we're gonna go down. We're gonna go down swinging and Israel launched an airstrike on Egypt and Syria at the same time 452 planes were destroyed in one hour. 452 planes here's some things that are cool.
And you can go look this up for yourself. The Jordanians one of the things they were going to do in Jordan. Some of y 'all said you can't see my pointer thing. I'm a jigger, but I hope you can. This is Jordan right here.
One of the things Jordan was giving into this battle is they had set up all along here radar Radars and their job was if Israel did anything in the air. They were going to tell everybody else and that was going to be the signal to go ahead and attack.
Well Israel launched planes and these are the actual routes both in Syria and down here. These are the actual routes the Israeli airplanes took well when they took off from here in Tel Aviv all of these radars the radar systems failed.
Now they did get them back online and when they got them back online. They sent a message to Nasser saying hey Israel's coming to attack you. But when the the Egyptians got that message. They had had their radar transponders turned off to try to reset them.
Because I mean their communications because their communication system had blacked out as well. So by the time Jordan got the radars on they went to call Egypt to get them on the line to say hey you better Do something they weren't answering the phone.
The first bomb started dropping and they were like just tearing these airfields up. Israel would literally One one pilot sits there was running through and he was like going. But it did that. And he was going to drop bombs.
But he didn't have to because Egypt had stacked all their airplanes real close together to protect them. And so he would shoot one and he would line up on the second one. But the explosion the first one had already destroyed the second one.
He was saying I kept pulling up to realign and they were going boom boom boom boom faster.
He said I went back to rearm and I still almost had three quarters of a load of ammunition. I mean things that are Coincidences, right? Hmm. Let's look at a couple other things. Oh I'm sorry this was the air attack this was the plan of the Arabs.
This is what happened all those blue lines are Israel as soon as Israel's Air Force attacked. Their land forces said let's rock and roll now. Remember they're outnumbered 80 to 1 80 to 1 and they attacked Exodus.
I want to read this verse to you. Exodus 23 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion All the people who shall come against you and I will make all of your enemies turn their backs to you second Kings 7 15.
So they went after them as far as the Jordan and behold all the way was littered with garments and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste and. The messengers returned and told the king now, let me give you a caveat here real quick.
Okay.
These two verses that I just read to you in Exodus and in second Kings are two different time frames. Separated by hundreds of years, but the thing that they have in common was when Israel was attacking.
They were always outnumbered and God's strategy was to always confuse the enemy. And so when the enemy got confused They you see this time and time again in the Old Testament. The enemy would actually start shooting each other, right?
Well, let me just give you a couple of quotes and I wrote these on the board this time. Because some I think it was Marty last week goes man. I've never heard of that. He asked me. I just want to write these.
These are some of the quotes and you can look these up from people who were actually there. Pilot IDF Major General Wiseman was asked to explain how for three hours the Israeli Air Force planes destroyed aircraft.
One airstrip after another. His answer was The finger of God. I have no idea why they didn't launch the plane. I have no idea where their AA was. There is no Explanation other than the finger of God. All the airplanes now remember Israel had basically.
Where's Ben? It's been bowing here. He's doing security. Who else is Jerry. Where's Jerry. I saw where's jarhead. Hey jarhead. How's your truck doing? What year is it? 99. Yeah, what do you mean? Yeah, he comes and goes.
Yeah.
They get you there praise God. Jerry's trucks in 1999 and sometime. They don't work too good. You know what I mean. Israel had all old planes. They had all Jerry trucks, okay? All their planes were Jerry trucks.
They were keeping this stuff put together with duct tape on. That morning that they attacked every one of them worked flawlessly all week long. Not one of them failed.
Hmm on.
One Israel infantry encounter. Now this this is when those little blue lines that went through the Sinai desert a Truck loaded with 18 well-armed soldiers was running through and there were two Israeli soldiers.
They didn't have great equipment. They were still using Mosin-Nagant rifles or Mauser rifles both action rifles, okay. And they were going through and they see this truck with 18 Egyptian soldiers on it, and they're like and the sergeant sat there and went.
They all surrendered all 18 of them to two guys. The Israeli soldier asked him later, man. I just got to know.
Why did you give up?
He said man we I raised my arms to raise my rifle, and I was paralyzed every single guy Egyptian in that detachment Said the exact same thing. Now wait a minute now in your brain right now. Dope smoker listen to me.
Okay, because some of you in your room right now. This is what you just did. Oh, man come on. That lack of faith thing. Where the only reality you have is what you experience in your world with your mind and your facts.
That's what's causing you to go to hell in a handbasket. See because in your world. You are the absolute bastion of truth. There is no reality outside of your brain. But spunky let me tell you something the world's just a little bit bigger than Bartlett.
Okay, it's just a little bit bigger than your experience at 29 years old. Skippy you're an idiot. You're arrogant and that pride is what's going to destroy your life and your family, okay? Come on with me.
Let's just walk a little bit more. One tank commander and now now in all honesty let me make clear about this. This was in the Jeb desert. This is up in Syria one tank commander explained that now once again.
This is the enemy of Israel. This is not an Israeli soldier said this. He was they were coming through the north Syria attacked from the north. And they were just barreling down man after that air attack.
There was like all gloves are off. We're fitting to take names of what but and they started coming down through the north when they started coming down. He sat there. And he looked out, and it was like one or two tanks actually what had happened was Israel had gotten up on this hill.
I wish I had time to go through this because it's Awesome, but they had gotten up on this hill, and they were looking down like this into the valley well. The problem was the Israeli tanks couldn't get their gun.
They had set up.
They were like we're gonna wear them out.
But then someone realized almost too late as they were coming that because the Syrian tanks were down here and the Israeli tanks were up here. You know Bucky decided. Hey, let's pull a trigger. Oh wait a minute.
I can't get my gun on the tank to go down low enough. That's called depression. He couldn't get his gun to depress far enough to shoot down and all the Israeli guys were like We're in trouble Syria. They were coming through and as he looked up He said he saw not just on the hill, but all in front of him.
Hundreds of Israeli tanks. You know what he did I?
Quit.
Didn't even fire shot didn't even actuate the coaxial machine gun. Just literally put that bad boy in part got out and said we surrender. Well, this is what everyone said. What was the mirage? Obviously they saw a mirage and got freaked out.
Okay, Bucky. It was just a mirage. By the way, how does mirages light refraction work when the object that they were seeing is higher than that? Which I mean you could see it if it was reflect you see what I'm saying.
Some of y 'all will get that later.
Hmm.
Secular newspaper for those of you that don't know what that means non-believer Secular newspaper high rates carried this comment by one of its military Correspondents. In other words there were people embedded in the military.
Said even a non-religious person must admit This war was fought with help from heaven now. I know you sitting here in 2023. With your iPhone your bank account your plans of grandeur and all that other stuff your plausible Diability of why you live in rebellion towards a holy and righteous God.
I get all that that you can explain away the miracles of the past. Unfortunately for you the people that were there can't. They can't explain it and if you actually get educated enough if you really study military history and tactics and you study the geopolitical situation.
No one. I have not yet read a book yet, and I've read Hundreds of them on this particular war. I have not found anyone Military or otherwise they can explain this war. Okay, just a couple more things.
This was Israel before the war. See there. We is right there. You have to remember keep this in perspective. This isn't this isn't necessarily a great map. You gotta remember. Here's the whole world here's Israel right here.
It's like Nova compared to all of us, okay? This is Israel before the war. This is Israel after the war. They quadrupled in size so they were outnumbered 80 to 1. It wasn't like a valiant Alamo type moment it wasn't like we're gonna hunker down here, and we hope we can survive until help comes.
They were like forget that noise we going that way and every time they moved they won. This are two famous pictures. Two famous pictures this picture. I'm sorry wrong one. Man, I wish this thing there it is this one is very famous.
But these are paratroopers of the Israeli Defense Forces for the first time in 2 ,500 years. Nation of Israel is standing by the wailing wall. Standing right there these young boys. Who were probably some of them born after?
1948 or the War of Independence. Who definitely born after Jesus. Born after Zechariah. Born after Isaiah. But God said one day Israel will be united again. The Holy Land will be under Israel rule. They're sitting there.
They're rejoicing. I want to just try to put this in perspective real quick for you. Israel was surrounded by hostile nations. Outnumbered 80 to 1 and God said all those who come against you. I will stand up and fight because you people are the apple of my eye.
You're the heart of my hearts. I will save you. I will defend you. They all attacked Israel. Israel fought back and In six days quadrupled the size of their nation. I want you to think about this just for a second.
Just just take all of your doubts and if you need to pull up Wikipedia. Okay, put the pacifier in your brain. Okay, I want you to answer just one question. How outnumbered 80 to 1? How did little Israel without help from anyone?
Defeat all those nations in six days. And on the seventh day they rested your doubts. About who God is and who Christ is in your life are based upon your concepts of your understanding. No one blames you for that.
That's how we all think but here's what you've got to do. If you actually want to embrace the maturity of a Christian life. You're gonna have to get outside of your feelings your thoughts your ideas and your perspectives.
Okay, because all of those are Subjective to your experience, but see there's a great big world with seven billion people in it there's been a hundred billion people who have existence since Adam and Eve.
A hundred billion and you're one a Hundred billion and you're one. Do you know what heights of arrogance you have to reach to where your experience alone? Explains reality. Do you know what height you have to reach to.
It's funny how people always say church people are so arrogant really. Because Jeff Shipley ain't involved in any of this. Jeff Shipley has not. I'm just recounting to you facts. Now you're sitting in here today and you're sitting here going.
What's this have to do with me? Everything or maybe nothing and that's the question you got to ask. Psalms 122 says this. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they be secure. Who love you. I'm American.
I'm American. I'm not American. I'm American. I'm a southern boy from Tennessee. And I love America like every time I watch boxing or anything. This is how I do it. All right, which one's a Christian because if I don't know who's fighting or I don't know which ones are like the Olympics I don't care who they are.
I'm pulling for the guy with the big American flag on them. Okay, that's who I'm pulling for. I'm sorry. I'm one of those guys, right? I'm I want to pull for the guy that's a Christian. I used to like John Jones because he had Philippians 413, but then he ruined his testimony.
I don't really care about him anymore, but I pull for Americans then if they're both Americans I want to know who's from the South. Right because the war ain't over y 'all. It's real. The pain's real.
Them Yankees are gonna get thrown out of here one day. Just kidding. But anyways. That's the next thing I do and then after that, you know, I don't really care. I just really don't care. Guys, I'm American man.
I love America. I love Witten Baptist Church. I love all of that, but you know my identity when I come to the Word of God. Isn't that about Jeff Shipley? It's not about being American. It's not about any of that garbage because all that's gonna burn up and go away.
You know, the only thing that's gonna last forever is the kingdom of the Living God. That's where I want my loyalty to ultimately lie. Some of us in this room you say all this doesn't matter. But it does People because Jerusalem is going to be the capital of the eternal kingdom of God.
That's where Jesus is coming back Zechariah 14 again. I tell you the Bible says that it's the same place Jesus left. It's the same place. He's coming back. By the way question 400 years earlier. How did they know Jesus would leave from Mount of Olives?
I'll wait for a second. Because God's sovereign. That's all right. Just shout it out. Once you know the answer. It's okay. Guys the Bible is a lot bigger than a little white kid with curly hair killing a big cartoon looking giant with a rock.
It's just a bit bigger than the blue-eyed blonde-haired Jesus smiling. Going. I love you so much. It's just a little bit bigger than that. It's bigger than a stupid pastor sermon or a church building.
It is history. That's coming, but you know what prophecy is it ain't nothing more than pre-written history that's already happened in the mind of God. Which means it's gonna happen again. I ask you Where are you this morning?
I'm asked music peoples to come up. Where are you this morning? Where are you with Jesus you see there is gonna be peace on earth. You know when there's gonna be peace on earth when there's peace in Jerusalem.
You know when there's gonna be peace in Jerusalem. Not when the Oslo Accords of the Abrahamic Accords or Bill Clinton or whoever else says there will be. It's when Jesus Christ comes down steps foot on Mount Zion and says this I.
Have had.
Enough and you're gonna hear a leather belt coming out a pair of Wrangler jeans and Jesus is gonna go to whooping, but he ain't coming as a little milquetoast. Skinny pale-faced little sissy boy. He's coming as the lion of the tribe of Judah the bright and morning star the righteous one.
He is coming as the Alpha the Omega. And if you are not his child you are gonna be on the wrong side of history.
In.
Historical facts. This is what happened now. If you want to do what your heart and mind are telling you to do because you're looking at your Wondering this is going to be over. This really has no relevance for you and for you.
I say good luck, man. But for those of you that are looking to feed your faith in your life Ask yourself this one question again. All the nations of the earth and thousands of years of human history are continually bowing To what God said that would happen before any of those nations even existed.
God said he took a guy in a goatskin and on a piece of papyrus said write this down and Dude wrote it down. He didn't have no doctorate. He didn't have no fancy church. He wrote down. One day Israel will be surrounded by its enemies.
They will attack. But the Lord will. God will defend them. And what made that so weird to do writing it down as there was no nation of Israel at that time.
For.
2 ,500 years and all of a sudden within our lifetimes. Here it is. Here's the question you got to ask. What does this have to do with you? It's not just for those of you that need your faith strengthened.
It's for those of you who are skeptical and need a reassurance of your doubt. If God can orchestrate the plans of mankind and make nations like puppets on a string. How big really are your problems that are insurmountable to a holy and righteous God?
How hard are they. Well pastor, you don't understand. My marriage is in toil. Okay, you don't understand. God literally said let there be light.
That's it.
Well pastor, you don't understand. I'm in addiction and it's got me. Well, I'm in Christ and it no longer has me. You know see there is a power outside of religion and a church. That struggle and screw up to serve God.
We all admit that. But there really is a God and he really wants to save you and he really does love you in spite of your nastiness. That's called grace. I'm gonna ask you this morning if you don't know the real Jesus.
I'm gonna ask you to come down here and let somebody show you through scripture. Not Baptist teaching through scripture where to find peace if you're in this room and your problems are so big. There's no way you can get out from under them.
Cool, because that's the exact moment when God wants you to understand what true faith really is. It's not in the good times. It's in the sucky times. God shows out then if you're in this room today, and you're just in Pseudo-intellectual skeptic that just wants to argue about God.
Cool, I Have I think carry I'm off at 530 today. I have appointments all day. Come up to my office at 530. Please bring a notepad and a pen and we'll talk about it. Pastor Josiah. Would you be willing?
Yeah, pastor Jeremiah, are you good pastor. Christian pastor John? Forget pastors. I guarantee you can find some dumb rednecks in here. They can do it for you.
Mikey right.
You know why. Because it doesn't take the name pastor. All it takes is trusting the Word of God. I'm gonna ask you to stand with me. And if God has spoken to you today There are people down here at the front wanting to help you.
You come this morning as God leads.