Mailbox: (Re: Israel)

I got a comment on the post I did about Israel yesterday. So few comments are left here at έχω ζωη that I hate to leave my long response in the comments for no one to read. I'm addressing it here as a post only for that reason, and not to pick on Andrew for leaving it.

I'm not denying that it is a good thing to be pro-Israel, but I don't think this argument flies. One of the major points of Job is that it is impossible to conclude from suffering that someone is wicked.

Also, from a statistical standpoint, there are “wicked things” and disasters of one sort or another happening nearly every day on that list you posted. Rather than concluding that there is some specific correlation between events and wickedness, I would just conclude that in this world today, there is a lot of wickedness and a lot of natural (and unnatural) disasters.

I'd suggest reading the book. There are far too many instances to pass off as just coincidence.

Also, if there is even the slightest possibility that the drastic increase in natural disasters over the past decade is God's judgment on wickedness, I want to know. It is foolish to blow this stuff off and allow wickedness to run rampant without at least looking into it.

I've been a student of Bible prophecy for over five years. The signs of the time are here. Many of the things we're seeing in the world today were predicted in the Bible as much as 2500 years ago. Natural disasters are on the increase. Not only that, they follow the pattern of “birth pangs” that Jesus spoke of, increasing in frequency and intensity. Israel is back in the land and in possession of Jerusalem for the first time since Nebachadnezzar conquered them and lead them into the Babylonian captivity. The Roman Empire is reforming before our eyes under the new title “European Union”. Russia is allied with Israel's Muslim enemies. China is a world power, armed to the teeth, and capable of raising an army of 200 million, as described in Revelation. I could go on and on.

God took ownership over the Holy Land in the days of Abraham and gave it to him, Isaac and Jacob, and their descendants. He promised a blessing to all who bless Israel and a curse to all who curse them (Genesis 12:3). He also promised judgment to all who attempt to divide the land.

I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. – Joel 3:2

No one has ever attempted to divide the land. The Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans traded possession of the Land from the time of Nebachadnezzar to the first World War, but never split it up.

That verse in Joel couldn't have applied to any time in history before now.