God's plan to divide Israel.
Note: It has been with great difficulty over the last couple of weeks reading the articles about the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza. The strange thing that was troubling my spirit was not that they were being removed, but it was the large chorus of people proclaiming that it was "God's Will" that they remain. Yes, God did promise that real estate to the children of Israel, but God did not necessarily promise that real estate to them at this time. Aren't many of the believers being presumptuous? Have we not been praying that "our will be done," and not God's? I have known for the last three days that the Lord wanted me to write this message, and have been hesitant knowing full well of the many accusations which may be made. I have felt compelled to write this today, and the Lord gave me a second witness by Marion Joys' post entitled "Disengagement." ( http://xsorbit25.com/users5/forzionssake/index.php?topic=5956.0 ). I consider the Jew! s my brother, and pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem. In no way do I consider this "disengagement" being implemented righteously, and anybody who sheds innocent blood is not of God regardless of race or nationality. I do consider Sharon, Bush and Abbas as men who have been called for a special-purpose in our time by God. That does not make them any more righteous than Pharaoh, Alexander the Great, or Nebuchadnezzar. My main message is, "God is in control."
Jos 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel.
Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Jos 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Jos 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
---------------------------
Jos 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
Jos 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which [is] beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
Jos 7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; [and] make not all the people to labour thither; for they [are but] few.
Jos 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Jos 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them [from] before the gate [even] unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Jos 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
Jos 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
Jos 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
Jos 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear [of it], and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
Jos 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Jos 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff.
Jos 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Jos 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [There is] an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
---------------------------------------
God has not changed!
For over 100 years now Judah has been returning to the "Promised Land." During that time, God has performed many miracles on their behalf. But along with God's miracles, there have been many "Deeds of the Flesh," and accursed things done to, and by the occupying people. Just because our God is "long-suffering," doesn't mean that he wouldn't allow judgments to the entire people for a sin such as Achan's. And I guarantee that he allows judgments on anyone "called by My Name," sooner than most. People have been given the wrong impression that the "Rebirth" of the modern state of Israel in 1948, was the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 37 concerning the valley of dry bones. Now that scripture makes a nice analogy, but we have yet to see its fulfillment. Ezekiel chapter 37 will be fulfilled as seen in the following scripture:
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Ezekiel was speaking of the resurrection, and later in that chapter we see the branch of Judah joined again to the branch of Ephraim living out the "Promise." The people of God still have quite a way to go. But there's no reason to feel left out, because Judah is our example/teacher, Judea first then the Gentiles. Even still, only one-third of Judah will survive the judgments; my personal feeling is that America will not have that high of a percentage of survivors.
Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off [and] die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, The LORD [is] my God.
Can anyone honestly claim that Israel has "taken away the accursed thing(s) from among (them)"? If they haven't, they're not ready yet to possess the land. And the same goes for everybody else. Therefore, God is "Planning" to make them ready. God's Plans are now being performed in earnest. He has begun to greatly increase the tempo of his "shakings" which will prepare the hearts for His refining process so that He will be able to say, "It is My people," and they shall say, " The Lord is my God."
Shalom, John