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They will flee from you in seven

T
o the Israelites, God said through Moses, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven." (Deuteronomy 28:1-7)

Again, "However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you." (Deuteronomy 28:15) "The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth." (Deuteronomy 28:25)

As the Lord said in the Bible, Israel is being attacked from seven fronts:

1. Hamas from Gaza

2. Hezbollah from Lebanon

3. Houthi rebels from Yemen

4. Militants in Syria supported by Iran

5. Militants in Iraq supported by Iran

6. Iranian-backed Palestinian militants from the West Bank

7. Country of Iran that brought about and supported all the above

Why is Israel being attacked from all sides like this? The answer, if you look at the current situation, is because of the hatred of the leaders of Iran (previously Persia). Iran was a friendly nation of Israel until 1979. Prior to that, people of the two countries could visit each other freely without visas. However, on that year, the Shah was removed from power, then they instituted Shia Muslim country. Since then Iran has become Israel's biggest enemy. Iran is an oil rich country. With oil revenues, various weapons are being developed to fight against Israel and the United States. Iran refers to Israel, "Little Satan", and the supporter of Israel, the United States, "Great Satan." Then erupted slogans, "Death to Israel," and "Death to Ameria." Iran installed Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon to fight against Israel. Iran also armed the Houthi in Yemen, supported the Assad regime in Syria, and the Shia government in Iraq. Therefore, the head of the seven countries mentioned above is Iran. 

As God warned in advance, the Israelites did not listen to God's words, so they were attacked by enemies as described above.

The history of the Israelites can be summarized as follows:

1. When God rescued them from the Egyptian slavery, he forbade them from worshipping other gods. But the Israelites did not listen. They worshiped idols like their surrounding nations.

2. During the four hundred years that the judges ruled, they abandoned the Lord and worshiped idols.

3. Only during the days of King David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah did the Israelites properly worship the Lord. During the rule of others, they only worshiped idols.

4. Because King Solomon worshiped idols, the kingdom was divided into two after his death. The Northen Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

Because the Kingdom of Israel was only worshiping idols, God delivered them into the hands of the Assyrians, and they perished, never to return. Southern Kingdom of Judah was also handed over to king of Babylon due to the same reason. After being exiled in the hands of the Babylonian empire, the Jews repented and God allowed them to return to their land. They then became passionate about the thing of God. They built synagogues in every town and village. They also duplicated the Scriptures in great numbers. Then, there appeared a group of Jewish sect who specialized in studying the Scriptures (like Bible students of our days) who then known as the Pharisees. At the same time, there appeared a group of people who pursued the mix of politics and religion together, who were then known as the Sadducees. At the time Jesus came to this world, the Jewish people were very zealous in the thing of God. However, because their zeal was not according to God's will, they were always arguing with Jesus. In the end, they crucified and killed Jesus himself.

Paul was also a Pharisee, and was the one who persecuted the church with zeal for God (Philippians 3:6). But when he came to the knowledge of the truth, he became the preacher of what he himself previously destroyed (Galatians 1:23). However, according to Roman 10:1-3, his people did not have the same understanding like him, and were still zealous as before, without changing their course.

Because the Jews did not understand God's will and went against God, they were attacked and persecuted in around 70 AD by the Roman soldiers. So they fled and spread throughout the world. When they left their country, the Arabs then came in to occupy their land. After nearly 2,000 years, the Jews returned to their country and restored the country in 1948. However, the neighboring Arab countries fought against them in 1948, which was known as Independence war; in 1956, known as Suez Canal war; in 1967, the Six Day war; in 1973, the Yom Kippur war; and since 2023, Yom Kippur war, until this very day. The current war started on October 7, 2023, during the Yom Kippur holiday.

As of this writing, seven wars listed above between Israel and the neighboring countries are ongoing. Why is Israel constantly being attacked by neighboring countries during the 76 years since its establishment as an independent nation? The reason is because of the sin of forsaking their God. Although there are Orthodox people who are very zealous in the thing of God, they are no different from the religious leaders of Jesus' time. Without understanding God's will, the Jews are preparing to build the third temple. Most Israelis, like Americans, are atheists or worldly people. Even though God often helps and fights for them against their enemies, they rarely give praise to God; they only praise their army and their technology. There are still very few among them who truly accept Christ. Therefore, the great majority will find themselves entering into the era that is known as The Great Tribulation Period. During the tribulation, two-thirds of them will perish in fire, as the Bible puts it, and only one will remain when Christ comes for the second time. Zechariah said, "In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it." (Zechariah 13:8). Zechariah continued; "This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name  and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” (Zechariah 13:9).

And Malachi also said, "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them." (Malachi 4:1) Israel will be destroyed by fire during the great tribulation. God continued. "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." (Malachi 4:2) The second coming of Christ is said to be the rising of the sun of righteousness. It is believed that God-fearing believers will be fed and protected by God during the great tribulation. 

Christians should be careful and learn from the account of Israelites who did not know God, did not believe God, and wrongly worshiped God, who perished as the result. Believers must trust God; must try to know his will; and must worship him according to his will. Rather than to satisfy our conscience and to receive praise from others, let us worship God according to his will. 

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