Mr Donald Trump’s unpardonable sin. Part 1

As a non  American, it is interesting to watch the war against Mr Donald Trump.  He can hardly do anything right in the eyes of the left.  It even seems as if some churches have forgotten God’s command, ‘I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ ¹

#  What is Mr Trump’s biggest sin?  

It was to move the Unites States’ embassy to Jerusalem and acknowledge it as Israel’s capital.  So, what is the big deal in that?  Why did it cause an almost apocalyptic out roar?  The reason is that Jerusalem is God’s city: 

• ‘Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain.’ ² 
• ‘…Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King [God].’ ³   Psalm 48:4 repeats that Jerusalem is the city of God. 
• ‘For the Lord has chosen Zion [Jerusalem], He has desired it for His dwelling: This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned for I have desired it..’  ⁴  

Mr Trump supported what the Bible declares about Jerusalem.  It is God’s dwelling place.  If so, why all the accusations, complaints and general discontent from especially the left and many Democrats?  It has to do with the invisible ruler of this world, the devil. ⁵  He does not love God or God’s love for Jerusalem.  To explain it let’s look at the following:

#  Satan’s last act before his eternal sentence will be to attack Jerusalem.

• Some time in the future, before Satan enters his eternal dwelling in the lake of burning sulphur, he will be chained in the Abyss for a thousand years.  That is during the time of the Millennium, when Christ will personally rule over the nations, from Jerusalem. 
• When Satan is released after the thousand years, he immediately deceives the people and gathers them for battle.  Revelation 20:8b-9 records, ‘In number they are like the sand on the seashore.  They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves.’  
• This is Satan’s last act of treachery, ‘And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur.’ ⁶  From then on his future is only eternal torture in the lake of fire.
• God and Jerusalem are so intimately tied together that on the new earth, we will not have a New Moscow, or a New Washington, but a New Jerusalem. 

#  God loves Jerusalem and has not forgotten the Jews. 

• Many people think that God has forgotten His nation.  He has not.  The prophet Jeremiah tells in no uncertain terms that Israel will not cease to be a nation before God. ⁷  Paul writes in Romans 11 about the future restoration of the Israelites.  It all has to do with the end times.  
• Satan is very well aware of it, and he does not like this prospect, because it means his doom is near.  He likes being the ruler and the destroyer of humans.  Behind the scenes of the ‘attacks’ against Mr Trump is the hand of Satan.  Any leader that in any way advances God’s plan and admits that Jerusalem and therefore the Jews, are important, is the devil’s enemy.  That explains the furore against Mr Trump by the left: they are on the side of the enemy of God, the devil.  Wittingly or unwittingly, they advance the devil’s agenda, not God’s.   

Conclusion

This verse explains what is happening in the world,  “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’“ ⁸  However, in America we have to add, ‘Certain news media and influential people in America gather together against the Lord, and do their best to abuse Mr Trump who recognises the importance of Jerusalem in God’s plan.’

References

1. 1 Timothy 1:1-2  
2. Psalm 48:1  
3. Psalm 48:2b  
4. Psalm 132:13-14  
5. 1 John 5:19bd  
6. Revelation 20:10  
7. Jeremiah 31:35-37 
8. Psalm 2:1-3 

God’s incomprehensible promise to the Jews

Israel is almost always in the news and it is usually negative.  It has been like that for many years.  How is it possible that such a tiny nation can cause so much ‘trouble?’

• The United Nations passes most of their resolutions against Israel.   
• When Mr Trump announced that the United States will move their embassy to Jerusalem, it was as if he triggered the Third World War.  We waited with bated breath for the end of the world to come, so vicious were the reactions. 
• The Palestinian question remains contentious.  

#  Why?  

To answer it, we have to go back to God and where Israel fits into God’s plan. 

• God called a man, named Abram, who lived with his family in Haran.  We read, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”’ ¹
• Abram obeyed, ‘So Abram left, as the Lord had told him;….’ ²  God promised him, ‘The whole land Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’ ³

#  Eternal possession and exile

Note that God promised the land Canaan to Abram and his descendants for ever.  Yet the Israelites (Jews) were exiled twice.  

• The first exile happened because they broke the covenant they had with God.  The Northern Kingdom was exiled by the Assyrians and the Southern Kingdom by the Babylonians.  Many, but not all, returned from Babylon after 70 years. 
• The second exile happened when the Jews rejected Jesus.  They were exiled by the Romans in 70 AD, and in the Bar Kochba war (141AD).  Many, but not all,  returned after about 1,800 years.  

#  Two decrees and the hostilities they caused 

• The first return was by a decree of King Cyrus.  They went back to rebuild the temple under much hostility. ⁴  During the time of Nehemiah, the Arabs were among those who opposed them when they restored the wall of Jerusalem. ⁵  It was obvious to the enemies that the Jews would establish their fatherland again.  
• The second return was by a decree of the United Nations.  On November 29,1947 they  passed a resolution to end the British mandate.  On May 14, 1948 David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence of the new State of Israel.  The response of the Arabs?  War!  On May 14, 1948, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded Israel.  The Arabs responded with  hostilities against the Jews just like with the first return.  It was very clear that the Jews established their God-given fatherland again. ⁶ 

Conclusion

Since that time, the hatred against the Jews never ceased.  As they were persecuted since the time of the first exile, so it happened through the ages.  The question is, why?  Israel is not the biggest, wealthiest country in the world, endowed with limitless resources.  Far from it.  To answer it, we have to consult God’s Word.  The Bible mentions Israel and their role in history many times, but that is for next time.

References

1. Genesis 12:1  
2. Genesis 12:4  
3. Genesis 17:8  
4. Ezra 4:1-5; 5:3-6:18  
5. Nehemiah 4:1-23  
6. Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, 1984, p 975-978

The remarkable relevance of the Tower of Babel

The book of Genesis reveals an interesting chapter in the history of man.  After the flood, the descendants of Noah had one language.  When they had increased greatly they wanted to stay together.  Long forgotten was God’s command to Adam to ‘… fill the earth….’ ¹  With one language, they wanted a city where they could settle.  They moved eastward and settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia). 

#  Why did they move east?  

In Scripture, ‘east’ signifies separation from God: 

• ‘Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden…’ ²  God knew in advance that Adam and Eve would opt to follow the serpent’s advice and not obey Him.
• ‘After He [God] drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim….’ ³
• ‘So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.’ ⁴ 
• The people who moved east to Shinar, wanted to live separated from God. 

#  They built a city.

• They said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ ⁵
• The city had to have one defining characteristic: No instructions from God allowed. 

#  God knows man’s plans.

• God was well aware of their plans to build a ‘secular’ society.  They were probably gifted people, accomplished in various trades and skills.  They wanted to be independent, not fettered by God’s plans for them. 
• The words, ‘a tower that reaches unto heaven,’ might refer to astrology, the worship of the sun, stars, et cetera.  The occult always fascinated people, especially since those ‘gods’ do not require a righteous life.  Idolatry and immorality often go together. 

# What did God do? 

God put an end to their grand plan when He confused their common language.  They started to speak different languages, so they no longer understood each other.  The result?  They scattered all over the world and filled the earth according to God’s original plan.  The word ‘Babel’ means ‘confused’.   

#  The Tower of Babel and the present.  

• The devil’s wish to build cities without the influence of God never stopped.  Today we see how he inspires people all over, especially, the Western world.  Many atheistic, secular organisations aim to ‘build’ Godless societies.  They do their best to lock God out of schools, businesses, entertainment, et cetera. 
• The result?  As in Babel, confusion follows and abounds – for example, the  gender issue, marriage, the truth of Scripture, the deity of Jesus and many other subjects.  There is a proliferation of the occult and other strange ideas, like someone who marries self or even a robot. 

Conclusion

If an incident in ancient Bible history is true today, how much more is God’s promise that a new ‘nation’ will one day live on a new heaven and earth?  We can trust Scripture. 

References

1. Genesis 1:28  
2. Genesis 2:8  
3. Genesis 3:23  
4. Genesis 4:16   
5. Genesis 11:4