Yes — Israel is always in the news because everything prophetic, biblical, and political is centered on the little nation of Israel.
Les Feldick answers the recurring question about the Middle East by reminding his class that everything prophetically, biblically, and politically is centered on Israel, which is why Israel is front-page news in almost every newspaper and news magazine. He adds that the whole world revolves around God and His chosen people, and Israel is at the very vortex of God's dealing with the nations. Jerusalem is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to the world, so the nations are in constant turmoil over it.
Deuteronomy 32:8 — God set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, showing Israel's central place in world affairs.
Genesis 12:2-3 — God's promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel makes Israel the center of blessing for all nations.
Isaiah 8:14 — The biblical language of a stone of stumbling and rock of offence is applied to Jerusalem's role in world turmoil.
Scripture shows that God placed Israel at the center of the nations. In Deuteronomy 32:8, Moses records: 'When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.' God Himself ordered the nations with Israel in view. In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised: 'And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed' (Genesis 12:2-3). The Bible also speaks of a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence (Isaiah 8:14).
Les Feldick teaches that Israel's constant news presence is no accident: everything prophetically, biblically, and politically is centered on the little nation of Israel. In his classroom answer to the Middle East question, he says that is why Israel is front-page news in almost every newspaper and weekly news magazine — prophecy is centered on Israel, especially the Middle East. He adds that the whole world revolves around God and His chosen people; even though they are in blindness and dispersion, Israel is in the news three times a day, seven days a week because it is at the very vortex of all of God's dealing with the nations. Les applies the biblical image of a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to Jerusalem: the world is in constant turmoil because it does not know what to do with Jerusalem. He points to Deuteronomy 32:8 as showing that God set the bounds of the nations according to the children of Israel, so Israel is at the core of the whole human experience. He also notes that no other nation of less than five million people could command the leaders of all the superpowers to attend its prime minister's funeral; that is because Israel is the center of all God's dealings with the human race. Les also stresses that Israel remains God's covenant people even when its government or citizens are not super spiritual or super moral. God has His thumb on them. He further teaches that Satan is behind everything happening to Israel because Satan hates God and wants to thwart His eternal purposes, yet God will not permit anything to remove Israel from the scene. Finally, Les connects Middle East conflict to God's end-time program through oil, saying the world cares about the Middle East only because of that one commodity, and a future Russian invasion of Israel is part of the prophetic picture.
Moses records that when God divided the nations and separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. Les Feldick uses this verse to say that Israel is at the very core of the whole human experience. Everything else, he says, begins with Israel and falls into place around her.
Les says that Jerusalem, from day one, God said would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. He points out that the whole world is in constant turmoil because the nations do not know what to do with Jerusalem — and the reason they don't know is because they don't know the Book. Politicians cannot stab Israel in the back and get away with it, nor can they ignore Israel and hope it will go away.
Les teaches that you should not expect the present-day Israeli government or the Jewish people to be super spiritual or super moral — if anything, they are quite the opposite. But they are still God's covenant people. God has His thumb on them, and although God does not sanction much of what they are doing, the covenant still holds. People often wonder why they don't behave as God's people; Les says they are God's people only by virtue of the covenant as yet.
Les observes that everything taking place in the Middle East is tied to God's program of bringing everything to its culmination, and the only way it could be done is through oil. The whole world is concerned with the Middle East only because of that one commodity. If there were no oil, the world would not care about those deserts. He also connects this to a future Russian invasion of Israel, noting that even though there seems to be nothing there, they are going to find something.
Israel at the Center of Prophecy and Politics
Les explains that everything prophetic, biblical, and political centers on Israel, which is why Israel is front-page news in every newspaper and news magazine.
Israel in the News Three Times a Day
Les shows that Israel is at the vortex of God's dealing with the nations, so it is in the news constantly; Jerusalem is a stone of stumbling and rock of offence.
Nations Bounded Around Israel
Citing Deuteronomy 32:8, Les explains that God set the boundaries of the nations according to Israel, making Israel the core of the whole human experience.
Why Israel Commands World Attention
Les points to the funeral of Israel's prime minister being attended by all the superpowers as evidence that Israel is the center of God's dealings with the human race.
Prophecy Centered on Israel
Les states that all prophecy is centered on Israel and there is no prophecy to the church, making Israel essential to biblical prophecy.
Israel Still God's Covenant People
Les teaches that Israel remains God's covenant people even when its government or citizens are unspiritual, and God has His thumb on them.
Satan's Attack and God's Protection
Les says Satan is behind everything happening to Israel because he hates God, but God will not allow Israel to be removed from the scene.
Oil, Middle East, and Prophecy
Les connects the world's focus on the Middle East to oil and ties it to God's end-time program, including a future Russian invasion of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8: When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
God ordered the nations around Israel, which explains why Israel remains central in world affairs.
Genesis 12:2-3: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The Abrahamic covenant makes Israel the channel of blessing for all nations and the center of God's dealings.
Isaiah 8:14: And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Les applies this stone of stumbling and rock of offence language to Jerusalem's role in world turmoil.
Les Feldick says Israel is constantly in the news because everything prophetically, biblically, and politically is centered on the little nation of Israel. It appears in almost every newspaper and news magazine because all prophecy centers on Israel, especially the Middle East.
Les teaches that Satan is behind everything happening to Israel because he hates God and wants to thwart His purposes, but God is not going to permit anything to remove them from the scene. They are going to survive, because they are God's covenant people.
Les says Jerusalem is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to the nations. The world is in constant turmoil because the nations don't know what to do with Jerusalem, and the reason they don't know is because they don't know the Book.
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