Yes, the Internal Struggle is Real
Some of you know I am in Israel this week. It has been a spectacular solo trip, and I’ve learned a lot. I wanted to clue you in to an interesting conversation I had yesterday.
I met a longtime friend for lunch not far from the Old City of Jerusalem. A pristine neighborhood with birdsong, lush gardens, and clean air was just one of the thrills of being there.
I was most interested in finding out, on the ground, if media reports of internal dissension in Israeli politics and society was real, or just another Fake News boondoggle.
Unfortunately, it’s real. There are certain foundational elements in any society that must remain in place for stability to exist. One of those is that those tasked with defending the nation remain totally committed. We are even seeing cracks in this in our own military, but more in the realm of “diversity” weakening our defense infrastructure.
In Israel, I was told, there are a certain number of Air Force personnel that say they will refuse to fly in case conditions for war come into focus. I must say, I never thought I would hear such a thing, at least not from Israel. Can you imagine?? As I’ve written recently, Yair Lapid’s 10 minutes as prime minister gave way to a sort of anarchy as he was on his way out the door; Lapid encouraged widespread protests of Netanyahu’s incoming government…before it began governing. This was unprecedented and represents a very dangerous escalation in the ongoing war against the Jewish state. It was one thing to face the Jordanians or the Syrians, or even Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor in the Iraqi desert. Those were external enemies and Israel dispatched each of them with stunning focus.
But this is different. Intelligence services are on high alert.
(On a personal level, I’ve never felt unsafe in Israel, and this trip is no different. I sense no tension, and recent flareups by the Palestinians have subsided.)
I’ll cut this short for this week, but just know that Israel is facing a new enemy and that enemy is very, very familiar. Having said that, we know that even when things get dire for Israel, Scripture tells us they will be preserved, and for all time. So while it is easy for me to say that from my safe perch in the U.S., there is an excitement that grows for us Bible prophecy students as we watch serious signs emerging that the Day of the Lord approaching rapidly isn’t so far-fetched. I still preach caution on date-setting and such, but one can at least see now that when Israel’s strength takes any kind of hit, there is only One source of protection for them.
And we know Who that is!
Let me know if you’re interested in traveling to Israel with a tour group I’m part of for next spring. Message me either at jim1fletcher@yahoo.com or jimfletcher761@gmail.com