23 Mar 2020

“Unity” Government

As humanity races closer to its end—whenever and however that might come—it’s amazing to watch the single-minded focus of evil.

Our world Is very much like the guy who runs headlong into a tunnel with a train coming, all the while people watching him implore him to run the other way to safety.

For example, most of us that support Israel and love Bible prophecy recognize that the U.S. and Israel have strong leaders right now. Yet, their enemies are so committed to their destruction that there is never a let-up in efforts to remove them from office.

Now with the Coronavirus spiking fear across the world, we need stable leadership more than ever.

Right now there are reports of a national unity government being negotiated in Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu would be prime minister first for 18 months, then would leave office and Benny Gantz would assume power. Frankly, if reports are true that Gantz seriously considered forming a government with Israel’s Arab enemies in the Knesset, I hope this never comes to pass.

Netanyahu has announced that the deal is waiting to be signed and accuses Gantz’s ally Yair Lapid of Blue and White of holding up the agreement. No one knows the outcome of this at this time.

The hatred between political rivals in Israel is so acute, it boggles the mind they don’t care that it’s hurting their country and the world. Netanyahu rival Avigdor Liberman warned that Israel couldn’t allow Netanyahu to “become Mao Zedong.”

This comment is unconscionable. Surely no reasonable person can deny that Netanyahu has been good for Israel and the West. We’ve listed his achievements before, and they are considerable.

According to an ominous article in The Times of Israel:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday warned that the health care systems of countries around the world were facing imminent collapse if the spread of the coronavirus cannot be contained, and claimed that the virus may turn out to prove the biggest threat to humanity since the Middle Ages.

“At the same time, he implored his opposition rival Benny Gantz to join him in an

‘emergency unity government’ in order to help save Israel from the virus, where he said it threatened to kill ‘tens of thousands.’ Netanyahu said he would share power on a completely even basis with Gantz’s Blue and White party for three years, although he would insist on serving for the first 18 months of that period as prime minister, with Gantz then taking over. Gantz was tasked by Israel’s president on Monday with forming a government, after receiving the backing of 61 of the 120 MKs.”

Isn’t this incredible? At this moment, there seem to be too very different views of how this virus panic will play out. On the one hand, optimistic reports of rapidly developed drugs and a “social distancing” policy of several weeks point to a better outcome. On the other hand, bleak assessments claim we are headed for a dreadful future.

How distressing then that politicians politicize a crisis. Israel’s political chaos is disturbing, frankly. Against the backdrop of a ghastly epidemic, all this has people jittery.

I firmly believe God has Israel in the palm of His hand. I also firmly believe He cares about human beings.

Israel will survive. I suspect the world will survive in the short term.

Let us go on praying for Israel. And say a special prayer for everyone else tonight, too.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

 

16 Mar 2020

Explain, please

Everyone is talking about the Coronavirus this week. So I guess we will, too.

Everyone has an opinion, an option, an angle.

I’d like to talk about the opportunities we have for evangelism, highlighted by the “tool” of Bible prophecy. People are afraid of this global crisis, much like 9/11. Remember that? The churches were full for weeks.

Then, it dissipated.

I have noticed an interesting thing in the last few days: the Bible prophecy mockers are back out in force. Many of them target Millennials.

The other day, Dean Inserra tweeted:

“These last 3 days are an Ed Hindson sermon at Liberty on a platter.”

The left wing former evangelical writer Jonathan Merritt “liked” the tweet.

Of course he did; he is a major mover and shaker in the drive to push people away from the Bible. His buddy Inserra is “lead pastor” at City Church, in Tallahassee, Florida. He also graduated from Liberty and, tellingly, he is “an advisory member of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Leadership Council with the Southern Baptist Convention.”

(The ERLC, as I’ve written many times, is headed by Replacement Theology-guy Russell Moore.)

Inserra’s dig at Ed Hindson is unfortunate. I’ve met with Hindson several times and he is a grounded, godly minister of the Gospel, and a leading light in the Bible prophecy community. How sad that Inserra (and Merritt, who truly loathes conservative Christians) uses this moment to take a shot at Bible prophecy teaching.

It is this very moment—when people are trafficking in fear—that lends itself to witnessing for Christ, using the Bible’s predictive prophecy to help people make sense of life, and their lives.

For example, you will be having LOTS of conversations in the next several weeks. Opportunities will come for you to tell people that God is in control, and that He offers peace in the storm.

What better way to do that then, for example, talk about Israel in modern history? I have had the privilege (really!) of talking to many of Israel’s critics in the Church; these people of course also have a particular hatred for Bible prophecy in general.

I’m always able to say at some point: “How do you explain the existence of Israel, apart from God’s promises to them in the Bible?”

Not a single time have any of these critics been able to articulate a coherent reason (understanding of course they reject Bible prophecy).

Not a single time. So, I say, “Explain, please.”

Ed Hindson can answer correctly, Dean Inserra cannot. Jonathan Merritt cannot.

Ultimately, there are legions of fear-mongers out there. I count Inserra and his friends among them, because they will not use the extraordinary, majestic example of God’s ability to know all the future.

So, your assignment the next few days or weeks is to stand-in for the Dean Inserras of the Church world. Take your opportunities to calm fears by pointing out that God knows all, forever, and He has promised to keep His people.

Serve up some hope on a platter.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com