Happy Independence Day, Israel
The year 1776 is monumental in early American history. And the year 76 is monumental in the history of Modern-day Israel. There are many people in Israel older than the birthday of their young nation.
What a miracle Israel is. What other nation has such a diverse history as this come-back nation? Are there similar stories in the history of a people scattered, persecuted, and coming back to their homeland after almost 2000 years? They have revived their ancient religion, customs, and language. They have their modern flag, anthem, democracy, and industries. They have outsmarted all their surrounding enemies with modern-day weaponry and land produce.
Here we see the prophecy of Ezekiel being fulfilled before our believing eyes. “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back to your land” (36:24). Watching the nightly news and seeing 24/7 missiles flying over her northern border is sickening. However, it is also heartening to see the resolve of the people as they rejoice in the aftermath of all the smoke and thunder.
Certainly, this 76th anniversary is different from the previous 75. But when it’s your homeland and your birthday, and your enemy is relented on driving you into the sea and you have no other place to go you fight like a cornered tiger.
Usually, when Israel is celebrating their birthday of independence you see fireworks, flyovers, and feasts but not so this year. The flyovers are missiles and the fireworks the Rat-a-tat-tat of machine guns, grenades, and tunnels thirty feet deep into the earth blown a hundred feet up into the air. Gaza is being reduced to ashes and bones, bricks and rebar and this is of Hamas’s self-destructive philosophy of extinction to the Jewish nation. The sons of Ishmael and Hagar are bent on destroying the sons of Abraham and Sarah. Like a thief in the night wanting to destroy your family, they ran into the unseen iron fist of Israeli and are now crying “foul play.”
There is a somberness and uncertainty in the air with Hezbollah bombing Israel’s northern border and infiltrators on their southern border. And on the east the Damocles sword of Iran hanging by a brittle thread. Israeli diplomats trying to free the hostages still held in Gaza have hit a Berlin wall situation. While the annual flyover of military jets has been canceled, as well as music and dancing in the streets the steel backbone of this little nation is an equal wonder to behold.
It is mind-boggling to think back some eighty years ago and be reminded of the Holocaust when antisemitism sent six million Jews to their early deaths. And now we see it rising its ugly head again. Surely as we learned nothing from two world wars, we learned nothing from Israel’s latest holocaust.
To see the rising of antisemitism on our university campuses due to professors who are as dumb as holocaust deniers and lying to their students is almost unbelievable. To see students who do not know world history, and to see them touting placards, “From the river to the sea,” it sure makes you lose your thinly veneered confidence in liberal professors, politicians and publications.
But there is a light shining over the horizon and it is getting brighter and brighter and it is not a train. The light is the promise of God. Israel is the only nation in the world that God has a written covenant with and that from her capital Jerusalem, he will one day rule the world. And it is for that reason Israel is indomitable, I could give you a score of prophecies that shall surely be fulfilled in this regard but I leave you with one. “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” ( Isaiah 49:16). The nation of Israel is always on his mind.
Despite many nations denying the legitimacy of the modern Jewish state to even exist, and despite constant attacks by her avowed enemies, she exists and will continue to exist until Jesus Christ returns and sits there as king and messiah (cf.Ezekiel36:24-36).
Israel in its 76th year is not striving but thriving. This once dry and thirsty land is now a major force in agriculture, technology, science, literature and militarily. She is generous enough to share her wealth with the rest of the hungry world. No book has so influenced the world like the Bible which came to us from the land of Israel. Its prophecies of a coming utopia, a brave new world of peace and prosperity are yet to be fulfilled in their completion. But none of them can be fulfilled if Israel ceases to exist as a nation. Thus the constant threat of antisemitism.
Hear this amazing nation of Israel still in your infancy, “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations will be blessed through him”(Genesis 18:18;cf.Genesis 12:3).
We Celebrate with you!
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Bryant