The Long Path of Destruction

After conquering Egypt and removing it as a military threat ,Nebuchadnezzar set his sights on biblical Israel. It took three successive invasions 605, 597, and 586 BCE respectively, which culminated in the sacking of Jerusalem and taking the inhabitants of Judah captive.

As we are watching the events unfold around the world, especially in the Middle East,  we see a striking parallel. It has taken the enemies of Israel five protracted wars, two specific wars of attrition and an unrelenting war on terror to get where they are at.

We then have seen the constant relinquishing of land while under the guise of peace but in reality it has only empowered the terrorists and left Israel in a precarious situation at best.

The Babylonian Empire had wealth, manpower, training, and the entire infrastructure and succeeded in their war of attrition. However, today Israel faces not just enemies in close proximity, they have all that Babylon had plus world opinion  has shifted against it.

Realizing just how serious the situation is becoming, we still must not lose sight about the reality of God’s sovereignty. Babylon conquered Israel, but they in turn were conquered, and the Jews returned to their homeland and today the same thing will happen.

The difference is the Jews are where God wants them and they will not be driven away nor totally destroyed. In fact, this is where God will continue to redeem Israel both nationally and spiritually, so as these successive attempts come, remember God has not let them be destroyed.

It’s Not What You Own It’s What You Have

The ancient empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome left a legacy of rich, powerful nations that collapsed. In more recent times power-house nations such as Britain, France, Spain and Germany have all risen to power then come crashing down.

Now the troubled nations of South Africa is said to be the “Next Zimbabwe” and it nationalizes more and more while embracing more of a communist stance.

Rampant crime, disease, food shortages and civil unrest leaves South Africa, once the gem of African nations, on the verge of total collapse.

How does the nation with a wealth of natural resources and rich with minerals come crashing down? True as the world economy is collapsing and financing is almost impossible to obtain we must remember G-d’s laws.

South Africa is not the only nation that is moving farther away from G-d and once His covering is lifted the results are tragic and there is not enough economic stimulus to bail out any nation.

Solomon said it best regarding the conduct of people and nations, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.”

Proverbs 11:4,5 NASB