A Deception of Palestine | Jim Hammond
Recap
Pastor Jim ministered a special God-directed message for the congregation entitled, “A Deception of Palestine.” He talked about how there is a division in the body of Christ worldwide, where believers are allowing themselves to become deceived when it comes to the present and ongoing deception regarding the Jewish people and Israel. It’s important that Christians do not allow themselves to be persuaded by worldly and ungodly leaders and news systems. It’s important they know what the Word of God says and exalt it as God’s truth.
Dive Deeper
Pastor Jim expressed his shock and dismay at some Christians who lack knowledge and understanding about the situation with Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinians. After Hamas attacked Israel and killed and mutilated the bodies of 1,400 Israelis, he was shocked and dumbfounded to hear Christians say they could understand how people could get so warped in their thinking that they could do that to another human due to being so oppressed by the Israelis!
Saying Hamas invading Israel because of Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people is deception. This deception is part of a greater spirit of deception that is in this world.
Scriptural reference:
2nd Thessalonians 2:1–3, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
The Bible says that in the end times, there will be some that will fall away in their faith. This great falling away is already happening. For instance, after the Covid pandemic, there are many congregants that have not yet returned to church.
2nd Thessalonians 2:6 says, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” There is something that is restraining Antichrist from being revealed before his time. And that something is the church, the body of Christ, that is restraining him.
The Bible talks about a spirit of lawlessness in the earth that will usher in Antichrist. There is a spiritual war being fought in the earth. That’s why it’s important we do not bury our heads in the ground and hide.
2nd Thessalonians 2:8 says, “Then the lawless one, the antichrist will be revealed at that point.” Where does this all start? It starts with deception.
Matthew 25:31–36 says, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’”
When Jesus comes, He will sit upon the throne of God, which is upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. He will sit in judgment of the nations. He will divide the sheep and the goat nations. The sheep nations will be rewarded for treating the brethren of Jesus, the Jewish people, well. But the goat nations will be punished for how poorly they treated the Jewish people.
When Jesus sits upon His throne in Jerusalem, He will have a check list. And on His check list will be how the nations treated the Jews.
What else will be on the check list is whether or not nations pressured Israel to give away their land, i.e. “dividing the land.” Israel is just a tiny bit of land that is home to eight million Jewish people. Yet there are people pushing Israel to give up her homeland. Nations that push Israel to give up or even divide her land are goat nations.
Matthew 25:46 says the goat nations go into everlasting punishment.
In verse 31 says Jesus will sit upon the throne of David. For Him to do that, He has to physically return to Jerusalem, Israel.
Not Palestine!
Some churches don’t want to offend anyone, so they don’t stand up for the Word of God. Pastor Jim asked, “Are you going to believe the traditions of men more than the Word of God? Are you going to believe the deception of men on this Jewish/Palestinian issue? If yes, then you are not only endangering yourself, but you are endangering your family.
When it comes to Israel, there are groups of Christians who have allowed themselves to be deceived.
There are some who believe in what is called the “Replacement Theology.” This is a doctrine that says that the Jewish people have been replaced by the church.
Then there are those called the Millennialists. They preach that the church is going to dominate the world by winning over country, after country, after country with Christianity.
But what does the Word say about this?
Romans 11:1–2 says, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.”
God has not and never will replace the Jewish people. His covenant with them is everlasting. People who believe otherwise are heretics.
Christians who say Israel is an illegitimate nation do not know the Word of God.
Jesus will return at the end of the tribulation. To which city will He return? He will not return to Washington DC. He will not return to New York. He will not return to Paris.
Where then?
He will return to His people, the Jews, in their ancient homeland of Israel. He will rule from His throne in Jerusalem. So in order for Him to return to Israel, there has to be a nation of Israel. That is why the enemy is working so hard through deception to rob the Jewish people of their nation. People who refuse to even say the name “Israel” and insist on calling Israel “Palestine” are operating under deception. They are under the enemy’s influence. That’s not where a Christian should be.
Read About It
2nd Thessalonians 2:1–3, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
2nd Thessalonians 2:6, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.”
2nd Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
Romans 11:1–2, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.”
Matthew 25:31–36, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the [c]holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’”
Discussion Questions
When it comes to Israel, where do you stand? With God? Or with Satan?
Where are you getting your information regarding the Palestinian conflict?
Do you recognize how secular news organizations have an ungodly and unscriptural view of Israel?