The Beginning Of God's Judgments For Zion Sake

Jan Willem van der Hoeven

International Christian Zionist Center

For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9b)

I felt to pray, last week, on the day that President Barack Hussein Obama was set to deliver his speech in the Islamic University of Cairo to the whole Muslim world. The American leader was doubtless signifying, as the son of a Muslim father, educated in his childhood days as a Muslim himself, that he wants to turn a new page in America's relationship with the Muslim world, so dearly paid for by Israel.

My prayer was that God would begin to show His hand to all those who come against Zion and His people; at the same time, that He would show His mercy and favor in great miracles over His own people "with mighty and outstretched Hand," as the prophets of Israel used to say; thus both in judgment on Israel's enemies, and in signs and wonders upon His chosen people.

We are now at the very threshold of seeing these things happen. I truly believe God has made up His mind, and there is no way to avert His judgments except through deep repentance, intercession and a total commitment to God's present purposes with His people Israel.

Just as there has been for the Gentile nations "an acceptable year of the Lord," a season of mercy that has now lasted close to 2000 years, there will be, as is written in the very same verse "a day of vengeance" which will be, as Isaiah says earlier "for the controversy of Zion."

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3)

For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (Isaiah 34:8)

This day of vengeance is set to begin upon the nations, as Scripture so plainly foretells:

For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. (Isaiah 60:12)

'Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the Lord, 'nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you,' says the Lord, 'to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.' (Jeremiah 30:10-11)

It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9)

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land." (Joel 3:1-2)

Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. (Psalm 129:5)

It is, therefore, absolutely clear - as we all shall see - that God's fierce judgments will soon be heaped upon the nations that refuse to serve and stand by Israel.

But equally true, as we can learn from the stories of Rahab of Jericho and Ruth of Moab, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and even protected, in the midst of the destruction and disasters which are rapidly coming over their nations.

Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director

International Christian Zionist Center