We Have No Vision
When you think about this passage, you can’t help but look back throughout history and see nations with ambitious leaders reaching pinnacles of power through conquest of other nations, then ultimately fading into the pages of history. Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome quickly come to mind, and in modern times, there was France under Napoleon, Germany, first under Kaiser William, then Hitler, Austria-Hungary under the Hapsburg Dynasty, Italy under Mussolini and the Japanese under its military rulers. Even the British Empire, built up more through colonization than conquest, has all but disintegrated through the efforts of evil men wanting to establish the ultimate empire, a worldwide one.
Today, we have Russia, whom Bible students know was turned back, as prophesied by Ezekiel in Chapter 38:4, when she lost her satellite countries, but is still awaiting the hooks in her jaw to bring her forward again into battle. Christians should view their Ukrainian intrusion as a first step toward their once again desire for world domination. And what better time, they might project, as they view the very weak leadership of the former powerhouses of the Anglo Saxon World. We must never forget that a leopard never changes its spots, and Russia has indeed never lost her desire for conquest. China has become a true military and economic giant, with a seemingly great thirst for conquest. India too is becoming a giant among countries and of course, many Mid-East countries are longing for revenge. What is common amongst all these powers is a total contempt for the Western Israel nations and for the Modern Israeli State, seen as a partner of the west, itself embroiled in a devastating war, many see as its own making.
Then we have Britain and America and what can we make of them? It is clear to everyone now that over the past couple of decades, particularly in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, now the Ukraine, and elsewhere. They have become aggressor nations, with a huge price tag being paid by their soldiers and their taxpayers. Notwithstanding stated objectives, oil, markets and possible pipelines are said by many to be their real goal and her ambitious rulers are coveting those markets with an eye for more power and prosperity for the ruling class of corporate giants and the select group of politicians and others.
Had it not been for under-estimating the nationalistic fervor of the Taliban and Iraq people, Iran, one of our greatest enemies, was likely to have been the sandwich spread between the two countries, but, it wasn’t to be. So, the plans of the unscrupulous rich and powerful to subdue Iran were sidelined and they have been forced to seek a new direction to achieve their goal. The 100,000 people killed in the Syrian civil war was apparently not good enough reason to war against that nation and so far, the present war of words against Iran, has not enticed them to the battle. But the recent past chemical poisoning of several hundred of Syrian men, women, children and Syrian military soldiers has seemed to be given fresh impetus in the present war to a possible justification.
And so, True Israel has stepped in do-do. Bible scholars are oft to quote Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper,” however, as Jim Read wrote in a letter in 1991, “this is conditional on Israel obeying God’s Laws and being in harmony with Him. It is also dependent on Israel being the defender against evil aggression, and she must never be the aggressor – but always the defender of righteousness.” Even though we can look to past centuries and exclaim that the Christian Anglo-Saxon nations have stood against the evil of other nations and fought for freedom whenever it was challenged, we cannot say this now.
You see, True Israel has forgotten the advice of our Lord God Almighty, given after He set down His Commandments at Sinai. In Deuteronomy 8, He told us to observe His commandments as we went forth to possess the land which He promised our fathers. Most consider this as the tiny land of Palestine but in describing it in verses 7-9, it is clear it must be more. We forget the vision given Isaac (Genesis 26:3) of all the countries his seed would possess, which surely are the lands occupied by True Israel today. Anyway, the Lord told us not to forget who did all this for us. In verses 2-3 He reminded us of the forty years in the wilderness, which was to humble us and to prove us, to know whether or not we would keep His commandments, to makes us recognize we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
In verse 16, He repeats His counsel of verse 2 and ends by saying “to do thee good at the latter end.” That’s now, friends! In verse 17, He cautions us not to say in our hearts and minds, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” Of course, this is exactly what has happened in the Israel lands today, we have all but forgotten our God and believe our power and wealth has come through our own initiative. Yet, in verse 18, God reminds us that it is He that gives power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He made with our fathers.
Then comes the warning in verses 19 & 20. It is simple and direct, “If we forget our God (which our nations virtually have) and walk after, serve and worship other gods (which we are doing) then God says in no uncertain terms that because of our disobedience, we (our nations) shall perish.” Proverbs 29:18 makes it crystal clear, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The leaders of the Israel nations today lack vision, instead they are going full bent toward a world apparatus, in spite of the poverty and human suffering it is creating. It should be clear as you reflect on the declining influence of True Israel in every Israel nation, that our lack of vision is rapidly leading to bondage.
So, even though God called us “My people” and that we will not perish from the face of the earth, we are going to continue to be scourged with rods for our backsliding, meaning that we shall pay a price for what we are now doing. We should not forget the warnings in Ezekiel 7, particularly God’s words in verse 8, “Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee ….” So, we shouldn’t fool ourselves, God has decreed punishment on the disobedient True Israel nations. We should be asking ourselves, “Are we now on the verge of that punishment.” It seems that the stage is being set with the new Mid-East debacle.
In an article a few years ago, I suggested that Iran might be the trigger to bring about the final war before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I said that unless wiser heads prevailed, we could be facing disaster not too far out from then. I think we are now closer to that than ever before.
Iran, along with Russia, China and other nations, have acted as if there is little to worry about from the Western nations, particularly because of their growing lack of respect to what they consider weak leadership in America, and Britain. And let’s face it, it is weak. As a consequence, these growing enemies are flouting nuclear capability, have withdrawn much of their money from western banks to prevent a freeze, entered into economic alliances, such as the BRICS common currency, established to compete with the supremacy of the American dollar, and more and more, are demonstrating total distain for the modern Israeli State, around which much of the world’s troubles are centered. It seems that all it would take is an act of aggression by either True Israel or the modern Israeli State and the two invasions prophesied in Ezekiel 38 could come about.
And we must not forget Canada. It’s true that Canada did not join in the Iraq conflict with the Americans, British and Australians, but this country will surely be a battlefield, according to Ezekiel 38. And, Canadians, remember, you did send troops to Afghanistan and elsewhere and has been an aggressor nation, ever since World War 2.
In Deuteronomy 8:20, God gives us the analogy of the nations which He made perish before us, to what will happen to us if we do not obey. Certainly, further tribulations are bound to come upon us and we shall pay a great price. We have asked for it. If only our leaders would harken to His warning. As a past writer penned, “The punishment can only be minimized if we open our ears and hearts to the Word of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; if we will but listen to the words of the apostles and disciples of our Lord, as our forefathers did in ancient Britain, and gird ourselves with the strength of divine promise, as they did.”
As for those who are striving to walk in His ways, the remaining part of Proverbs 29:18 is comforting, “but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Obviously, He will protect those of His flock that remain true to His Word.
