The God called “the Word” (Who came to earth as Jesus of Nazareth–Jn. 1:1-4) brought the children of Israel (Jacob) out of Egyptian slavery in 1688 B.C. under the leadership of Moses.  Forty-one years later their descendants, led by Joshua, entered the land God had promised to Abraham’s descendants because of his obedience.  Over the following years the Israelites lived on a spiritual roller coaster as they would serve God for a while, then serve Satan for a while.  This went on for many generations as the people would turn away for the Lord, He would curse them with defeat and enslavement; they would repent and cry out to Him; He would raise up a leader who would free them from their masters; they would serve Him for a while, then reject Him; He would curse them ….  A generation would embrace Him and obey Him, only to have the next generation forget Him and serve the gods of the heathen people around them.  The cycle of obedience and blessing–disobedience and cursing continued for many generations.

In those days God punished Israel by defeat and enslavement.  He would then bless them by giving them victory and freedom.  The Book of Judges chronicles the plight of the Israelites as they fluxuated between serving God by obeying His commands concerning mixing with the heathen around them, and intermarrying with them and serving their gods.  Even wise Solomon got caught up in Satan’s game and turned Israel into a heathen nation.

One of the gods worshiped by the heathen and the Israelites was named Ashtoreth (2:13).  Ashtoreth, called Ishtar in some areas, was the Canaanites’ female deity who was also know as the “Queen of Heaven” and the “Goddess of Fertility.”  I saw a picture of a hand-carved statue representing this goddess that had been discovered by archeologists.  This particular statue had numerous breasts, depicting her powers of reproduction.  In the Western world she is known as Easter and is celebrated with emblems of fertility such as eggs, chicks and rabbits.  Among the ancient heathen, children were sacrificed to her and eggs associated with worship of her were colored with their blood.  In my childhood church people would buying baby chicks at “Easter time” in honor of “the mother of Jesus.”  Egg hunts were a part of the Easter Sunday festivities.  Anciently the goddess was believed to be the mother of the sun god–Tammuz–whom God warns us about in Ezekiel 8:14.  The Israelites worshiped her in God’s Temple in Jerusalem where women wept and mourned for the sun god (Tammuz) who had been killed by a wild boar at age 40.  The annual custom of self-sacrifice that developed out of this tradition came to be known as the “Lenten season.”  In honor of Tammuz the sun god Temple leaders bowed toward the east as the sun (Tammuz) arose on “Easter Sunday.”  One will find no such observance in the Holy Scriptures.  Nor will one find God’s people practicing and believing the other “doctrines of devils” listed in the Introduction to this website.

Bowing to the wishes of the Catholic Church, Roman Emperor Constantine changed the Lord’s commanded Passover to Easter in 325 A.D. and declared that it would always be held on Sunday–the day the church’s sun worshipers paid homage to their god who always returned on the night of his birthday (Dec. 25) and left gifts under the trees his people had propped up in their homes.  This celebration came to be known in the Western world as Christmas.  God condemns this pagan holiday in Jeremiah 10:1-5 where he describes and condemns the church’s Christmas observance in which she substitutes Jesus for Tammuz.  Tammuz supposedly died on (Good) Friday and was miraculously raised from the dead on (resurrection) Sunday–one day and two nights after his death.  Recall that Jesus was in the tomb three days and three nights.  And He could not have been born later than mid-October.  The Catholics all owed sun worshipers to worship their god but substituted Jesus for Tammuz.

This was not the only time the church bowed to the heathen within her.  For example, some of them worshiped a god with three heads.  The church allowed this, only substituting Mary, Jesus and Joseph initially.  The identities of the trio changed several times.  The church finally settled on God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not a god, but rather the power of the Godhead consisting of God and Christ.  Read The Trinity.  Key word–Trinity.

Let us now return to the Book of Judges where we will compare God’s treatment of ancient Israel to His treatment of modern Israel–the United States, Britain and the Jews of the Middle East as explained in the series titled Who and Where is Israel Today?  Key word–Today.

First, let us refresh our memories of several New Testament passages that show the connection between ancient Israel and modern Israel.  In Ephesians 2:20 where we are told that the New Testament Church was built on the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.  The Apostle Paul tells us that what was recorded about ancient Israel was preserved for “our instruction, upon whom the ends of the world have come.”  Paul believed that his would be the final generation before the return of Christ.  The Lord’s dealings with ancient Israel were recorded and preserved to be used as our example in that we are the descendants of those Israelites (1 Corinthians 10:11).  God will deal with us in the same way He dealt with them.  In other words, modern Israel will suffer defeat, slaughter and the enslavement of those left alive, just as our ancient ancestors and for the same reason–sin.

As the book of Judges tells us, God raised up judges and military leaders to bring ancient Israel out of her generational rejections of His Word.  For modern Israel He has used different means by which He has lifted us up after we have walked in our ancestors’ rebellious footsteps for a season.  In the New Testament era He has used curses that affected the entire world such as war, famines, droughts, floods, heat, cold, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, forest fires, pandemics, economic disasters, civil unrest, etc. to remind people of their wickedness and to call them to turn to Him, repent and obey His Word.

But let us not forget that modern Israel, like ancient Israel, was at one time righteous in God’s eyes.  As were our ancient ancestors, modern Israel was to be a light to the Gentile world–a city set on a hill to whose light the Gentiles would come.  Initially the colonies held onto the teachings of Christ.  For example, from 1659-1681 it was a crime in some areas to celebrate Christmas and Easter because the Puritans knew that they were heathen holidays.  Then liberalism overtook the church, then the society in general.  Soon Satan had control of both.

Modern Israel is on the verge of being militarily defeated, slaughtered and enslaved by foreign nations.  As went her ancient ancestors, so will go her modern counterpart.  And for the same reason–individual and national sin.  There is only one way to survive the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord–total and continuous obedience to God’s Word.   Hell on earth is coming. Those who obey Him will be taken to a place of safety, known Biblically as “her (the church’s) place” (Rev. 13:14).  The Catholic/Protestant Church cannot help you for God has never been, is ot and will never be in her.  He “stands at the door (of man’s heart/mind) and knocks (calls out).”  Only those who answer His call to “come out of her (the church) and touch not that unclean thing” (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1) will have any chance of rising to meet Christ in the air upon His return to earth, descending with Him to the Mt. of Olives, walking into Jerusalem where He will establish the Kingdom of God.  Those who make that journey will rule and reign with Him over the earth and the universe forever.  Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe.  Key word–Caretakers.  The other 99.99% of humanity will face the Lord unconverted and carrying their sins.  Read The Three Resurrections and The Kingdom of God.  Key words–Resurrections (plural) and Kingdom respectively.  L.J.