Israel – Word for the Soul

Temporary Peace

October 11, 2025October 10, 2025 Loring Schultz

“I will give peace and quietness unto Israel.” 1 Chronicles 22:9 KJV

Let me first say I thank the Lord God and praise Him for the ceasefire that has been achieved as part of the ‘20-point Israel-Gaza Peace Plan.’ This war has been in effect since Hamas attacked and murdered innocent Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, along with taking 251 people hostage. The remaining hostages are to be released in a few short days, another praise to almighty God. Once the hostages are released negotiations on the next phase will begin. So, while we rejoice in the ceasefire and the soon release of the hostages, the world is very cautious not to get too overjoyed as things can turn around quickly.

Case in point, the plan will be implemented in phases with on-going negotiations. Phase 1 is the ceasefire and the release of hostages along with Israel releasing several hundred Palestinian prisoners. Other phases include Hamas disarmament, Gaza’s governance, Israeli withdrawal, and long-term security among other items as humanitarian aid. The problem is, although a good plan that was accepted by all the neighboring countries, it does contain 20 points which are all valid, but somewhere down this long road the unexpected could pop up and stop everything.

For all intents and purposes, even if this plan is implemented in every detail of every phase, this is only a temporary peace. The evil in the world will continue to prevail as controlled by Satan. The Jewish race is hated by Satan because they were the vehicle in which Jesus, the Messiah, came to redeem mankind and destroy Satan. Satan’s influence on those who hate the Jews will only increase prompting them to once again engage in violence. I pray this peace will hold for an extended period of time until the Lord returns. When Jesus returns He will save the Jews who put their faith in Him during the tribulation for they will be attacked once again during that period. So, even if this peace lasts until then, it is only a temporary peace.

Christians today have a responsibly to keep praying for peace in the Middle East.

We are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for humanitarian needs, pray that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be preach, for Jesus is the only source and hope of peace we have on earth until He comes back to rule the world. So, we pray to that end, because this is a temporary peace.

Devotionals

The Day is Coming

October 7, 2025October 6, 2025 Loring Schultz

“O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, ‘Your God is coming!’ Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm.” Isaiah 40:9-10 NLT

Two years today, October 7, 2023, the nation of Israel was savagely attacked by the terrorist group Hamas. 1,195 people were brutally murdered and 251 innocent victims were taken hostage by heavily armed and trained killers. 45 of the hostages have died during their captivity and as of this date 48 remain held in Gaza by Hamas. The world is closer today of seeing this tragedy end than any time during the last two years. But the problem with negotiating an end to the war is Hamas continues to push their ultimate goal of getting rid of every Jewish person in the land of Israel, even though they won’t admit it. It’s hard to reach a compromise when one party won’t be satisfied until you’re dead.

The day is coming when there will be total peace in Israel, all of the Middle East, and the entire world. The prophet Isaiah spoke to the Jewish people of that future day. He specifically said, ‘Your God is coming!’ Jesus, the Messiah, came the first time to save His people from their sins, and He is returning a second time to rule on the earth from Jerusalem restoring all of Israel’s land to its full God ordained boundaries. All of Isarel today wants peace and will negotiate in the spirit of achieving it and we pray to that end. But the day is coming when Hamas and those who hate Israel will be eliminated. Christ will rule and Israel will have their entire land and the peace to go with it.

So, in the meantime, what should Bible believing Christians be doing. First of all, we should always be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. (Ps.122:6) Second, we should be praying for the salvation of the Jewish people by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah who has come to save them. And third, we should live godly lives before the entire world as we wait for our Lord’s return, because we do not know when that day is coming!

A Christian Perspective

Israel’s Future, Our Future

April 12, 2025April 8, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Isaiah 54:11-17 NLT – “O storm-battered city, troubled and – Bible Gateway

“You will be secure under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away. You will live in peace, and terror will not come near.” Isaiah 54:14 NLT

Scanning the news coming out of the Middle East over the last 18 months, there seems to be little progress to the end of the war between the terror group Hamas and the nation of Israel. The fact is that region of the world has been unsettling for centuries and will continue to be so until Christ returns and establishes His earthly kingdom. There will be peace in Jerusalem one day. Our prayers are not in vain when we pray, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” (Ps.122:6 nlt)

On that future day, Jesus Christ Himself will rule the world from Jerusalem. He will rebuild His holy city. “O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you with precious jewels and make your foundations from lapis lazuli.” (Is.54:11 nlt) Jerusalem, all of Israel, the entire Middle East, and all the world will live in peace. A new real sheriff will be in town. “You will be secure under a government that is just and fair.” (Is.54:14a nlt)

When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we pray for so much more than the present day. We do pray for periods of peace when guns are not firing, and rockets are not in the air. We do pray for all people in the region to live and work together in the midst of their differences. We do pray for leaders across the world to assist in negotiating peaceful resolutions for our day. But we are ultimately praying for the day when we know there will finally be peace in Jerusalem, the Middle East, and the world.

That day is the day of the Lord’s return to earth. It will happen. There are many references to these future events in Scripture. Jesus spoke of His future kingdom while here on earth 2,000 years ago. It is a sure thing. It’s time for us to wrap our minds around the thought of Israel’s glorious future which will be every Christian’s glorious future. The present days may seem dark and without hope, but there is a future day that is bright with the guaranteed hope of peace in Jerusalem and for all the world.

A Christian Perspective

God will not forget Israel

February 8, 2025February 6, 2025 Loring Schultz

“So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.” Exodus 16:35 NLT

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.’” Genesis 12:1-3 NLT

God’s chosen people are the Jews. Their home is the land promised to them by God, it is the land of Israel far beyond the present-day borders. The city of Jerusalem is the Lord’s holy habitation. (Ps.46:4-5) One day, perhaps sooner than we think, Israel will have all the land God had promised when Christ returns and rules from Jerusalem in His earthly kingdom. But until then………

Yes, but until then we will continue to have unrest in that section of the Middle East known as the Holy Land. Empires and world leaders have fought over the land for centuries, displacing the people residing there. Israel became a nation state in 1948 and was first recognized by the United States, and the U.S. has been a friend to Israel ever since. The fighting continues today not only for the land but for the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jews. Many have tried to negotiate peace that lasts only until the next rocket is fired. There will be no true peace in the Holy Land until Christ returns. But until then………

But until then God will continue to watch over His people. If anyone would doubt God’s care for Israel, just look at His provision of food that lasted 40 years in the wilderness. Every day except Saturday, the Lord provided nourishment for their survival. God didn’t forget or abandon them in the wilderness, and He is not going to forget them now. God promised He would make them a great nation. He will bless those who blesses Israel and He will curse those who do not.

The people residing in the Holy Land have gone through the horror of war due to the hatred towards the Jewish people, God’s chosen. It will come to an end one day, but until then, let every Christian be in support of Israel and encourage our government leaders to do the same. May we pray for the ‘Peace of Jerusalem’ and the families suffering from the on-going conflicts. May we pray for the salvation of those who have not come to accept Christ as their savoir, and may we pray, Maranatha ‘come, Lord Jesus’!

A Christian Perspective

God Blesses Those Who Bless Israel

November 23, 2024November 22, 2024 Loring Schultz

“Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” Numbers 24:9b NLT

Scripture is quite clear of God’s love for His chosen people, the Jews. God chose Abram to leave his homeland and go to a place He would lead him. The Lord spoke to Abram saying, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen.12:2-3 nlt) God has fulfilled His promise to Abram. Israel became a great nation, the Jewish people have been a blessing to the world, and all the families of the world are blessed through Abraham’s seed in the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

God’s love has never wavered for Israel even through their times of sinful idolatry recorded in the Old Testament. The Jews were punished severely for their sins by having their land destroyed and being taken captive to foreign kingdoms. But God had grace and mercy on His chosen people and brought back into the land due to His promised covenant and His love for them. The Jews are indeed God’s chosen people. Throughout history nations who have blessed and supported Israel were blessed, and those who have not, were not blessed, but cursed.

The nations of the world in 2024 have had a close eye on Israel since the terrorist attack by Hamas in October of 2023. There are sympathizers on both sides. A word to the nations who support Hamas and other extremists by agreeing with their ideology. The Jews are still God’s chosen people. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied against Mount Seir, also known as Edom, after the bloodshed they caused against the Jews trying to escape their Babylonian captors. “Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. For you said, ‘The lands of Israel and Judah will be ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care that the LORD is there!’” (Ez.35:5, 10 nlt) Sounds a lot like 2024, the 1930’s and ‘40’s, and all through history. God’s chosen people have always been under attack.

God’s Word still stands true today, “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.” (Num.24:9 nlt) Edom was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C. and again by John Hyrcanus, a Hasmonean (Maccabean) leader in 126 B.C… There is no trace of the Edomites in our current day. Curse is everyone who curses Israel.

The United States and many other nations across the world have been supportive of Israel for many years. These nations must be careful not to let their support wane. The United Nations as a governing body hasn’t been much help in garnishing support for Israel. The United States, as the leader of the free world in 2024, has the advantage to take the lead in their support for Israel. As a citizen of the United States and a Christian, I realized America has been blessed beyond measure for our support of God’s chosen people. May the upcoming administration continue and enhance the United States’ support for Israel. For God says, blessed is everyone who blesses Israel.

Read: Ezekiel 35 NLT – A Message for Edom – Again a message – Bible Gateway

A Christian Perspective

For the time is coming, Israel will live in safety.

February 21, 2024February 20, 2024 Loring Schultz

‘“For the time is coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.’” Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT

October 7, 2023, is a date that will be remembered around the world, but especially in the land of Israel. On that date the terrorist group Hamas attacked incident civilians in the privacy of their homes and a music festival in the early morning hours. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history with 1,200 deaths and some 240 individuals taken hostage. Modern day Israel as a nation has been under attack since its independence as the state of Israel after the British Mandate expired in 1948. They have successfully defended the country from on-going attacks from their enemies all around them, and I believe will continue to do so.

World leaders and politicians support the idea that the only road to peace in the Middle East is a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people. The concrete barrier that must first come down is for there to be agreement that the nation of Israel and the Jewish people have the right to exist and to defend itself. Hatred for God’s chosen people, the Jews, is not limited to our time, but has been real throughout history in the pages of the Old Testament. Sad to say, there will be no true peace in Israel in the immediate future, but there will be real true lasting peace one day. A time is coming that Israel will live in safety, and that means peace.

The prophet Jeremiah tells us of a coming king, a descendant from the throne of David, that will rule in Jerusalem, and His name is “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who will rule with wisdom and justice not only in Israel but the entire world in His earthy kingdom. And Isaiah the prophet says, “In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.” (Is.11:10 NLT)

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will return on that day and the nation of Israel will finally receive Him as their Messiah. And He will rule in righteousness. “In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.” (Jer, 23:6b NLT) Until that day, let us Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Read: Isaiah 11 NLT – A Branch from David’s Line – Out of – Bible Gateway