Why does Satan believe he must destroy Israel from the face of the Earth? For thousands of years Satan has demonstrated an intense and insatiable drive to completely eliminate the Jewish people. Up to now he has not been able to accomplish his goal. Let’s review some of his major attempts.

Events in ancient history when:

  1. Abraham went to Egypt and lied about Sarah, nearly causing Pharaoh to violate her — Genesis 12:10–20
  2. Abraham had Ishmael with Hagar, bypassing Sarah — Genesis 16:1–4
  3. Ishmael ridiculed Isaac, attempting to usurp Isaac’s position — Genesis 16:5–16
  4. Esau attempted to usurp Jacob’s blessing from Isaac — Genesis 27
  5. Pharaoh ordered all male Hebrew infants to be murdered — Exodus 2
  6. Pharaoh attempted to destroy Israel backed up against the Red Sea — Exodus 10
  7. Israel decided to worship the Golden Calf at Mt. Sinai — Exodus 32:24
  8. Israel decided to stay in the wilderness rather than go into Canaan — Numbers 13–14
  9. Moab tried to destroy Israel and stop them from entering Canaan — Numbers 22
  10. the Canaanites amassed all their armies to destroy the invading Israelites — Joshua 11
  11. the surrounding nations tried to destroy Israel during the time of the Judges — Judges 16
  12. the Assyrian army destroyed Israel and much of Judah — 2 Kings 17
  13. the Babylonian army destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem — 2 Chronicles 38
  14. refugees from Babylon were restoring the Temple — Ezra 4
  15. refugees from Persia were restoring the walls of Jerusalem — Nehemiah 2:10–20
  16. Haman attempted to destroy all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire — Esther 3
  17. Greco-Syrian forces tried to Hellenize Judea under Antiochus Epiphanes — Daniel 8
  18. the Roman army destroyed Judea and Jerusalem twice (70 AD and 135 AD) — Luke 21
  19. the Jewish people were scattered and persecuted throughout the world for 2,000 years — Luke 21:24

Events in modern history as Israel is being restored as the “dry bones” — Ezekiel 37

  1. Hitler organized the Holocaust and destroyed over six million Jews.
  2. The Jews attempted to return to Israel against extensive international opposition.
  3. Israel declared its independence in 1947 and was invaded by Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
  4. Israel was invaded in 1967 and 1973 by its surrounding neighbors.
  5. Israel was disrupted by numerous intifadas from Palestinians and Jihadists.
  6. Hamas hurled thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel in 2014.

Future events:

From Bible prophecy, we understand that there is no let-up in Satan’s campaign to destroy Israel. The following scenarios indicate Satan’s continued efforts when:

  1. the antiChrist confirms a 7-year treaty with Israel, making them think he is the Messiah — Daniel 9:24
  2. Satan is cast out of Heaven and attempts to destroy Israel in the wilderness — Revelation 12:13–17
  3. the antiChrist demands Israel and the world worship him, the Abomination of Desolation — Matt. 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4
  4. the antiChrist brings the armies of the world against Jerusalem and Israel in Armageddon — Zech. 12:1–3
  5. Satan attempts to destroy the Holy City after the Millennial reign of Christ — Revelation 20

For 4,000 years the Jewish people have faced relentless persecution, opposition, and attempts to annihilate and destroy them; and in the future, the struggle against Israel continues. If it concerned any other people, this campaign would seem totally irrational and insane. However, with Israel, a rational but very Satanic strategy sustains this animosity.

For Satan, the destruction of Israel is a matter of self-preservation. Ultimately, the survival of Israel results in the eternal perdition of Satan. How can this be? Because when Israel repents and nationally invites the Lord Jesus Christ to be its own Redeemer / Messiah, that generation of Israel will be saved, and Satan’s plan to destroy the Jews will be finally defeated. Christ will return to the Earth, destroy the satanic antiChrist and his armies at Armageddon, establish His Kingdom over Israel and the world for 1,000 years, and then cast the still rebellious Satan into the Lake of Fire forever and ever. (Rev. 20:10)

The key is that Israel must survive to receive Christ nationally as their own Messiah. As Jesus said when He lamented over Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives a few days before He died and rose from the dead at His First Coming:

“For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Matthew 23:39

While the remnant of Israel in every generation would receive Him all during the long period between His First and Second Comings, the nation Israel will not receive Him until after the Rapture of the Church and the Seven Year Tribulation. Thus, when Israel receives Christ, all that surviving generation of Israel will be saved, and this transformation will usher in the events that spell the doom of Satan.

From Satan’s point of view, he must keep Israel from surviving to the point in time when they will be ready to receive Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah/Redeemer. They had a great opportunity to receive Him at His First Coming, but as John states:

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:11–12

Israel did not know its great “hour of visitation” when Jesus came the first time, but when He comes again, the nation of Israel as a whole that survives the Tribulation will at last be ready, willing, and eager to receive Him as Savior and Lord.

Thus, Satan has strived mightily to destroy Israel through the centuries up until this present time so that there would be no Israel to invite Jesus to return to the Earth. Why hasn’t Satan been able to accomplish his repeated purpose to kill off this small nation of only a few million people? It is because God has promised to preserve His covenant nation forever, as Jeremiah so eloquently explains: Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs from before Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Jeremiah 31:35–36

God here states what it would take to destroy Israel. One would have to first destroy the sun, moon, and stars. Once that had been accomplished, then, and only then, could someone go about destroying Israel.

The last time I looked, the sun, moon, and stars were still functioning, so that must mean that Israel has not ceased being a nation.

Satan wants to destroy Israel so that he can keep God from sending him into eternal perdition; but God will not allow Satan to destroy His Chosen Nation. Israel is the apple of God’s eye, so it must survive as a nation before Him for all time.

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