Genesis 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What is happening in Canada and the U.S. lately is not ok. Born again Christians cannot sit idly by and watch what is happening and just shrug their shoulders. I am not advocating for protests or even for organized walks to support Israel. Those things do not work.
The media is bought and paid for by godless governments and they broadcast what they want us to believe. Sadly, they have been transformed into propaganda machines. Many people have accepted this transformation and they accept the lies being broadcast.
Our P.M. stood before the cameras and accused the P.C.’s of causing division and of name calling. It is interesting that he can stand in front of the cameras and lie like that and no one calls him out. No one has been more divisive than this man. He does not stand up for Israel. He has chosen to stand on the side of the enemies of Israel and of God.
In our text the LORD spoke to Abram. Abram was told to get out of his home country. He was to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to a land that he had never been to. God did not give him a map. He just told him to leave and follow God’s lead.
That new country was not a God-fearing land. God would command Abram’s descendants to wipe out the current inhabitants of that land and to fill it with God-fearing people. Abram’s descendants failed on both counts. They did not wipe out the enemies of God and they did not fill the land with God-fearing people.
I read a lengthy article yesterday from a lost Jew who was urging his brothers and sisters to leave North America and South Africa and other hostile areas, and go back to Israel. It is quite obvious that the Jews are not welcome in most of the world.
Abram was not being chased out of Ur of the Chaldees. God was telling him to leave that place. God was preparing Abram for something very important and he needed to be away from his false securities. He needed to be brought to a place where he would be completely dependent upon the Lord. Abram was hesitant to leave as God commanded him. He left, but he took his father and nephew with him. God separated them from Abram and Abram needed to trust God in a land of strangers. God is well able to protect His people. If God sends a person to a certain place, He can also protect him there.
God not only commanded Abram to leave his homeland, but He also promised to make of him a great nation. He would bless him and He would make his name great. God blessed Abram as a person and later called his descendants Israel. That name reminds all who use it of the true God every time it is written or spoken or seen.
It is important for those who are saved to remind the world of who they are attacking, when they attack Jews. People need to be reminded that attacking Israel is attacking God. Attacking God is disastrous.
There are nations that the Bible mentioned that do not exist today. God destroyed them and they are gone. Some people waste their lives trying to revive the memory of people groups that God wiped out. Human curiosity can be quite involved in reviving cultures that do not matter.
We, those who are saved, need to remind people that God’s ways are important. We spent time studying the book of Esther. It was a brief study, but it emphasized the pagan culture of the Persians. Persia is present day Iran. Persia was a powerful empire at one time. Iran is becoming quite a powerful nation once again. They are influencing much territory in the Middle East. Their ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel and the Jews. The Bible warns us that Persia will be a major player in the last days and He will destroy them. Israel is currently trying to weaken them, but they will not succeed. They will be a thorn in Israel’s side until God removes them.
I received a list of the many foreign nations that are sending millions of dollars to mostly U.S. universities so that they can influence those universities to promote their hatred for the Jews. I mentioned the other day that the president of Columbia university, which is a hotbed for antisemitism right now, is a Muslim.
We do not yet understand that being a Muslim should put a certain label on that person. It is not hatred to recognize that certain ideologies are wicked, period. There is nothing good about Islam. It is more than just a religion. It is an ideology that is designed by the devil to attack Jews and born again Christians. It is intent on being the dominant system of material, political, and religious practice in the world.
In Canada’s latest budget proposals, they have included wording that the Muslims are interpreting to mean that Canada is becoming more open to Sharia financing. Why is Canada interested in promoting Sharia financing? Do we really think that this is just an innocent, alternative form of financing that has no other implications?
God made a promise to Abram that is recorded in the Bible. He promised to bless those who would bless Israel and curse those who would curse Israel. He also declared that all the families of the world be blessed in Abram. He did not promise that for Islam. He promised that for Abram and his descendants whom He later called Israel. Islam is closely tied to Catholicism and for years Catholicism has tried to wipe out Jews and Christians. They could not succeed and they have a partner that is very aggressive and the nations of the world are bowing to the wicked demands of Islam out of fear.

Psalm 122:6  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Not only did God make a clear promise to Abram, but He also reminds us of the importance of praying for Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city that God chose to put His name there. It is the city of God. It is currently being trodden under foot by the Gentiles, but it will be purged and given its rightful place at the end of the Tribulation.
The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ points out that there is a heavenly Jerusalem as well. That place is there now and it will become a very important place in the Millennium. It is essential for God’s people to remind the world of the importance of Israel. We, those who are saved, do not need to support the ungodliness in Israel. God does not tell us to do that. He warns us not to curse Israel. We bless Israel by reminding them of who they should be and how they can be what they should be. Individual Jews need to be saved.
Let us be followers of Christ and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As we do that, we will prosper in greater ways than material gain. Of course those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem are saved people. They alone know what true peace is. May you prosper today.
Pastor Bartel