Pastor Jack Hibbs believes there is widespread deception on the topic of Israel that confuses and confuses Christians and others.
The preacher reflected on last month’s terrorist attack on Jews in Australia’s Bondi Beach, saying that in the wake of that horror he quickly recognized the same evil pattern observed during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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“It feels like the beginning of something that history has been recording for centuries, and that is the rise of Islamic Jihad,” he said.
Hibbs said there are theological reasons why Jews are often the targets of hatred and confusion.
“What does history show? Well, let’s go back to Egypt. Let’s go back to Babylon. Let’s go back to the Medo-Persian Empire. Let’s go back to the Assyrian Empire. Let’s go back to the Greek Empire, let’s go back to the Roman Empire,” he said. “You can go back to every empire that’s ever existed, and the target was the Jews.”
“Now, did they really, really have some bad luck or is there some spiritual connection to it? Maybe the God of the Bible wrote all this stuff down and told us why it happened and Israel is going to have a day of reckoning because of it.”
Hibbs said this Day of Reckoning is a day of liberation, when Israel will be freed from the nations that persecuted, killed and stole its land. After all, pastors believe that the physical events currently observed are manifestations of what is happening spiritually.
“I believe that what we see physically in the world today is a manifestation of what is happening in the world in the invisible spiritual realm,” he said.
One of the issues he lamented was the anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment that is increasingly permeating the conservative movement.
Critics on the right have long criticized this dynamic among people on the political left, but Hibbs said a shift is occurring among conservatives as well, including prominent individuals. He believes that these changes and transformations are spiritual.
He noted that this is likely a result of the fact that “Jesus actually knew what he was talking about when he said that in the last days there would be a doctrine of demons and deceitful spirits that would deceive people.”
“I don’t think anyone would be fooled if someone jumped out of the bushes wearing red underwear and carrying a pitchfork and a black goatee,” Hibbs continued. “You’re not going to be fooled by that, but you’re going to be fooled by what Jesus warned us about. Jesus said to be careful what you hear. So it’s more of a cult of personality today that people are following these influential people because there are very famous people with very large followings saying things.”
But it’s not just material things, he believes that some of what is being said is fed by the devil.
“Behind everything is a doctrine of demons and deceitful spirits that are manipulating people, just like (we) sit down and play chess,” Hibbs said. “We think it through, we execute it on the board, and sometimes we actually move the pieces. There’s a lot of spiritual stuff going on in the invisible realm, and sometimes you’ll see the pieces move in the physical realm on the table.”
Hibbs said a lot of debris is now moving rapidly around the world. He encouraged Christians to keep a close eye on what was happening and encouraged them to defend Israel.
“When you mention Israel and the Jewish people and the land, this is something that everyone needs to take a deep breath and study,” he said. “There is no other nation in the history of mankind where God has united something from Father Abraham. That is the Jewish people. This person is called a Jew. What are the Jews? The origin of the Jews, the Israelites, the Hebrews, the land… God promised the land to the descendants of Abraham and his followers.”
Hibbs said Israel is “totally unique” and people should not approach it like they approach any other country. Israel must be seen through a biblical lens, he argued.
“When Jesus Christ returns and establishes his throne, the Bible tells us where it will be,” he said. “He says he will return to Israel, not Palestine. The Bible says that he will return to Israel and establish his throne in Jerusalem, more specifically in the city of David called Zion.”
He said that while the word “Zion” may be a trigger, he believes it has an important meaning.
“I think we’re so close to a grand Biblical era that names and words like ‘Israel,’ ‘Jews,’ and ‘Zion’ startle people,” Hibbs said. “Why? I think it’s a spiritual indicator. It’s like what a barometer or a weather vane points to. It’s wonderful.”
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