At 6:30 on the morning of October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas militants poured across the border between Gaza and Israel. They were intent on bloodshed and assaulted nearby Jewish neighborhoods in paragliders, trucks, bulldozers, boats, and motorcycles. Simultaneously, over 5,000 rockets were fired at civilian homes, overwhelming the Iron Dome system and marking the beginning of war between Israel and Hamas. These attacks resulted in the deaths of 1,139 Israelites and foreign nationals, and 250 additional civilians were taken hostage by the terrorists. Not content with simply murdering these innocent people, Hamas also tortured, raped, and desecrated the bodies of the dead.
Do you remember first hearing of these attacks? My heart was absolutely shattered. It was a Saturday morning as I was preparing for the weekend’s sermon. I had just been to Israel a few months prior, and had fallen in love with the people there- the Jews, Palestinians, and Arabs that I met there were incredibly kind and hospitable. People that I had grown to know and love while there were directly affected by the loss of friends and family and are hurting gravely because of the loss of income from tourism while the war rages on. Let’s please continue to pray for them, and for peace in the region to prevail.
Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up in the early hours of the morning to find yourself in the midst of a warzone? Rockets exploding outside your home? That was the reality of many last year. We have been living in an era of unparallelled peace, and it is shocking to think that we may have to reckon with the horror of war anytime soon in our lifetimes.
And yet, we are caught up in an intense war right now- one that explains all the brokenness, anger, greed, and injustice all around us. The spiritual war between the forces of good and evil, light and dark, God and Satan rages all around us. In fact, the physical war we see today is all a direct result of this unseen spiritual reality that we so often overlook.
This weekend we are going to get an in depth look at this raging war- at Satan’s tactics and the LORD’s response. We can find great comfort and protection by studying carefully and applying the words and warnings found in Revelation 12. We will look specifically at the question: “How can we thrive in the midst of the spiritual warfare raging all around us?”
I invite you to join with us this weekend as we look at the Great heavenly warfare in Revelation 12. Our socially distanced service is Saturday afternoon at 3:30, and our Sunday morning service is at 10:15, where you can join us online or in person. We also have Sunday School classes at 9 for all ages.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to pursuing Christ, Community, and the Great Commission Together with you soon!
-Pastor Nathan Rice