More Than Once

God told Abraham nearly four thousand years ago that He was going to give the land of Israel to his descendants. The fact is that Israel has been returned to the Jews over and over again. Maybe it is the Devil's persistence but all through history some nation has been trying to make the land of Israel into their possession. Out of the whole wide world, this small piece of land was reserved by God to be known as the center of the earth where His presence is greatest. This is a story of one of the thousands of times God has returned some of the land to His people. There is a five mile stretch of beach on the Mediterranean coast that runs from Tel Aviv to the hill of Joppa. About the middle of this beach is a small building containing the history of the return of Joppa to Israel in 1948. Upon entering you will be greeted by a man who was given the mission during 1948. He will explain what happened just like it was yesterday.

After Israel declared themselves to be a Nation in 1948, as authorized by the United Nations, the Arabs who lived on the hill of Joppa began to rain shells down upon the city of Tel Aviv. This indiscriminate killing in the Jewish neighborhoods had to be stopped. The leaders selected a young man twenty years old to lead 300 men against the hill of Joppa. This young man led his fighters against the hill time after time believing God would give them the victory. After three days, 100 of his men were dead and he had made no progress. Because he had not slept in three days he fell onto a cot totally exhausted and discouraged. God sent a vision as he slept and showed a certain street to him that went straight to the top of the hill. On one side of the street were dwellings built one against the other, all the way to the top of the hill.

 He saw himself and some of his men breaking holes in the walls all the way to the top. He jumped from the cot and ordered his men to attack the hill one last time. He and his chosen few went un-noticed as they worked their way through the houses to the top and surprised the Arabs. The Arabs immediately surrendered and the hill of Joppa belongs to Israel until this day. This is how God returned Joppa to the Jews in 1948. The history of Israel is about the Jews failing their position with the Almighty and then the Lord returning them to His land to start again. God uses Israel as a lesson for all believers. If you have failed God in some way then you must repent and God will show you a way to return to your Christian life. Your godly life is the land God has given you to occupy and enjoy.