Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A Little Bit of History, But A Whole Lot of Love

I pretty much remember the exact moment the topic of Israel and God’s chosen people, the Jew, piqued my interest.

I have written about it before. It was a turning moment in life that one knows will never be forgotten; and even to some degree, will most likely change oneself forever.

I was probably about 13 years old and in 7th or 8th grade. The year would have been 1967 or 1968. I was riding my bicycle with a friend on a hot summer day. I remember the exact spot on the hill where we stopped riding in order to better explain our points in what had become a heated discussion.  “Jews are a religion,” my friend adamantly stated.

“Yes, they are, but they are also a nation. They are a nationality. They even have similar physical characteristics, just like any nationality has.” I had responded just as adamantly.

I don’t remember all of our conversation, but because of the year (1967, or just after) I suspect the reason two 13 year olds were talking about a deep and somehow controversial subject on a beautiful day of summer vacation, might have been due to the fact that Israel had just won the 1967 Six Day War. A win that gave land back to Israel that God had already given them in the first place – Gaza, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

Shortly after this incident, I remember trying to find Israel on the globe. Now maybe I should have already known what Israel looked like, as well as its size by the time I was 13 years old, but I didn’t. I remember seeing that tiny speck labeled “Israel” on the globe and being absolutely amazed that this little piece of land could cause so much attention in the news when one considered the entire massiveness of the world.

Only God could do that, I thought. I mean think about what a miracle that alone must be. One of the tiniest countries in the world was the focal point and discussion of the whole world at that time in history.

So began my awareness and decision to forever defend Israel and the Jewish people.

Fast forward 50 years, and the same discussion continues to this day although amped up all the more as the years fly by.

There are many facts that attest to the nation of Israel having God’s (and the whole world’s) full attention. Many of those facts are nothing short of miraculous with much of it being told long, long ago.

Without a doubt, the nations were all created by God. God laid the boundaries and put the kings in place. Scripture tells us so. (Daniel 2:21 and Romans 13:1, as well as Acts 17:25) The nation of Israel was specifically designated in Scripture by God and was given to Abraham as well as the generations of heirs to follow.

One cannot dispute the fact that God gave Israel the land as laid out in Genesis 12:1-7 and Genesis 13: 14-18 and more precisely in Genesis 15: 18. In fact, there are more than 170 references in the Bible regarding the land and boundaries that God gave Israel.[1]

The nation of Israel is, in fact, God’s gift to us; it is God’s “time clock” to the world so that we might  know the final hour is at hand. We are wise to pay attention to what is said in Scripture in light of what is taking place in the news around the world today.
 
From history, as well as Scripture, we know the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world, only to be brought back to the same God-given land to become a nation once again in 1948. Israel once again becoming a nation is undoubtedly a fulfillment of prophecy.

Miraculously, the Jew never lost his identity, or his native heritage and physical characteristics. That is a huge miracle when one considers the way they were dispersed throughout the world for generations, never to lose who they are as a people.

Israel since becoming a nation in 1948 has once again become a land of milk and honey from a land that was dry and desolate in prior years. To the believer, this is a miracle in itself when one considers the rough beginnings Israel experienced working toward building their tiny nation within a land of enemies that hated them and by people that were a very real threat to them.

Further adding to this miracle, is the fact they accomplished success while also absorbing thousands of refugees into their boundaries, many of them Arab Jews, who were fleeing persecution elsewhere across the globe. We hear a lot about the Palestinian refugees, but rarely, if ever, do we hear about the Arab Jew dispersed from their homes.

In Hal Lindsey’s book Everlasting Hatred, he refers to what he calls “The Other Palestinian Refugees” in chapter ten of his book.
“The world seldom, if ever, hears about the more than 800,000 Jewish refugees who fled Arab terror and hatred and settled in Israel. Perhaps it is because every single one of those refugees was accepted, resettled and provided for by the struggling Jewish state without question or hesitation. There never has been a Jewish refugee in Israel or anywhere else.”[2]
Again, these Arabs were absorbed and accepted by Israel.

I wonder too, the same question Mr. Lindsey asks: “Why are [the Arab Jews] never mentioned in the ‘Palestinian refugee debate’ that keeps being trumpeted in the United Nations and the Media?”

Simple! It is a cover-up using revisionist history for a very aggressive political agenda that aids the Palestinian in making Israel look like the antagonist.

The truth of the matter is that Palestinians were not driven out of the newly created Israeli state by Jews, but rather they were warned to leave and driven out by Muslim terrorists that planned on annihilating the newly formed Jewish state of Israel.[3] They were told it would only be for a short time, but rather then assimilating these Palestinian refugees as fellow Muslims into surrounding Arab land, they were forced into refugee camps and used as political pawns by Muslim leaders that wanted Israel to look like the bad guy in the world’s eyes. They were mostly successful and the mythical debate continues to rage to this day…50 and 60 years later.

But this was only the beginning. Later, Israel fought and won the 1967 Six Day War, battling the Arab states which include: Egypt, Syria and Jordan. In my opinion, for the 1967 War to be won by such a tiny nation in only 6 days - against all odds - could only be another miracle of God.  

Though this land was originally given to the Jewish people by God and won back in a fair and legitimate war, there are those that still will not accept that this land belongs to Israel. Israel is continually and perpetually asked to give up land for peace. As if peace is ever going to happen when their neighbors are those who have vowed to drive Israel into the sea!

In more recent history, we have seen Israel give up control of Gaza in 1994 to the Palestinian authority, and completely withdrew in 2005 under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.[4] Jews left their homes and business at that time and the area was soon infiltrated by terrorists. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been controlled and governed by the terrorist group Hamas who claim to be representatives of the Palestinian people.[5] Israel, to their misfortune, no longer controls the Gaza Strip. However, of course they will and must block border crossings when Gaza has been repeatedly used to attack Israel.

Likewise when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were led to give up their post in Lebanon in 2000, under the leadership of the more liberal Ehud Barak (then leader of the Labour Party), the terrorist group Hezb'allah quickly took over leaving not only Israel vulnerable, but also the Lebanese people residing on the border.[6]

Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Likud party are instrumental in keeping the boundaries Israel is entitled, as well as maintaining Jerusalem as the nation’s capitol. They have learned from these past mistakes. And Netanyahu does not flinch at terrorism. The Labour Party of Israel is the more liberal faction of Israeli politics and does not see with clarity what PM Netanyahu knows and understands. And that is there will be no peace until their enemies can admit Israel has a right to exist.

Of course one of the recent concerns at this time is the Jordan Valley.  This is nothing new. Israel has been concerned about this for years. But the situation is being amped up by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanding a militarized Palestinian state with no Jews allowed and no IDF presence at any borders. Certainly Israel cannot allow that to happen with vows in the area to “drive them into the sea”. It would only lead to another terrorist base equivalent to what they now are battling in Gaza. PM Netanyahu’s main foreign policy advisor, Dore Gold, has said:
“Israeli control of the Jordan Valley is not only needed for defense against conventional attacks, but also for neutralizing the growing threat from advanced weapons that can be smuggled to terrorist organizations.”

With the on-going and growing threat of ISIS, we can see the importance of this strong defense. The Jordan Valley is non-negotiable and in spite of a push by US Secretary of State, John Kerry and the UN, it must remain that way. It is imperative that Israel keeps a leader that understands this threat and not give up more land as has happened under the Labour Party.

The city of Jerusalem is an important, if not sacred, city to three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Islam is not as much a faith as it is a political entity, in my opinion.) Though Israel has ties to Jerusalem for thousands of years - about 3000 years from when King David established it as his capital - they have not restricted any faith from their individual holy sites. All 3 faiths are allowed access since 1967 when Israel regained control.[7] Only under Israeli control has this been true. Though Islam is an enemy to Israel, they are allowed access to their holy sites that were established in the 7th century. There is no other nation in the Middle East that would allow this. PM Netanyahu continues to make this a goal to assure this for his nation.

The pressure against Israel is insurmountable, yet they remain a land of democracy with a system that continues to build their strength and contributions to society. They barely have a friend left in the world, mostly standing alone, especially in light of the new direction America has taken under its current administration. That shouldn’t surprise us that this is happening. The Bible tells us it will.

More undisputed truth regarding the growth, goodness and strength of Israel is realized through technology.  Israel, today, is at the forefront of science and technology creating and inventing useful tools to benefit themselves and other societies of the world.[8] You may read about it at these links:

Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that gives aid to their enemy. The Palestinians come without fear to seek care at Israeli hospitals. [9]

Israel sends goods into Gaza to bring aid to the Palestinians despite the threat of their enemy, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations.[10]



Israel has honored ceasefire after ceasefire while their most recent enemy, Hamas, has continually and not surprisingly broken the peace even using their own children as human shields. In fact, to date (the end of July) there have been at least 5 ceasefires broken by Hamas.[11] This has been widely reported in the news by varying new sources.

I cannot possibly include in this post all that is happening in regard to Israel, today. I simply wanted to provide some background into the Biblical prophecy concerning the land that God has called His Own.

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is my belief that can only happen to a nation that knows and follows the living God. Their Father is our Father, and they will soon know the Messiah for whom they await is the same Messiah that we the Christian, lovingly serves.

We absolutely must stand with Israel, not only as a nation but as individuals. In Genesis 12: 1-7 God makes His covenant with Abraham. The verse speaking of the nation of Israel in Genesis 12:3 says: “I will bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you”. That verse has no single nation’s name on it, but is for all of us.

Pastor Jack Hayford (Church On The Way – Van Nuys, California) has written an excellent article outlining why we must stand with Israel. He wisely states:
We are living in a sobering moment in history that calls us, as believers in Jesus Christ, to take a stand with Israel. We could be people of the last hour. We are not to be passive in the face of prophecy; we are called to pray with passion, to intercede, and to minister according to the words of the Savior who said it is not our task to speculate when the end will be. It is our responsibility to do Kingdom business until He comes (Luke 19:13).

This is not about politics; this is about the Word of God, but the political ramifications are extremely dramatic. Scripture declares there will come a time when all the nations of the world will turn against Israel. It is so highly conceivable this could happen in our time that it is critical to outline why we should stand with Israel today.
While I don’t agree 100% with Pastor Jack Hayford on every issue, (I do believe there are those of us who are called to be active in the political arena) this is an excellent article in regard to why we should stand with Israel. I urge you to read it here. Hayford has done an excellent job presenting his case for Israel. To that end, I will continue in my “Kingdom business” using prayer and politics (in that order).

As I said earlier, prophecy regarding Israel is abundant in Scripture. It is prophecy that is being fulfilled to this day. In that regard, Israel is the “time clock” to the world. We can know the day of the Lord is at hand simply by watching the headlines in the news regarding Israel and the Middle East. Israel and what is happening there is about much more than the Jewish people finally receiving their long-awaited Messiah whom they have waited for centuries. Israel is a means in which the whole world might come to know that same Messiah. It was created to be a light to the world.

It is most certainly time to pay attention and make ourselves aware.

The Jewish people are undoubtedly God’s chosen people; our Messiah came through the Jewish race, the Jews kept and preserved Scripture that we would not otherwise have. But Israel is also as a sign to the world. Israel allows us to know that the Messiah spoken of in Scripture – He who died for the sins of the world – is waiting for us all and His time is very near. If one can physically see all the prophecy regarding this tiny land of Israel being lived out and actually coming true, then perhaps what the Bible says about Jesus is also true. It is an intentional correlation – an intentional witness to the world. Are you ready?

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. ~Isaiah 62:1

Resources:
Posted by at
Labels: ,

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)