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"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the world are gathered against it." Zechariah 12:2,3 - Hebrew prophet of the Holy Bible.
"For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity." (Zechariah 14:2).
Many people today are concerned about the crisis in the Middle East. In recent times there have been serious outbreaks of violence between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians who view the Israelis as an occupying power in their true homeland. There is the very real possibility of other Arab nations being dragged into the conflict, provoking a regional war. Historically and in very recent times also, diplomats have come in from the outside seeking to mediate the issues, and find a compromise upon which a lasting peace can be built. Yet peace seems elusive for now, as there are many on both sides of the camp who want war. Hatred and resentment has found a deep root in this part of the world. When this happens, it is very hard to get people to accept one another. Instead, people get to the point where they would be glad to die or be seriously hurt if only they might hurt their enemies in the process.
What this Conflict is About
This conflict is about many things. It is only partially about which nation really owns the land. That issue is complex enough, but there are even greater issues at stake. One of the major issues has to do with which religious view of history will triumph. There is a major conflict brewing between Islam and the Judaeo-Christian view of Israel. Islam teaches that the Jews are the enemies of true religion and that Islam will triumph over them by force. Also, based on an Islamic tradition that says that Mohammed ascended to heaven from Jerusalem, the muslims see the Temple Mount area where muslims have established two mosques as extremely holy.
Orthodox Judaism however would see the Jews as God's chosen people which will be ultimately protected by Almighty God as long as they are faithful to the Law and the traditions of Judaism. Many of them hope for the eventual re-eastablishment of the Jewish Temple on its old site where the Mosques now stand - perhaps under the leadership of the Messiah who they see as yet to come.
Secular Jews see the State of Israel as an important part of their identity as Jews - something regained at heavy cost, and something to be defended at heavy cost if need be. After all, this world has over the centuries has many times been brutal to Jewish people. Many times bitter pogroms resulted in them being driven from place to place by those who hated them. Besides that, the spectre of the Nazi Holocaust is still with them. The Jewish military forces and secret service are not softies. When shot at, they shoot to kill. They are not going to take the attacks against them lying down.
In addition to this, Messianic Jews and most Christians believe that the recreation of the State of Israel in 1948 was actually the fulfilment of biblical prophecies, and that God has a special place for Israel and Jerusalem in the end time events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. There are many biblical passages which can be found in support of this, and many other interesting passages which seem to speak of events yet to come which relate to this whole crisis.
All these groups have a passionate stake therefore in Israel's existence or otherwise as a State, and the future of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount area. The viewpoints here are fundamentally irreconcilable. The Pope's suggestion to make Jerusalem a city with a special international status - controlled neither by the Israelis nor by the Palestinians seems to make sense, but it is unlikely to please either group. Whether the United Nations comes to claim jurisdiction over Jerusalem in the near future or not, we can be sure that this option will be pushed forward in one form or other for some time to come. And if it ever happens that Jeruslam is handed over to the U.N., it could fit in very well with some of the Bible's predictions concerning the emergence of the Antichrist.
The Roots of this Conflict
If we believe the Bible, the roots of this conflict go way back to the time of Abraham and the Patriarchs. The Arabs today are descended especially from the ancient Egyptians, the children of Ishmael and the children of Esau. God said concerning the children of Ishmael that they would be a warlike people - their hand would be against every man's and every man's hand against them. This has clearly been fulfilled in the case of the Arab people, who for all their good qualities do tend to see violence as an important option at any time - one they are all too willing to use. Added to this national tendency is the influence of the teachings of Islam, which encourage Jihad or "Holy War" upon the enemies of Islam. Qu'ranic doctrine basically justifies any attacks on others who do not submit to its doctrines. For example, when Mohammed could not convince the Jews that he was God's special prophet, he and his men went off and murdered them and took their money and their women for himself and his men. This was seen as a "holy" thing - Allah's judgment upon the infidels. Such thinking continues today. I've read the testimonies of former muslim terrorists who admitted that they were instructed that the womenfolk of the enemy were fair game for them - they could rape them, humiliate them or whatever as the spoils of war. All this and more is justified by the Qu'ran itself. If anyone doubts this I would be happy to provide evidence to back it up.
There has always been enmity between the children of Jacob (Israel) and the children of Ishmael and Esau, as well as the Egyptians. The Bible is full of such history, and it has continued down to the present time.
As a Christian, I believe there are many spiritual factors at work in this conflict, and that these events and what they are leading up to is extremely significant. No doubt they will lead into some of the most dramatic events in the history of the world, as the conflict concerning the truth comes to a climax.
The only real solution to this conflict would lie in Jesus Christ. If Arabs and Jews would come to Jesus Christ, recognising Him as the Son of God, and following His teachings, there would be no need for conflict. They would actually become blood brothers in Christ, because of a common interest in the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ given for our eternal salvation. However, at the present time, the Jewish people for the most part despise Jesus Christ, and the majority of Arabs see Jesus as an Islamic prophet, and the Bible as a corrupted document. They trust the Qu'ran and believe that God will reward them with a sensual paradise if they die in the battle for islamic glory and conquest.
Judgments on Israel for Covenant Breaking
If we look at the Biblical history of Israel, we see that although God Almighty chose them and loves them deeply, He has also dealt with them in judgment at times. The principle seems to be, that when God's people are unfaithful, and begin to turn to other Gods and trust in other powers besides Yahweh, that God turns them over to their enemies.
This happened at the time of the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, and many times in the book of Judges, which describes the time before Israel had a king.
The best interpretive key for understanding God's dealings with the Jews is the covenant God made with them. A covenant is like an agreement between a great king and a lesser people, in which the great king sets the terms and makes promises.0 Various covenants were made by God with Abraham and his descendents. There was the covenant given through Moses, and also the covenant given to King David and his descendents. There were also many prophetic declarations God made concerning his natural people Israel in the last days. The way these have been coming to pass is truly amazing, and give powerful evidence for the supernatural divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments. The most obvious of these is the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Can a nation be born in a day? Yet it was, on May 14, 1948.
God gave certain laws or principles to his people Israel. One thing the laws of God show us is that not one of us has it in us to keep them. Israel has been no exception. However, in the case of Israel, there are many divine curses in the Bible which are promised to the nation when it is disobedient. Deuteronomy chapter 28 and Leviticus chapter 26 are two powerful chapters in the law of Moses. They are full of promises of blessing and judgment, and they fortell the history of Israel remarkably.
To Whom Does the Land of Israel Belong?
The United Nations will not have the last word on this issue because God Himself has an interest in this land. Now, there are many difficult issues involved in this question and the way it works out in practise will not be determined by the views of men such as I, but by the Sovereignty of God overruling in the affairs of men.
Ultimately, the land of Israel belongs to God. "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof" (Psalm 24:1). However, God has promised this land to the descendants of Jacob (also known as Israel). God has actually allotted to Israel more land than is contained in the present borders of Israel. In Joshua 1:3,4 God said to Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the Great River, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. " The book of Joshua specifies the land orginally given to the twelve tribes of Israel, and it includes land east of the river Jordan, as well as all the land west of it until the Mediterranean Sea.
It is unlikely that Israel as a nation will ever fully possess this land before the return of Christ and the millenium. There are various political realities, such as the State of Jordan, and the Palestinian issue, for example, which would prevent this. It is not my view that Israel should be waging military campaigns to somehow rule over all this land. If this promise is to be fulfilled, it will be by the hand of God and will not have anything to do with men deciding to take matters into their own hands.
What About non-Jewish inhabitants of the land of Israel?
God's law to Israel in the Torah (the Books of Moses) included instructions concerning how aliens (strangers) were to be treated. They were to be treated with justice and mercy. But the people of Israel frequently mistreated aliens, and this has been happening in the modern State of Israel today also. God expressed strong displeasure in Ezekiel 22:7 mentioning the sin of "oppressing the stranger" along with mistreating the fatherless and the widow. These were the kinds of sins that resulted in the severe judgements of God. God said to the people of Israel through Moses not to mistreat aliens, because they themselves were once aliens in the land of Egypt, and oppressed.
What about Palestinians and Arabs driven out by the return of Jews to Palestine after World War II?
It has been documented that Zionists employed deceptive methods to drive out the inhabitants of the land in the late 1940's, around the time when the State of Israel was set up again. Families were driven off their lands, out of their homes, and away from their cultivated fields and orchards. They were not compensated for this. Some of those who lost their livelihoods in this way were Palestinian Christians. Of course, Moslems also were badly treated and injustice was done.
Now I'm well aware that many will never agree that the land belongs to the Jews in any sense, but I am going to ask those who do believe this to consider something. If I look after your land for centuries, build houses on it and cultivate it, is it right that I be driven off without compensation? Of course it isn't. But this is what many Jews did to the Arabs. It is true that upon their return they also settled areas previously barren and unfruitful, producing in many areas what could be described fairly as an agricultural miracle. But the fact remains that injustice was done against the Palestinian and Arab peoples that were living in the land at the time.
Since the late 40's many peoples, both Jews and Arabs have migrated to Israel and it has prospered out of all proportion to its size. Yasser Arafat himself was born in Egypt, not Palestine, and is one example of a migrant to the area. Since men do not accept the rule of Scripture, who should decide what is right and wrong, and who and what belongs to this small part of the world over which there is so much controversy? The problem is clearly intractable from a human perspective. Obviously, justice will never be fully done in this age, and people will never be fully compensated for the injustices committed against them. I believe though that every effort should be made in the interests of peace and justice to hear the cause of those who are oppressed in the land of Israel. If the oppression against the Palestinian Arabs was lifted, it would go a long way to providing a situation where people could live in harmony. However, its my conviction that this will never happen on a long term basis, because Israel is actually a stage for the acting out of a complex spiritual struggle which cannot be stopped by the handout of economic benefits by the United States government or anyone else.
Hypocrisy of the Arab Nations
Arabs often don't really love each other very much, and muslims often fight amongst themselves. Take Iran and Iraq for example. For ten years they slaughtered one another, sending their young boys on Jihad against each other, with the promise of a sensual paradise should they die in the battle for "Islam". Extreme muslims such as those loyal to the Taliban are currently in Saudi prisons being tortured by the secret service of the Saudi regime, because they oppose the economic and military interests of the United States in the land of the prophet Mohammed. There are powerful economic benefits for the Arabs in tolerating the United States presence in their area of the world.
The Arab nations are double-minded on their approach to the question of Israel, because there are economic interests at stake for them. Also, Israel has a lot of miltary firepower. Those nations sharing a border with Israel are far less belligerent than nations like Iraq and Iran which have less to lose by launching an attack on Israel. Its my view that the leaders of the Arab peoples don't really love the Palestinian Arabs much at all. They are not willing to look after them or give them anything much except some votes at the United Nations from time to time. Also, many Arab leaders value economic co-operation with the United States too much to give in to the demands of militant muslims on the streets of their cities calling for Jihad or Holy War against Israel and America. Now, this may change, and most likely will change. When it does, it will have a major impact on the history of the world, and possibly will lead up to some of the climactic battles in the history of the world, leading up to the return of Christ.
I'm personally opposed to Islamic fundamentalism. I believe that Islam is actually one of the greatest evil powers in the world today. It is based on lies and cannot stand up to hard scrutiny. It has murdered the souls and bodies of millions, and resulted in the oppression of women wherever it has been taken seriously and literally. The more seriously people take Islam, the more violent and hateful they become. Islam is not a religion of love - it is a religion of domination, and it is a sworn enemy of both Christians and Jews. This doesn't mean that nominal muslims are any better or worse than other people in this world. There are many precious people that would claim Islam as their religion, but lies are lies, no matter who believes them.
An Unfulfilled Prophecy of War against Israel.
In the short term, it is possible that God will again judge and humiliate the people of Israel who have continued to be stiff-necked and unbelieving concerning the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, and have done much wrong against God. However, no matter what Israel might suffer in the short term, they will never be destroyed as a nation. Ultimately, there are very interesting prophecies yet to be fulfilled concerning Israel.
Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 contains a remarkable prophecy. It says that God will put a hook in the jaw of the nations and bring them out against the people of Israel. It seems that Russia and the Arab nations will form a confederacy to destroy Israel. However, God Himself will supernaturally intervene and will destroy those armies attacking Israel. This will be a very significant event that will obviously arrest the attention of the entire world. It will also prepare the way for the Antichrist to come forth in the final days before Christ's return.
Whether this event will take place in the immediate future is difficult to say, but something like it does look like happening at any time. God's Word, the Bible, has been a remarkably accurate predicter of events relating to the history of the Jewish people, and without a doubt, the Bible will be right in the other things it predicts. There will be many surprises for the people of this world in the days to come.
A Final Word to the Reader
The history of Israel is a sure testimony to the Sovereignty of God. This is the God whom you will one day face as Judge. Are you ready to give account for your life? Or do you prepare to ignore God's call to belong to Him, instead preferring to walk in ways of darkness and sin? Hopefully, the Spirit of God is working on you, to convict you of your need for salvation. Know that Jesus Christ, who came into this world as a Jew, was none other than the Son of God, whose death on a roman cross was prophesied before by the Hebrew prophets (see Psalm 22, Isaiah 53). It was this death that paid for your sins, and for the sins of the world. It was through that death that God can make a new race of men - his sons and daughters who are born of the Spirit of God. These are the ones who will enjoy eternity with God. Call upon the name of Jesus before it is too late - it may be that God will yet have mercy on you and forgive your sins. If you trust in Christ and his sacrifice, you will find an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is this Kingdom of justice, joy and peace which we long to see manifested more and more on the earth, despite the oppositions of devils and men. The Lord Jesus truly love you. When your eyes are opened to see that, do not hesitate to openly acknowledge Him and change your life. God bless.
Michael
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