I read Mark Tooley’s recent article Anti-Israel Christians Ponder Divestment with increasing alarm. It is inconceivable, to me, that real Christians would view Israel with hatred. While I know, and have stated so in The Spirit of Prophecy, that professing Christians will one day crown the Antichrist, I just didn’t want to believe that they would be on his side this early.
I decided to do my own research, and so went to the Canadian Friends of Sabeel website. The first thing I noticed was the inflammatory rhetoric on their home page, reflecting the language of the Kairos Palestine Document.
“In this historic document, we Palestinian Christians declare that the military occupation of our land is a sin against God and humanity, and that any theology that legitimizes the occupation is far from Christian teachings because true Christian theology is a theology of love and solidarity with the oppressed, a call to justice and equality among peoples.”
Since when do “Christian” churches have the right to declare Israel’s right to occupy the land that God gave them, as a “sin”? This is really quite amazing, since the bible, that these people claim to believe, actually says that the Antichrist will succeed in removing the Israelites from that land for a short period of time.
It is a historical fact that the land that these people claim as theirs, was occupied by Israel only two thousand years ago. The land commonly referred to as “the West Bank” was originally known as Judea and Samaria. Judea is named after Judah, the founder of the tribe of the same name, from whence the Jews derive their name. The Roman emperor Hadrian, wanting to erase history, renamed the land “Palestina” after the second Jewish revolt in 135 AD. His reason was that the Philistines were Israel’s greatest enemies, and therefore he named the land in their honour.
Those who continue to call the Israeli Arabs “Palestinians” are continuing this Roman lie!
When the Jews were exiled into the rest of the Roman empire, the local Arabs moved across the Jordan river and have lived there ever since. These Arabs are from the biblical tribes of Edom, Moab and Ammon, and their ancestral homeland is really just across the Jordan river.
God actually anticipated this situation. Here’s what He says about it:
1 “Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? 2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD”. Jeremiah 49:1-2
Please note that Rabbah of the Ammonites is the ancient name of Amman, Jordan. Since the day that Jeremiah wrote the above, Amman has never suffered the destruction prescribed here. Amman is today one of the oldest continuously-occupied cities in the world.
The “Palestinians” have never had sovereignty on the land of Israel. The last indigenous nation to have a government on that land was Israel! Since the expulsion of Israel, by Rome, there has never been an independent nation on that land, until 1948.
The land that the Friends of Sabeel call “Palestinian land”, was a part of Jordan until 1967. Before that it was part of the British Mandate, and before that it was under the Ottoman Turks for 500 years. Before that it was controlled by various empires, including Rome, but the “Palestinians” never had sovereignty over it!
It is true that the Philistines had sovereignty in the small south west corner known today as the Gaza strip. David, the future king of Israel, actually lived with the king of the Philistines for a time. Their territory was only in that small corner, and never extended to Judea and Samaria, nor Jerusalem. Not only this but God Himself has given the land of the Philistines to Israel.
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. Zephaniah 2:4-7
Israel is the only nation on earth that has been given a deed to their land from God Himself. This explains why the nations of the world are so against her. If the bible is true, then not only does Israel get the land God promised them, but the nations themselves deserve an eternity in the Lake of Fire! If the bible is true, then not only does Israel get the land, but the Saviour from Israel, Jesus Christ, is the only way to God, and is the very one who will judge the nations!
As I said earlier, the Antichrist will succeed in expelling the people of Israel for a very short time. These “Friends of Sabeel” will no doubt rejoice at that time, but I can assure you their rejoicing will be short lived. Jesus Christ Himself will personally restore the land to the people of Israel, and the armies of the Antichrist will suffer the greatest military defeat in the history of the world! If these people are Christians, then Jesus Christ will indeed return bringing God’s wrath against (professing) Christians!
5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6 The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. (Isaiah 34:5-8)
Note: “Idumea” is the Greek form of Edom, the tribe descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother, which makes up about 1/3 of the inhabitants of the nation to the east of Israel today. Jeremiah 48-49, and Ezekiel 35, also elaborate more about the Lord’s displeasure with this nation. (Don’t worry about the reference to “unicorns” it could actually be a reference to the demons that lead those people.)
The phrase “the controversy of Zion” is so current it could come from today’s headlines. No, God will not allow the nations to divide His land. His promises are irrevocable! Interestingly, God actually does have a promise for these people, but it doesn’t include a Palestinian state:
14 Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. 17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 12:14-17)
When you attribute things to God, which He doesn’t attribute to Himself, you have created a god in your own image, which is idolatry. This is precisely what this Kairos Palestine Document does. God gave the land to Israel, and He never changed His mind. When they say “it is a sin for Israel to occupy their own land” they are putting words into the mouth of the Lord. I can assure you, this has not escaped His notice.
Because thou (Edom) hast said, These two nations and these two countries (Israel and Judah) shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: Ezekiel 35:10
Read the whole passage, in context, I can assure you it is very relevant to the situation we are discussing.
Some people are offended that Israel’s main right to the land is based on the bible. “How relevant is such an old document to today’s world?” they ask. I actually think God relishes the situation. It gives Him the opportunity to show that something He inspired, some 3,000 years ago, is not only relevant today, but will be for all eternity!
God’s Word is more important to Him than even His name, which is very important, by the way:
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:2
These “Friends of Sabeel” are actually fighting the God they claim to worship! They need to repent before it is too late! You can’t be a friend of God, and fight Him and His Chosen People at the same time.
As I continue to read the Kairos Palestine Document I am continually shocked at the hatred, lies, and blatant propaganda, it contains. Their use of Scripture is entirely out of context. I will do a more in-depth analysis of that document at a later time.
In the mean time, Shalom!
housetops 