is what happening with israel and gaza have anything to do with biblical prophecy?

I thought israel had to rgain all the land or something. If anyone knows anything at all of what still needs to be fulfilled, i really would appreciate it.

Yes it is prophetic fulfillment since it is the anti Christ spirit that is producing hatred for the Jew. I cannot say that it is the specific fulfillment that will lead to the beginning of the Tribulation but it is in general at least part of the increasing birth pangs. Also for the Arab it is part of the Ishmael & Isaac feud. And it is also just a natural feud since they have taken land that was once occupied by Palestinians and other things.

I do not believe that they need to have all the land actually in Revelation some land near the Temple location is given over to the Gentiles.

I believe they at least need the city of Jerusalem since they are mentioned there during the Tribulation, the Temple is to be built there, and they will be there during Armageddon, and other things.

As for all the stuff that needs to be fulfilled before the tribulation and the second coming I wont mention everything. I will mention one main thing. The Temple needs to be rebuilt so that the abomination of desolation can occur by the son of perdition spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Notably almost all things are ready and prepared for the beginning of the 7 weeks to begin!

For your consideration:

Revelation 2:12-13: "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Mark:13:14: But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, [b]standing where it ought not[/b], (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

http://lasttrumpetnewsletter.org/2009/01_09_l.html

Berlin, Germany, had another attraction for Barack Obama. During the 1880's, German archaeologists were in the ancient city of Pergamos where they found the massive altar of Zeus. They offered to buy the altar from the Ottoman Moslem rulers, and upon purchasing it, they moved the structure to Berlin where it was fully restored. It now resides in a museum in Berlin, Germany. [b]This altar of Zeus is the very seat of Satan![/b] . . . .

The Altar of Pergamon
[b]The Reference to Satan's Throne in Revelation 2:13

"I know where you live—where Satan has his throne."[/b]

The Zeus Altar was taken from Pergamon in 1871 and carried to Germany by the German engineer Carl Humann. It is now exhibited at the Museum of Pergamum in Berlin.

http://www.everythingimportant.org/altarOfZeus/

http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/va11/amy/amy~1.html
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The Sun will be darkened

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/30sep_blankyear.htm

(exerpt)
Sept. 30, 2008: Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 is now the "blankest year" of the Space Age.

"Sunspot counts are at a 50-year low," says solar physicist David Hathaway of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. "We're experiencing a deep minimum of the solar cycle."

_________________________________________________

Rv:6:13: And the [b]stars of heaven fell[/b] unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

On December 1st, 2008, the London Daily Telegraph featured a headline story entitled "World Stability Hangs by a Thread as Economies Continue to Unravel." The story tells of worldwide collapse as economies everywhere on earth are in deep trouble. The writer described the once strong economies of the nations as being [b]like stars that have fallen to the earth[/b].
_________________________________________________

We did not immediately connect all these events when viewing the separately, until we put them together on one page.

Not claiming any ability to predict, God forbid. However, we are admonished to [b]Watch[/b]. When we have been watching, this is what we are seeing. Add to all this the occurring events concerning Israel. . . . We may benefit by reexamining any preconceived conceptions of what will happen in the End Times. It may well be we might not recognize them for what they are.

Praying for all the Saints (especially, those on this forum),
white stone

Whatever happens with Israel is always the fulfillment of prophecy.

When I think of Israel in the news as she has been the last couple of weeks a prophecy from Zechariah 12:1-4 comes to mind which states.

1The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

4In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

What we are seeing is a positioning towards this great event in which the nations will be arrayed against Israel. We are seeing God put the hooks in the jaws of the nations to fullfill all of scripture. Sooner or later this prophecy is going to come to pass and I feel and note ( this is just my observation) that we are seeing the nations and israel step into their eschatological
roles from which God has already planned.

Agreed both KingJimmy and Krispy... even the attitudes that are being fostered among those who should know better in the church is a fulfilment.

A specific prophecy regarding what is the root behind what is happening is the whole of chapter 35 in Ezekiel... the perpetual hatred and enmity and God's attitude toward it, and the final outcome. Those we call "palestinians" were displaced by their own people, not the Jews. The history is a complex one, no doubt, but well worth researching from sources that do not have the agenda of justifying the attempt to destroy Israel. Amazing how one of the most vicious armies during World War 2 against the Jews was the one recruited by the Nazis out of the Arab world that still perpetuates that same hatred and is sorely disappointed that Hitler did not finish them off.

Ezekiel 35:12 - 14 (KJV) 12And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. 13Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them. 14Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.

The reason:
Ezekiel 35:10 (KJV) 10Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:

I wrote basically the same thing on another thread yesterday... from the time Palestinians can walk and talk they are indoctrinated to kill or maim even at the cost of their own lives and the lives of any relative because their death is a shortcut to their paradise... that is not radical Islam, that is mainstream Islam at work. And if we think we are going to escape in this country we are kidding ourselves. Hamas targets civilians, Israel encounters civilians because of the propaganda agenda of Hamas/Hezbullah/ Fatah/ Islam et al.

The fact is that those who have now become this supposedly disenfranchised people are those who were from the Arab world all around what is now Israel, and the despised and envied Jews drained the swamps, removed rocks, irrigated the deserts, and made them blossom like a rose, and now the bitter envy of those whom the surrounding countries of the Arabs will not take in, are wanting to occupy what they had no part in building.The whole issue is not what is happening to the "poor Palestinians". How much oil money would it take to help them if that were the issue? The issue is the desire that will never change and will never be pacifed, to totally annhilate Israel.

I may have a few years on some of those that are writing regarding issues in Israel... enough to remember all too well what the country used to look like, and the 6 day war and how those nations tried to push Israel into the sea, and the dastardly attacks ever since then including the Yom Kippur war... It grieves me to no end to see the awful imbalance in the reporting, and the bitter hatred of the whole world against the God of Israel... but thank God, even though she still has a most bitter cup to drink, we know what the final outcome will be.

But what is going to be our response as Christians,that is the question. We are to evangelize any and all, and yet we have an obligation to the Jew first, because the Word of God including the New Testament places that obligation.

Art Katz gives a challenge to the church in regard to the very kind of propaganda and even worst scenarios ahead [url=http://artkatzministries.org/the-church%e2%80%99s-identification-with-israel/]here[/url].

May God give us discernment in the days ahead, because as was stated at the revival conference in Atlanta, the Christians are (and are presently) going to be suffering the same kinds of awful distortion of facts, false accusations, smears that give the appearance of total justification for our imprisonment and/or extermination.

Clint

.

I do not believe or sincerely hope that there are not any among us who have a "love affair with war as a religious fixation".

But on the other hand there are some of us, myself included who cannot stomach the defense of the indefensible in condemning or siding with those whose only aim for the last several centuries has been the extermination of the Jews and who have artfully used this present "crisis" as another opportunity to plead the injustice of their "occupation" as a reason to continue to sacrifice their women and children in order to sway public opinion while they ONLY aim at innocent men, women and children with their missiles and rockets and etc.

It is interesting that you should quote a staunch defender of Calvinism that believes in [u]God’s unwillingness to cast off His elect[/u], and yet believes that God has indeed cast off Israel for their sins, that the prophecies regarding their re-gathering were fulfilled already before Christ and that all that is happening in the world today is the effect not of God but of Zionists? Now that is a really strange kind of theology, and yes I have read Mr. Kearley.

It is not Zionism that gives many of us compassion for the plight of the Jews in Israel, but the clear teaching of the Word of God in Romans regarding their eventual salvation, (and significant warnings against our arrogance as Gentile Christians) and the Old Testament scriptures regarding their return from ALL the places to which they have been scattered, a prophecy that has not and could not be fulfilled until now and still has not been completely fulfilled. But this one certainly has:
Isaiah 66:8 (NKJV) 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.
It is interesting to say the least that this prophecy was found in its pristine and untampered glory in the caves at Qumram the very year that Israel became a nation in 1948. Isaiah, one of the most complete of the scrolls found and among the first.

And this prophecy has yet to be completed but certainly has started:
Isaiah 62:4 - 5 (NKJV) 4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah (my delight is in her), and your land Beulah (married); For the Lord delights in you, And [b]your land[/b] shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.

The prophecies of Isaiah from chapter 43 onward most certainly had some fulfillment after the captivity, but there has not been a completion of those specific prophecies for the LAND and for the CITY of Jerusalem, and for the PEOPLE of whom the Lord said [u]are His witnesses[/u]. What is the point of those prophecies except to remind us and all the world of the significance of that ETERNAL title of the Lord, as the God of Israel "the covenant keeping God"?

Isaiah 45:17 - 19 (NKJV) 17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. 18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Isaiah 45:25 (NKJV) 25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.’”

Isaiah 46:3 - 4 (NKJV) 3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: 4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:9 - 10 (NKJV) 9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

To fail to embrace HIM as the God of Israel, (which includes the people and includes the place) is to fail to know the covenant keeping God and therefore any premise of Him being a covenant keeping God with ANY elect people falls.

Jesus Christ came to a place (Jerusalem “my holy hill”), a land (“my holy mountains”), a people (the Jews “my people”), and the admonition “to the Jew first” has never been revoked. All the pride and prejudice and neglect of that admonition will not revoke it.

The love of the people and the place has nothing to do with a philosophy or a movement or with a whole host of men’s theology but with the Word of God who has made it clear throughout history His identification with a people that He has chosen to reveal Himself through… His attributes through. He is the faithful Father to the Prodigal. Israel is a Son that will have to endure even more tribulations before she comes home but afterwards:
Zechariah 12:3 (NKJV) 3And 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 earth are gathered against it. … (read the whole context)
Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV) 10“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Before taking the side of those who hate Israel, and condemning the persecuted, who are going to be persecuted even more, I highly recommend a word search on the word “return” and “restore” and “save” in regard to “my people” and “Israel” in the Word of God.

Clint

i would be afraid to be the ones who our against israel and the god of israel, remember he is not done with them, not for a second, if the u.s turns against them i surely will not be rooting on the u.s.

Hi DeepThinker...

No it does not. All prophecies concerning Israel have all been fulfilled. The Israel in Palestine today is in name only.

Yes, I do believe that the Bible isn't finished with Israel...and I believe that the physical nation of Israel is a fulfillment of Ezekiel chapter 37.

:-)

DeepThinker wrote:

No it does not. All prophecies concerning Israel have all been fulfilled. The Israel in Palestine today is in name only.

Respectfully, I completely disagree with this statement as well.

How can the Lord break an everlasting convenent that He makes? The Lord doesn't break His promises. If you believe so, then one can assume that the promise that was made through Christ can be broken as well.

the prophecies of israel have barely even started, thre's still the anti-christ, the tribulation, the 144,000 chosen, and many many more still unfullfilled.

The following article was written by Jon Zens and appeared in SEARCHING TOGETHER MAGAZINE, Winter, 1991.

TODAY'S ISRAEL:
IS GOD ON HER SIDE?

"Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, says he has been assured by Prime Minister Menachem Begin that Israel eventually will control an area that includes parts of Egypt and Turkey. Begin shares the Biblical view of the promised land said Falwell in a copyright story in Sunday's editions of the Tyler Courier-Times Telegraph. He said Begin, whom he termed a personal friend, told him that the first book of the Bible predicts Israel eventually will have boundaries on the Euphrates and Nile rivers and will include portions of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait." Eugene Register-Guard (Eugene. OR), Feb. 7, 1983.

The above Israel-centered sentiments reflect one popular viewpoint among Bible-believers in America. Adherents of this view believe that all nations must bless and protect Israel or incur God's wrath. Few, however, realize that this particular prophetic perspective began in England with the Irvingites and J.N. Darby in the 1830's. This outlook had never before been suggested in the history of Christian thinking. Yet, because of seven trips that Darby made to America during his lifetime in the nineteenth century, his views ultimately came to dominate among evangelicals in the States.

The essence of this position is that God has two purposes in history, an earthly one with Israel and a heavenly one with the church. From this vantage point what transpires in the world is Israel-centered. Hence, Charles Feinberg's 1980 hook is titled Israel: At The Center Of History and Revelation (Multnomah Press). As a result, the literature on "prophecy" that fills the shelves of bookstores brings readers the following dogmatic opinions:

What is God's will for today? This can be put into one word: Israel. Israel is the final chord of a scriptural age and at the same time she is the prelude to a new age, the millennium, the thousand years of peace. The eternal God is busy today fulfilling his holy will, that is, concerning Israel herself.... All nations are compelled today to do God's will so that it is actually being said to Israel, "be built" and to the temple "be laid."

The land given to Israel was never intended to be an end in itself. It pointed to something better in the future.

This two-purposes theory, which came to be called "Dispensationalism," carries with it a peculiar notion about Israel's "right" to certain geographical territory in Palestine. Proponents of this view claim that God has given Israel that land "forever." If she has a "divine right" to this soil, then it is easy to see how this provides justification for all types of military conflict, and causes a stumbling block to peaceful political solutions in the Middle East. (Of course, the problem is compounded since all Middle Eastern nations claim that God is with them).

Does Israel have God's sanction to possess a land in these days? Must Christians support Israel because God is with her in some special way? Is this post-1948 nation the center of history? Is Christ or Israel the focus of God's revelation? These and other questions will be addressed in what follows.

God Promised a Land to Abraham
In Genesis 12:5-7 God spoke to Abraham and promised, "to your seed I will give this land." This foundational promise to Abraham is the premise for contemporary claims that God has given a specific land to Israel "forever." However, it is significant that Paul saw these words given to Abram-"in you all the nations will be blessed" - as an announcement of the gospel to the Gentiles, not as an indication of Israel's centrality as a measuring stick for world events (Gal. 3:8).

God Sealed This Promise
in a Covenant Ceremony
In Genesis 15:7-21 God makes a covenant with Abraham which was ratified by God symbolically passing through the pieces of meat. The giving of a defined territory is at the heart of this solemn ceremony: "to your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates; the Kenites, the Kenizites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perrizites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and Jesushites."

In the midst of this covenant-making event, the future of Israel is spelled out: bondage in Egypt for 400 years; the judgment upon Pharaoh; the Exodus; and entrance into the land described above in the fourth generation.

God Fulfilled This Abrahamic Promise
Later in History
It is clear from a number of Old Testament statements that the land-promise to Abraham was indeed fulfilled. The land was given delineated in Genesis 15, and several verses in Joshua are especially forceful in this regard:

So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and He gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions (Josh. 11:23).... So the Lord gave Israel all the land He has sworn to their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their forefathers....Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled (Joshua 21:41-45).

The law-covenant had a historical beginning and ending (Gal 3:17,19,25; Heb 8:13).

There are many other Old Testament scriptures that echo this fulfillment theme (Gen. 28:13-15; 1 Kings 4:21, 8:56; Deut. 28; Exodus 3:17, 6:8; Deut. 30:20, 1:8, 7:2, 11:23, 34:1-4; Joshua 23:13-16; Neh. 9:8, 21-25). If the territorial dimension of the Lord's promise to Abraham was fulfilled, as these scriptures assert, this raises serious questions about the propriety of suggesting that twentieth-century "Israel" has a divine claim to this land. The Lord accomplished His word: He gave the descendants of Abraham the land described in Genesis 15:18-21. To purport that God has somehow not yet fulfilled the land-promises, or that they actually came to fruition in 1948, is to stretch the original prophetic word to Abraham beyond recognition.

Israel's Remaining in this Land
was Conditioned on Obedience
There are many verses in Deuteronomy that reflect the foundation of the Mosaic covenant, "do this and live," with respect to the land. If Israel ever went after other gods and broke the covenant, she was assured by God that she would be "cast out of the land." Abiding in the land God had given to them was linked to their faithfulness. Unfaithfulness had serious consequences.
Abiding in the land, God had given to them, was linked to their faithfulness.

Israel's later history reflected the implications of her disobedience. The land was invaded by foreigners, and Israel was captive in a strange land. As time went on the Israelites were "dispersed" to various places in the world. It is this "casting out'' of Israel from the land that sets the stage for a future concept of regathering into that lost territory.

The New Testament Perspective
on Israel and the Land
The New Testament teaches that the formation, history and institutions of Israel were types and shadows of spiritual realities that would come in the days of the Messiah (Heb.8:1-5; 1 Cor.10:18). The essential elements of Israel's life as a covenant people (prophet, priest, king, sacrificial system, ark of the covenant, etc.) were all fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27, 44-45; Rom.15:8; 2 Cor.1:20).
The ...institutions of Israel were types and shadows of spiritual realities that would come in the days of the Messiah.

The preparatory nature of the Mosaic economy must be underscored. The law-covenant had an historical beginning and ending (Ga1.3:17, 19, 25). The old covenant was temporary and lasted only "until the Seed (Christ) had come." When the fulfillment had come there was no reason to continue the types and shadows (Co1.2:16-17). Israel as an earthly people separated to God by the Exodus was to be fulfilled by Christ, whose obedience unto death constituted a New Exodus that would separate a New Covenant people for God's service.

It is only in this light that the "promised land" must be evaluated. The land given to Israel was never intended to be an end in itself. It pointed to something better in the future. Even Abraham who received the promises did not focus on earthly geography, but rather on a "better country - a heavenly one. . . whose architect and builder is God" (Heb.ll:16,10). Like other aspects of Israel's covenant life, the land was a picture of gospel realities to come, not an ongoing entity to be somehow reclaimed in the future by an earthly people in 1948.

The land was a picture of gospel realities to come, not an ongoing entity to somehow be reclaimed in the future by an earthly people in 1948.

The concept of "Israel" is fulfilled both in Christ and in the new people of God, the body of Christ. Jesus, like Israel, is called out of Egypt (Matt.2:15) and finds Himself in the wilderness (Matt.4:1-2). Jesus, unlike Israel, is obedient to the covenant and is the "faithful servant" referred to in the Prophets.

In light of the emphasis given to alleged unalterable promises made to Israel about the land, it is instructive to recall that God's words were addressed to Abraham and his "seed." This "Seed," says Paul, was singular and refers to Christ, not to an earthly people (Ga1.3:16). Thus, for example, the promised offspring to Abraham must be seen as an innumerable company of believers, not as a regathering of an earthly nation (Ga1.3:29; Rev.5:9, 7:9). The physical descendants of Abraham, who indeed became like the sand of the sea in number, were a picture of the harvest Christ would accomplish in the gospel age from every tribe, kindred and people. For this reason believers can be referred to by Paul as "the Israel of God" (Ga1.6:16).

The Rise of "Zionism"
Because Israel was cast out of the covenant land and forced to exist in cultures outside of Palestine, it is not surprising that as history elapsed a new form of Israelite nationalism would arise. From the time of Constantine onwards those attached to the synagogues had a rough time functioning in other countries. They were often persecuted, mistreated, misunderstood and discriminated against. Nevertheless, being hard workers, they tended to prosper in their trades and businesses.

"Zion" came to refer to the deep attachment most Jews had for their homeland. "Zionism" is primarily a modern movement that arose out of some social struggles of the nineteenth century. Anti-Semitism, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia, caused the Jews to long for a rebirth of Judaism. This became connected to their "right" to the old promised land.

"Zionism" was divided into two camps. Some, like Ahad Ha'am, focused on spiritual renewal. But the major thrust, which was essentially political and nationalistic, came from men like Moses Hess, Leo Pinsker and Theodor Herzl.

In the late nineteenth century some wealthy Jews in Western Europe helped assist in the establishment of small Jewish colonies in Palestine. In this context, Theodor Kerzl's per Judenstaat, "The Jewish State" (1896), became the foundation for modern Zionism. He came to the conclusion that a homeland for the Jews was the only solution to the mistreatment they were experiencing in most other places. Under his guidance the first Zionist Congress met in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897 and the World Zionist Organization was formed.

A proposal for a Jewish homeland obviously created a serious conflict with those already living in Palestine. What would happen to those already occupying this region? Would these people leave peacefully so that Jews could live in ''their'' land?

Herzl's ideas were passed on to a Russian-born Jew, Chaim Weizmann, in 1904. Because of his discovery of a powerful explosive called cordite (he was a chemist at the University of Manchester), Weizmann was brought into prominence. He used his influence to try and get the British government to conquer Palestine, hold it for Jewish immigration and settlement, and then allow the land to be used for British interests. Through a series of events the British took over Jerusalem in December of 1917. Then in the Balfour Declaration it was stated that Britain favored the establishment of a home in Palestine for the Jews, but not to the hurt of those already living in the area.

Needless to say, in the ensuing years tensions began to mount between Jewish settlers and the Arab population. The Biltmore Conference (May, 1942), led by David Ben-Gurion, stated that British-controlled Palestine should become Jewish property. This alarmed many Jews, and as a result an anti-Zionist organization - The American Council for Judaism - was formed in May of 1943.

With the knowledge of Hitler's atrocities against the Jews coming to light in May of 1945, the Zionist program regained strength and support. But Arabs resisted the importation of Jews into the land.

In 1947 the British turned over their control of Palestine to the newly-formed United Nations Organization. Under much political pressure, the U.N. finally partitioned off' a small portion of the land (the size of Vermont) for the Jews in November of 1947. As the British withdrew in 1948, armed groups of Zionists forced thousands of Arabs to leave their homes. In the midst of this conflict there was a declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Since then there has been constant pressure for Jews to return to "the land." World Zionism looks upon this State as the home of all Jews. The Justification for Occupying "The Land" In order to justify the many political and military actions necessary to establish, maintain, defend and expand "the land," Zionists have used many Old Testament texts. Inherent in this approach is the idea that God is on Israel's side, and that He has purposed for her to possess this land. With this foundation a rationale is provided to kill people, to displace thousands of people, and to do what it takes to "rule."

"Support Israel or Experience God's Wrath"
- Jerry Falwell.

To add to the problem many conservative Christians believe that the Old Testament supports Israel's right to the land, and they see May 14, 1948, as an amazing fulfillment of "prophecy." Those who hold to this perspective believe that Christians must be pro-Israel. Jerry Falwell asserted at a meeting of religious broadcasters, "theologically, any Christian has to support Israel, simply because Jesus said to." During the 1973 Yom Kippur war, Oral Roberts confidently posited, "there is no way Israel is going to be defeated, according to the Bible." Thus many television and radio preachers and Christian leaders fervently encourage their followers to support Israel in her efforts to maintain the land, and even exhort believers to contribute financial aid for Israel's cause.

Based on God's promise to Abraham -- "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" -- many preachers are dogmatic in saying that all nations must support Israel or be doomed to the worst calamities. This leads to the conviction, of course, that the USA must support Israel's cause or experience God's wrath, as Jerry Falwell suggested. Tremendous pressure is exerted by pro-Israel forces upon our State Department not to do anything that would violate our good relations with Israel. To compound this problem, recent U.S. Presidents have embraced the notion of Israel's divine right to the land.

"God Is With Us"
The position of the Zionists and of many Christians creates many serious problems. If God is on Israel's side, then it becomes virtually impossible to critique her policies and actions. In principle, whatever Israel does must be right since God backs her supremacy in the land. We must never forget, however, that "God is with us" was inscribed on the belt buckles of those who burned Jews in ovens. History reveals that the "God is with us" slogan has often been behind the worst of atrocities.

God Is Not With Israel or Any Other Nation
In the former days God did separate Israel for Himself and gave her the land promised to Abraham. Israel was special among all the nations of the earth (Deut.7). But ultimately the blessing upon Abraham was to be given to all the nations (Matt.28:19-20). With the coming of Christ God fulfilled all the promises to the fathers (Rom.15:8). In this age, "God does not show favoritism, but accepts people from every nation who fear Him and do what is right'' (Acts 10:34).

All of Israel's institutions were fulfilled in Christ - including the land concept Heb. 3-4). The Old Testament clearly states that God kept His word and gave the land to Israel. The notion that God had to give the land "again" is without Biblical foundation.

There is nothing wrong with Jews living in a certain land, but to claim a "divine right" to it and to employ this claim as a basis for disputing, hurting, and killing others is wrong. God is not with people when they manipulate and intimidate others. God uses the wicked actions of people in His purposes, but He does not sanction them.

Concluding Thoughts...
The Middle East conflicts have no easy solution. But we can be sure that a solution for the benefit of all involved cannot be realized as long as many Jews and Christians continue to maintain that God is with Israel in the taking of "the land." The "divine right" notion will only block efforts for peace in the Middle East. It can only serve as continued justification for taking the lives of others in "serving God's cause."

More importantly, however, it must be noted that the Israel-centeredness of much Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism diverts attention away from the One whom God has set His seal upon - Jesus Christ (John 6:27; Matt.3:17). People are blessed or cursed not by how they treat Israel, but by how they respond to the claims of Christ upon their lives (Psalm 2:12; 1 Cor.16:22). God's purpose focuses on the Son, not on an earthly nation (Eph.3:ll). God is not ruling all things with reference to Israel, but with reference to the body of Christ on earth (Eph.l:22). The unfolding of the future is not gauged by what happens to Israel, but by what Christ is doing to build His congregations.

People are blessed or cursed not by how they treat Israel, but by how they respond to the claims of Christ upon their lives
(Psalm 2:12; 1 Cor.16:22).

The Scriptures - Old and New - specifically tell us how God is with us. Jesus' name was Immanuel - "God with us." God is with those who are in his Son, not with any nation. In this sense, then, He is with all those believers who are "in Christ."

NOTE: Anyone interested may go to the following link to hear a series of messages on "The Israel Of God."

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=10203223638

There will only be lasting peace in Israel when Christ returns.

To think otherwise is kind of silly.