Messianic Judaism - The Torah and the Testimony Revealed

Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE.

Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for 1,000 years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. Even though other nations have ruled the land since 70 CE, there has always been a Jewish population in the land during the 1,900 years of dispersion.

Jerusalem has never been the capitol of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capitol, and Arab leaders did not come to visit. But Jerusalem has been the capitol of Israel from the time of its beginning in 1312 BCE, the ancient Scriptures bearing witness to this fact hundreds of times over.

The Hebrew prophets proclaimed a biblical covenant between the Jewish people and the land of Israel to last as long as the cosmic order (Yeremyahu/Jeremiah 31:35,36). The West Bank is biblical Judea and Samaria.

Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Tanakh - the Jewish Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.

King David Made Jerusalem the capitol of his united Kingdom. There is no record of Mohammed ever visiting Jerusalem.

Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray toward Mecca, with their backs toward Jerusalem.

A Palestinian/Arab state has never existed prior to 1948. While Arabs have lived in the land sometimes called Palestine since the Moslem conquest, they have never had an autonomous political entity. The land has been governed by absentee rulers from 70 CE to 1948.

There is in fact already a Palestinian State in the Middle East. It is called Jordan, and its leader is King Hussein. This Palestinian state was created in 1948, in the same year Israel was re-established as a nation.

During the years of the British mandate (1917-1948), many Arabs, as well as Jews, moved to the area called Palestine. Higher wages and living standards drew many Arabs from Syria and Egypt. Under the mandate, both Jews and Arabs carried passports identifying them as “Palestinians”.

The PLO’s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with weapons. The Charter denies any right of self-government to the Jews. No Palestinian Arab moderates have come forth to propose changes in this basic document of the Palestinian movement. The PLO leadership has always intended to control the whole area, not just the West Bank and Gaza. The PLO Charter has never been officially changed.

There is reason to believe that a Palestinian state in the West Bank could easily become another Lebanon - filled with corruption, internal strife and violence.

Zionism began as a dream, in the face of a long history of anti-Semitism, that a homeland would be created where all Jews who desired to do so would be able to settle in their ancient land in the midst of supportive community. With continuing evidence of anti-Semitism in the world today, it would be a tragic mistake for Israel be so reduced in size as to prevent her from being a potential homeland for all the Jews who want to emigrate.

Does justice for the Palestinians necessarily mean forming a second Palestinian Arab State in addition to Jordan? Many Palestinians just want to live in peace and dignity in the country of their choice. Most of the Arabs who want to make Israel their home are treated well and justly by the Israeli authorities. In fact, while there are many legitimate grievances, Israel has generally treated the Palestinian population better than America has treated her native people, and far better than Jordan, Syria or Egypt has treated the Palestinians.

Israel is the only democratic state in the area. There are at least 20 Arab states in the region and only one Jewish state. Israel is likewise only 9 miles wide at its narrowest point, and will fit inside the State of Oregon 5 times.

The refugee camps have been maintained and the Arab refugees kept there deliberately by the Arabs in order to politically pressure/blackmail Israel. Consider how many refugees were settled in lands other than their place of birth after World War II.

Final Thoughts

What would the authorities in our country do if faced with gangs of stone throwing children and teenagers? And those gangs included snipers and armed soldiers interspersed with the youth. If such gangs were allowed to proceed unchallenged they would, and do, attack ordinary citizens. A responsible government is obliged to maintain order.

There are no easy solutions to this problem. Pray for all involved. For Arab believers who are often caught in the middle, for the young Israeli soldiers who have to make difficult decisions while rocks and bullets are flying, and for the political leaders who need the wisdom of Solomon.

Those who take the Scriptures seriously should consider the following verses:

D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:8 says, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, He set us boundaries for the peoples according to the sons of Israel.”

Yah’el/Joel 3:1, “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Yahushaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”

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FACTS ON THE ARAB/ISRAELI CONFLICT

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09/18/2004

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