Op-ed:
Israel...the Biblical battle vs the
tangible here and now battle for the Holy land
By: Diane Sori
The Jewish nation of Israel is at a
crossroads right now...will she go into Gaza and end the attacks on
her once and for all or will she accept yet another supposed
ceasefire that turns out to be empty words lasting but a few weeks if
at that. Add into this conundrum the many Christian denominations
who keep insisting that Jesus will 'miraculously' appear and save
Israel from her enemies verses those who say Israel will win this
battle by sheer military might alone.
For those who take the religious
(mostly Evangelical Christian) view of this battle, the question that
first must be answered is which millennial philosophy do you ascribe
to. Many Christians read the book of Revelation and have different
opinions about the 1000 year reign of Christ. Some believe that
Christ will physically return to Earth to reestablish order and
righteousness with his throne being in Jerusalem. This belief
(pre-millenialism) has been very influential in American politics
with many American presidents basing their Israel policy on this
religious belief.
But what some of those who hold this
belief seem to forget is that the land of Canaan (now modern day
Israel) that God promised to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-7;
17:8; Galatians 3:8,16) was actually fulfilled during Joshua's time
(The Book of Joshua). Some people today falsely teach that God did
not fulfill the land promise to Israel. They say it will be
fulfilled in the future when Christ sets up an Earthly Kingdom. They
believe the Jews must all return to Israel and take the land again.
They are guilty of ignoring what the Bible plainly says, “So the
Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to
their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it”
(Joshua 21:43). If a promise has been fulfilled, it cannot be
fulfilled again, meaning everything promised to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob was concluded and would not need to be addressed again.
However, there's yet another
interesting contradiction between some Christian denominational
beliefs and the words of Jesus himself. "My kingdom is not of this
world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants
fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from here” (KJV James 18:36), meaning according to
Biblical scholars and teachers Jesus did NOT nor will NOT fight for
man on this Earth for He is NOT from here.
The scholars explain this as the
kingdoms of the world are defended by arms, meaning maintaining
armies and engaging in wars. If the Kingdom of Jesus had been like
this, those that followed him would have prepared for battle and they
did not. Jesus also would have armed the hosts that went with him to
Jerusalem and he would not have been alone and unarmed in the garden
of Gethsemane.
And while Jesus was indeed a king, his
dominion was NOT one of man but was one of the heart, subduing evil
passions and corrupt desires (according to His beliefs and
teachings), and bringing the soul of man to the love of peace and
unity. In other words Jesus' teachings and ways were the antithesis
of warriors preparing for battle...and fast forward that to Israeli
soldiers fighting for their country's survival.
And these words and teachings of Jesus
should make it clear even to the most adamant of followers that
Israel will fight on her own, for her own survival, with whatever
allies she can muster for the battle going on now is a tangible here
and now battle whose one goal is to wipe the nation of Israel off the
map...it is that simple. Jesus is NOT going to suddenly appear this
week and descend from the Heavens to save Israel no matter how some
try to apply the ancient words to this modern battle. Israel is the
land of the Jews, most forget that, and the Jews know NOT of Jesus.
And while God (Elohim)
might indeed look over Israel and his chosen people, God will NOT
fight this battle of Israel's for her...military might and military
might alone is what will save Israel. Remember also that even the
so-called diplomacy going on now is fleeting when you are a sliver of
land surrounded by enemies.
So say a prayer for Israel and her
people but let that prayer include that Israel has the military power
to end what needed to be ended a long time ago NOT only for her
survival but for the civilized world as well.
Interesting perspective - I suppose some fundamentalists are hoping for a real showdown so their messiah can show up. However, my view is that the Christian book has undergone major and minor revisions even before the KJV was printed. The failure to return during that first generation was compensated for by changing the message to a non-worldly kingdom.
ReplyDeleteThe role of a Jewish messiah was to restore the kingdom of the 12 tribes, 10 of which had gone missing after Sennacherib imported other peoples and removed the Israelites from the area called the Northern Kingdom.
This was one of the main prophetic jobs of the messiah, and it was not accomplished. The remaining two+ tribes of Judah and Benjamin maintained their identity, but were eventually dispersed after the Romans conquered Jerusalem.
Recall Jesus saying that he was not there for the Jews, but for "the lost sheep of the HOUSE of Israel" (- the Northern Kingdom). The intrinsic meaning of the phrase has been lost in translation upon translation.
Recall the disciples asking if Jesus was now going to restore the kingdom - they knew this prophecy and they were asking about the missing 10 tribes.
Since the remaining two tribes (Judah-Benjamin) continue to maintain their identity and purpose of following the laws of Moses, it is reasonable to expect that they will dontinue to do so, and eventually the ten tribes will join to them - not the other way around.
Yours is an interesting perspective too but I believe the military power of modern Israel is what will save Israel.
DeleteThat is very true - Today, Israel is the mideast superpower because of its people, their innovation, their resilience, and fielding the most humane army in the world. These are all a reflection of the long-standing ability of the Jewish people to remain uncontaminated by religious concepts which are foreign to the basic tenets of Judaism.
DeleteI admit to taking your blog off-point to make a point - hope you don't mind :) I believe strongly that the Christian support for Israel is important and timely. However, it should be without any expectations that Jews should become Christians.
No problem with going off point but I believe the Jews will NOT become Christians nor should they. Jews are waiting for the Messiah to bring peace to the world...Christians believe Jesus to be the Messiah but where's the peace...there is none and the hate is worse than ever. Maybe the Jews have something there...just saying.
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