According to the Pew Research Centre, an astounding 2.2 billion people in the world base their religious beliefs and worldview on text written by Hebraic men who wrote bold declarations about the world’s origins, future, and man’s ultimate destiny. Interpretations of the Bible abound, but what is actually written?
In Romans the 3rd chapter, the apostle Paul wrote:
Do the Jews have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews.
Put another way, here Paul is saying that the inspired Hebrew scriptures of the Jews are the very words of God!
Let’s put aside religious biases, mystical interpretations, or even our secular worldview. Let’s read with an open mind what the Bible tells us about our origins and our future. Right at the beginning we read a mystery, namely, that the God of the Bible reproduces “His kind”. In the Genesis account of man’s creation the Bible speaks of “mankind made in God’s image”:
In Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
But what does it mean “to be made in God’s image”?
The Bible says “God is Spirit” but clearly we are “flesh and blood”. So isn’t something wrong here? No. We need to look to man’s future. In chapter 8 of Paul’s letter to the Romans he spoke a mystery. He said creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. He spoke of a hope of man’s “spirit form” in the future, as distinct from flesh and blood. Instead of “mankind” or “flesh-kind” he was really speaking of man as a “spirit-kind” or “Godkind”.
In Romans 8:18-23
I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children … For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children and set our whole being free.
These are powerful and inspired words. Paul is saying that both creation and man himself groan due to imperfection and mortality. But it is possible for mankind to be translated to an immortal “spirit-kind” like his Creator. He sums it up like this:
1 Corinthians 15.53
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality
This will happen at some point in the future. As we read on in the Bible we discover that man in immortal (spirit) form will one day live with his Creator God on a new and perfect earth! Now that blows your mind!
A cessation of all hostility amongst all humanity … leading to an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and peoples [see definitions.net ]
Few would argue with this. But how does it come about? It has been said “World Peace starts with Inner Peace”. There is some truth here. Perfect peace (inner peace) is possible despite personal circumstances (Isaiah 26 verse 3). But, as we shall see, striving for personal inner peace will not lead to world peace since this ignores the external powers behind the lack of world peace. Then there’s the “listening and sympathetic” approach to peace:
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding [Albert Einstein]
But again, this approach fails to acknowledge the powerful external powers determined to destroy world peace. What about the “peacemaker” approach of the United Nations (an approach commended by Jesus in the “Beatitudes”)? The UN Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security. It calls upon the disputing parties to settle the problem by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. But the UN itself makes biased, controversial and disputed statements, such as “Israeli settlements remain a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law” (see Israel’s Legal Borders).
Although well-meaning in themselves, these approaches to true world peace will always fail because they do not acknowledge or even see the root of the problem. The true path to world peace is only understood when we look at the largely unseen spiritual world.
Localized Peace
Biblical history shows that peace on a local (but not global) scale is possible with one major proviso: a nation must acknowledge that peace only comes when they keep God’s laws. Conversely, peace is lost when the nation walks away from God’s Laws (post-Christian nations take heed!). Consider three examples. In each case Israel was instructed by a Godly leader to follow God’s laws:
King Solomon was instructed by his father David to “keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments … as it is written in the Law of Moses” (1 Kings 2:3).
Solomon did this and ruled the people of Israel with Godly wisdom. In return, God gave Israel peace for 40 years: “he had peace on every side all around him, and Judah and Israel dwelt safely …” (1 Kings 4:24-25)
King Asa “did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God … he commanded Judah to seek the LORD God … and to observe the law … ” (2 Chronicles 14:2,4). As a result, Asa had no war because the LORD gave him rest (1 Chronicles 14:6).
King Jehoshaphat – the son of Asa also walked with the LORD (2 Chronicles 17:4). He delighted in the ways of the LORD and removed pagan images. As a result “the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat” (2 Chronicles 17:10).
These examples show that real peace has a spiritual basis. It cannot be achieved politically. It cannot be achieved without recourse to the God of Israel. Conversely, the lack of peace also has a spiritual basis, although few nations recognize it!
The Source of all Hostility and War is Spiritual
The Bible claims there is an ongoing (and usually unseen) spiritual war. At the so-called “fall of mankind” (Genesis 3) all kingdoms and nations were delivered to Satan:
Then the devil, taking Him (Jesus, Yeshua) up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (Luke 4:5-6, emphasis added)
Jesus’ Authority: Did Jesus dethrone and disable Satan during His brief time on earth? After all, following His resurrection Jesus claimed that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Mat 28:18). And He said “now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). To the individual believer in the risen Christ this is true; they have Christ’s authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). But what about the secular, unbelieving world? As someone remarked: “if Satan is not around today, then who carries on his work?”
Satan’s Influence in the World: Satan still operates his power and deception and in this sense Christ’s authority has not yet been fully exercised. Jesus admitted that, after He had gone, Satan was coming to be “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30) – but only for a time. The apostle Paul confirmed this when he indirectly referred to Satan as “the god of this age” (2 Cor 4:4). Satan is the god of this rebellious world in the sense that he influences its ways of life – chaos! Paul describes him as “the prince of the power of the air – the spirit now working in those who reject God” (Ephesians 2:2, paraphrased).
To a largely secular world the concept of an evil controlling spirit seems outdated. And so Satan’s hostile activities go unnoticed. Our secular political leaders are blind to the real cause of unrest and hostility because they have been blinded by the god of this age. Moreover, they are generally powerless since the battle is really a powerful spiritual one. It’s not a level playing field:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesian 6:12)
So, put simply, whilst today’s peacemakers are to be applauded, they are invariably pawns in the spiritual battle! Recall that the Nazi Party had an occult basis. In 1918, at the age of 29, Hitler claimed to hear voices announcing that he was “selected by God to be Germany’s messiah”, link. Of course, this was extreme spiritual deception. Another good example is the false peace treaty soon to be signed by Israel.
The coming “False Peace”
The Islamic aggression against Israel is increasing, fueled by the continuous threat to “eliminate Israel”:
You [Zionist regime] will not see 25 years from today! [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Sept. 2015]
Given this scenario, Israel is promised “protection” through a powerful military leader:
Then he shall confirm a covenant (or treaty) (Heb: “berith”) with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will stop the sacrifice and grain offering and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate (Dan 9:27 NKJV)
A futuristic interpretation of this text is that at the very end of this age a powerful (Satanically-driven) military leader will agree a peace treaty for seven years (one “prophetic week”) with the leaders of restored Israel. But then he breaks the treaty and violates the restored Jewish temple. This interpretation is compatible with the words of Jesus in Mathew 24:15. The personal pronoun “he” is the end-time “prince” (v26) who could be an archetype of the Roman general Titus who destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD (Daniel 9:26).
Clearly this is only a localized and short “peace” and Israel soon realizes that she has made a “covenant with hell” (Isaiah 28:15).
Allusions to real World Peace
There are several allusions to world peace in the Old Testament. For example:
The whole earth (Heb: “erets” – the earth at large, as in Genesis 1:1) is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing (Isaiah 14:7)
This sounds idyllic and can be seen as looking forward to a time when the whole earth as we now know it will be at peace – the Millennial age. Probably written around 700 BC, at a time when the Babylonian Empire was reaching its peak, Isaiah 14 looks forward to the time when God delivers Israel from all her enemies (as in historical Babylon) and restores her to her own land. The prophet Zechariah also alludes to world peace:
So they answered the Angel of the Lord … and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth (Heb: “erets”), and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” (Zechariah 1:11)
Here, the angel of the Lord sees all surrounding heathen nations secure and at peace (Persia had defeated Babylon in 539 BC). But at the same time Judah was depressed under the new Persian rule, with the Jerusalem temple destroyed. So God was angry with the heathen nations that were “at ease” (Zechariah 1:15). Clearly, whilst the “peace” referred to here is a fact of history, there is also an allusion to the coming real world peace.
The Coming Real and Lasting World Peace
The Binding of Satan and the End of War
Besides allusions to world peace in the Old Testament, prophecy also gives much detail of the coming real and lasting world peace. It is a peace some 6,000 years of human government has failed to give. But before it can be ushered in, today’s spiritual war must end. How? Since it is a spiritual battle it cannot come about merely through political treaties. No. A heavenly power much greater than human power is required to defeat Satan.
Here’s the solution of the God of Israel: something momentous happens at the end of this age:
Through demonic coercion, the armies of the world gather against the armies of Christ (Rev 16:13-14). This is a man-God war, a physical-spiritual war, widely known as Armageddon
Christ, followed by the armies of heaven, defeats them. Specifically, the Satanically driven military leader (Rev 13.2) and the false prophet (Rev 13:11) are captured and cast into hell (Rev 19:11-21)
After these momentous events, a powerful angel descends from heaven and binds Satan in the “bottomless pit” or “abyss”
I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer … (Rev 20:1-3, emphasis added)
Peace on Earth: The Millennial Age
With Satan bound, Jesus (Yeshua) returns to this earth (to the Mount of Olives opposite Jerusalem) to usher in lasting world peace and blessing. It will be a theocracy:
For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between nations (Isaiah 2:3-4)
The government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis added)
Under Christ’s rule the whole earth falls into peace and there is no more war:
He shall speak peace to the nations (Zech 9.10)
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war (Isa 2:4, emphasis added)
At this time Israel is covered with God’s “covenant of peace” (Ezek 34:25). This is the Hebrew “shalom” in its widest interpretation. It means much more than the absence of war. It speaks of peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. It speaks of mankind at peace with himself, with his environment and with his God. It is the fulfillment of the New Covenant promised to the house of Israel, to the house of Judah and to all believers (Jer 31:31-34, Heb 9:15).
So after years of hostility against her, Israel will be at peace with her Arab neighbours (Isa 19.24,25) and non-Jews will live peaceably in Israel:
And they (strangers) shall be to you as the native-born among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel (Ezek 47.22)
Even the animal kingdom reflects this as the lion (Heb: ‘kphiyr’, kef-eer) lies down with the lamb (Isa 11:6, non-corrupted version) and the lion eats straw like an ox (Isa 65:25). In some respects, the land of millennial Israel will be similar to the Garden of Eden:
I will call for the grain and multiply it … I will multiply the fruit of the tree and produce of the field … the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed … the mountains will drip sweet wine … and they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden’ (Ezek 36.29,30,35, Amos 9.13)
Perhaps most significantly, the Millennial age is similar to that of the Adamic world, when God walked the earth with man (Genesis 3:8). In the Millennial age, the God of Israel establishes His place in the Millennial temple:
And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east … And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever” (Ezekiel 43:4,7)
If you despair at the lack of peace in the world and seek deep, inner peace, you can have it. Trust in the living Jesus – Yeshua – when He said:
I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid (John 14:27, NLT)
Some ask “What will happen at the end of the age?” Jesus’ disciples asked Him a similar question and in His reply He confirmed that there will indeed be a definite end to the present age. In Mathew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 Jesus describes dramatic signs and end-time events that will occur just prior to His return to this earth (Christ’s Second Coming). He told his followers to “watch” for these things and when they are observed then His appearance will be “at the doors”:
So when you see all these things taking place, know for certain that He is near, right at the door. (Mat 24.33)
Bible prophecy adds many more signs and events to give a comprehensive picture of the state of the world just before Christ returns. This topic is widely debated with various prophetic interpretations. Here we take a common dispensational interpretation that is not in conflict with historical events or with observed events i.e. with reality.
Key End-time Events
The following list of major end-time events is not in any chronological order. In fact, many events are occurring concurrently, thereby underscoring the view that we are indeed in the very last days of the age. Only key Bible texts are given but most events are well supported by multiple Bible references.
increased travel and knowledge (Daniel 12.4)
worldwide preaching of the Christian gospel (Matthew 24.14)
deep spiritual darkness across all nations (Isaiah 60.2)
widespread lawlessness (Matthew 24.12)
worldwide pollution because man has refused to live by God’s laws (Isa 24.5)
increasing famines and plagues (Matthew 24.7)
increasing persecution of Christians and Jews (Matthew 24.9)
the return of scattered Israel to their biblical land, Canaan (Ezekiel 37.21)
the sudden re-birth of the nation, Israel (Isaiah 66.8)
a powerful, apostate church (Revelation 17.1-6)
the sudden and miraculous removal of the true church from the earth (Matthew 24.40-42)
a godless and ruthless world government with total control over individuals (Dan 2.40-43)
a godless, pompous, lawless and blasphemous world dictator (Daniel 7.19-21)
a seven-year Peace Treaty with Israel, which is then broken mid-term (Daniel 9.27)
a cashless trading system, with the forced insertion of an ID on individuals (Revelation 13.16-18)
a global financial (economic) crash (Revelation 18.9-24)
an essentially Islamic invasion of Israel, probably led by Russia (Ezekiel 38.1-17)
an ‘all-nation’ invasion of Israel (Armageddon) (Zechariah 14.1-3)
God’s judgement upon nations: cataclysmic events such as severe weather (Revelation 16.8-9)
Going Deeper
First, let’s clarify the terminology. According to the common dispensational prophetic interpretation, the ‘end of the age’ and ‘the end of the world’ are separated in time by some 1,000 years. We are currently nearing the end of approximately 6,000 years of human government and the start of 1,000 years of peace on the earth – the Millennial Age when Christ rules the earth. It is only after this glorious age on earth that the ‘end of the world’, the physical destruction of the present earth, occurs. The ‘last days’ is often taken to span from the time of the apostles (the gifting of the Holy Spirit) to the Second Coming of Christ. Here we outline ‘the last’ of the ‘last days’.
World-wide Gospel Proclamation
The Christian gospel message – reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ – will be preached worldwide just before the end of the age. This is happening now! The Bible is available in whole or in part to some 98% of the world’s population in a language in which they are fluent, and modern communications enables this message to be heard by over 99% of the world’s 7.7 billion people [2018] if they have the technology.
Increase in Knowledge and Travel
There will be rapid increase in knowledge and travel. In just 100 years man has advanced rapidly in science, medicine, communications, astronomy and travel. We now understand how the trillions of cells in our bodies are controlled by a beautiful double helix molecule called DNA. And we can now hop on one of the 100,000 commercial flights each day and travel round the world in 24 hours! Tourism is the world’s largest industry: annual revenue of $500 billion, and is one of the major sources of foreign exchange in 83% of countries.
Apostasy and Spiritual Darkness
Although the gospel is preached worldwide, there will be a general falling away from biblical truth, a falling from the light of the gospel into deep spiritual darkness. The world will be deceived by the rise of a powerful false church that heads this end-time spiritual darkness. Some claim that this end-time worldwide church will be headed by the Vatican. There will also be false prophets and cults that deceive people.
Lawlessness
There will be increasing lawlessness. This reflects a lack of love between people and spans from local disputes, to political corruption, to greedy bankers, to religious persecution, to international terrorism. It will culminate in the brief reign of the end time ‘lawless one’ (2 Thessalonians 2.8), a world dictator. Love between people will grow cold as they depart from the spiritual laws of life as revealed in the Bible.
Persecution of Christians
There will be increasing persecution of those who choose to follow Christ. We see this today in subtle form from western governments, but especially from those who mistakenly think they are doing God’s will (John 16.2) – as in Islamic persecution of Christians in the 10/40 window. Christianity is now the world’s most persecuted faith.
The Emergence of Israel
God’s chose the nation Israel to be His servant and witness in the world. At the end of the age they will be drawn back to the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. This in-gathering or ‘aliyah’ has been underway since the late 1800’s and the population of Israel has grown from 0.5m in 1900 to 8.7m in 2017. After years of being scattered amongst the nations, national Israel will become prosperous as God once more blesses His people and makes them a key witness of Himself amongst the nations. But Israel will become the vortex of world attention and activity as nations rage against her.
Middle East Wars
The Arab-Israeli tension will soon erupt into another middle east war, probably involving mainly Islamic nations. According to prophecy, the attacking nations will be defeated by the God of Israel. Eventually, at the very end of this age, all nations will come up against Israel in a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16.16), but again they will be defeated.
The Removal of the true Church
The true end-time church will be miraculously removed from the earth to meet Christ ‘in the air’ (1 Thessalonians 4.17). Believers past and present will be raised with immortal bodies to be with God forever, whilst the false, apostate church will remain in a spiritually dark world. This will probably happen just before the worst seven years the world has ever known.
World Government
Many world leaders have called for a ‘New World Order’ (NWO) or World Government, and this is currently being formed through organisations like the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, the Bilderberg Group, the Trilateral Commission, the Club of Rome, the Illuminati, NATO and the World Council of Churches (WCC). Bible prophecy suggests that this ruthless world government will be a form of revived Roman Empire based in Europe and headed by a world dictator (Revelation 13.1) and the Antichrist (Revelation 13.11).
Persecution of Israel
Israel has been in continuous conflict with the surrounding Arab nations since the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, and the so-called Palestinian problem is continually in the media. Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and has the goal of destroying the State of Israel through Jihad. At the very end of the age, the world dictator will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel. This is the last time the nations seek a ‘roadmap to peace’ in the Middle East. But midway through this treaty he will break it and start severe persecution of the Jewish people (Jacob’s trouble). It will be terminated by the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the age.
Electronic ID
Individuals will be increasingly controlled by governments, particularly in developed nations. This will be via electronic ID and cashless trading. Extensive computer networks and large databases make it easy for governments to monitor and control individuals. Today, companies across the world have begun micro-chipping their employees. There is now just a short technological step to the ultimate electronic ID and it’s forced imposition upon all individuals.
Severe Weather Events
There will be extreme weather events (Luke 21.25) such as severe heat and drought, severe storms, torrential rain, large hail and heavy snow. Drought is one of the consequences of disobedience to God, as is extreme heat – heat severe enough to kill people. Reuters and large insurance companies confirm that such extreme weather events are increasing globally. These, together with cosmic disturbances (Luke 21.11, Revelation 6.12) and possible asteroid impact (Revelation 8.8) are part of God’s judgement on the rebellious nations.
A Global Financial Crash
As part of God’s judgement of the nations there will be a sudden global financial crash and collapse of the world trading system. The world economy is based upon highly-interconnected global supply chains which are vulnerable to even a single major shock – such as a major bank failure or a cyber attack. Contagion could then spread rapidly through the tightly-linked global financial network. Collapse seems certain since global government debt is rapidly increasing.
The End of the Age
There are some 1500 Bible references to the return of Jesus Christ at the very end of the present age. Contrast this with some 300 Old Testament prophecies that relate to Christ’s first coming, all of which were fulfilled. So Christ’s return is certain. In fact, it is Christ Himself who closes the age upon His return. He will destroy the final form of corrupt world government (Daniel 2.35) and usher in a peaceful age, the Millennium. He will reign from Jerusalem as ‘King over all the earth’ (Zechariah 14.9).
The End of the World
After some 1,000 years, at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ, the earth and the biblical ‘heavens’ will be physically destroyed by extreme heat (2 Peter 3.7,10). This is the literal ‘end of the world’. Some scientists expect that, at some point in the future, the sun will expand to become a red giant and burn up the solar system, including earth.
Israel has been ranked first in the world for total expenditure on R&D (as a percentage of GDP), ranked first in the world in scientific publications, and has the highest density of start-up companies in the world. So it is not surprising that Israel has been ranked among the top ten most innovative countries in the world in two separate surveys [US News and World Report, January 2018].
Many in Israel have a vision – to make the world a better place. One way is to make medical advances like the ‘pillcam’, and technology to help paraplegics. Another way is to develop water saving technology as in ‘drip irrigation’ and so help feed the world. Yet another way is to help the environment, as in advances in electric cars and solar tower power plants.
Israeli inventions have resulted in Israel’s high economic ranking. The country has been described as an “economic miracle” since it has consistently had more companies listed on the electronic stock market (NASDAQ) than all of Europe combined. Also, Israel consistently scores as one of the top countries for patents per capita, see Venture Capital.
Is all this success a result of the amazing intelligence of the Israeli people? Maybe. But is it also because, in these closing days of the age, the God of Israel is blessing His people as they try to keep His commandments? For instance, Jerusalem is amazingly quiet on Saturday’s as Jews keep Shabbat.
Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. (Deut 28.1)
Agricultural Inventions
Since 2004 Israel’s R&D expenditure has accounted for typically 17% percent of the agricultural budget, link. Israel’s inventions in agriculture are now helping to feed the world:
Drip Irrigation: This system delivers the perfect amount of water and nutrients straight to the roots of each plant – not the soil, resulting in higher yields of healthier crops, link. These systems are self-cleaning and maintain uniform flow rate regardless of water quality and pressure.
Grain Cocoons: Grain harvests are often lost due to pests and mold. GrainPro Cocoons are a simple and cheap way for African and Asian farmers to keep their grain market-fresh. It’s huge bags keep water and air out.
Desert Fish: Israeli technology has developed aquaculture – fish farming in the desert! The system pumps low-quality brackish water from deep underground aquifers and fills land pools in the desert. The brackish, warm water is optimal for raising some type of marine fish and shrimp.
Biological Pest Control: uses beneficial insects and mites (minute orange spiders) for biological pest control. This predatory mite is a highly efficient enemy of the spider mite, a devastating agricultural pest, link.
World’s smallest cherry tomato: The “drop tomato” is about the size of a blueberry and the Kedma company in Israel’s southern Arava desert says it is possibly the smallest one ever cultivated in the world. “You don’t need to cut it: it just explodes in your mouth”.
Water Generation from the Air
Watergen, an Israel-based company uses humidity in the air to create clean and fresh drinking water. The heart of the Watergen product line is the revolutionary GENius™ heat-exchange technology. Air is drawn into the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG), where it is thoroughly cleaned, removing any dust and dirt and leaving only pure air in the system. The clean air is then directed through the heat exchange and cooling process, bringing it to its dew-point – the temperature at which condensation occurs – to create water.
Watergen’s Large Scale unit is an industrial scale AWG, designed for towns, villages, factories, off-grid settlements and communities. It can generate up to 5,000 liters of clean water each day. The first AWG system was installed in New Delhi, India in 2017.
Bio-technology Inventions
Bio-technology is the exploitation (genetic manipulation) of biological processes for industrial purposes, and especially the production of antibiotics and hormones. Similarly, bio-engineering is the application of the principles of engineering and natural sciences to tissues, cells and molecules. Here’s several examples:
Organs on a Chip: Joint Israeli-German research may make animal experiments a thing of the past, They have developed a “liver-on-chip” device mimicking human physiology and so avoiding animal experiments. The research breakthrough came through the addition of nanotechnology-based sensors. They comment: “We realized that because we are building the organs ourselves, we are not limited to biology, and could introduce electronic and optical sensors to the tissue itself. Essentially we are building bionic organs on a chip. Because we placed sensors inside the tissue, we could detect small and fast changes in cellular respiration that nobody else could.” More generally, it is claimed that organs-on-a-chip contain a dynamic and interactive environment for living and breathing cells to survive outside the body and enables a more effective and safe R&D process for medicine testing, link, link.
Bio-fuel – Energy from Algae: Algoculture is the mass culture of algae for industrial and commercial purposes. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have genetically altered single-celled algae, which naturally emit hydrogen throughout the day, allowing the organism to increase its efficiency to five times its natural ability. Hydrogen fuel cells are being introduced into vehicles, and this discovery could mean algae becomes a key player in the push for green energies, link. Put simply, humble pond slime can give a clean fuel for cars.
Israel’s biotech companies are developing new technologies, as in the industrial-scale manufacture of any cell type in the human body, a proprietary injectable drug to treat obesity, and a customized vaccine against a patient’s own cancer cells. More at Israel’s biotech research.
Nano Technology
Nanotechnology is the study and application of extremely small things (a sheet of newspaper is about 100,000 nanometers thick). The technology appears in many science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering. One amazing invention comes from the innovative company Nano Retina (offices in Herzliya, Israel). They have developed an ultra small artificial retina designed to restore sight. The miniature implant replaces the functionality of the damaged photoreceptor cells and creates the electrical stimulation required to activate the remaining healthy retinal cells.
Other nano inventions include: a biomaterial made of ultra-thin polymer fibers with properties that mimic those of human tissues and organs; a highly accurate and versatile inkjet deposition system for printing multi-layer circuit boards, and ultra-thin gold-silver nanowires formed on a substrate, which can be further coated with silver to obtain controllable conductivity, link. More at Israel’s nanotechnology companies.
Application to Cancer: Scientists at the Technion University in Haifa are working on a chemotherapy treatment that avoids the repercussions that cancer patients usually incur. It involves nano-sized “factories” that manufacture protein-based cancer drugs inside the body upon reaching the tumor site. At 150 nanometers or less—(1/1,000 the diameter of a human hair), these factories are injected into the patient and circulate in the blood until finding the tumor.
Car Technology
Highly Efficient Engine: Israeli start-up Aquarius Engines is working on an enhanced engine design which uses energy much more efficiently, and eliminates the valves and rods that cause energy loss (fewer parts). That means cars could travel more than 1,600 kilometres (990 miles) on a single tank of fuel, more than double current distances and strong competition for all-electric vehicles. The same technology can be used to make more efficient back-up generators. In another automotive development, Jerusalem-based Mobileye is helping to develop a fully autonomous, self-driving vehicle.
Fast Charging Car Battery: Israel’s Storedot company has developed a novel ultra-fast charging battery for electric cars. The battery ditches the traditional Lithium Ion makeup in favor of arranging layers of nano materials and proprietary organic compounds to support ultra-fast charges. The company claims its new FlashBattery technology allows you to charge an electric car in just five minutes!
Community-based Navigation – WAZE:WAZE is the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app for smartphones. By simply driving around with WAZE open on the phone, real-time information translates into traffic conditions and road structure for other users in the area. The Israeli company who developed the WAZE software (Waze Mobile) was acquired by Google in 2013.
This free GPS navigation app assumes an active data network connection is present on the mobile device. Without an internet connection, it can’t locate or navigate a route. The connection enriches WAZE with real-time traffic related information and ensures an up-to-date map. WAZE gets its location from Google Location Service in Android. It doesn’t get the location itself, it asks the phone. Android gets the location in several ways. Firstly it tries to use GPS, but if GPS is unavailable then the phone will try to estimate its location using cellular and WiFi networks.
Israeli Inventions in Computing
The Early Work: In the early days, Microsoft’s popular operating systems, NT and XP, were developed primarily in Israel. Also, mobile phone technology was developed in Israel, as in SMS (texting) and voice-mail, link. And when you use media such as Skype on the internet, you can thank Israeli companies for pioneering the Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) underlying such cheap phone calls, link.
Flash Drives: M-Systems, an Israeli start-up company pioneered ‘DiskOnKey’ technology, known today as the ‘flash drive’ or ‘memory stick’. It enabled quick transfer of information from one computer to another, and today flash drives can hold significant information (1 TB). M-Systems and its USB technology was sold to SanDisk in 2006 for $1.55 billion.
DNA Computing: The breakthroughs in genetics developed to sequence the human genome have now made it relatively easy to precisely manufacture and manipulate DNA, which makes the molecule a leading candidate for use in molecular electronics. By itself, DNA does not act like a diode. However, when researchers inserted two small molecules of coralyne into certain points within DNA and applied 1.1 volts to the complex, electric current flowed through the DNA diode 15 times as strongly in one direction than the other. This is currently the world’s smallest diode!
Israeli inventions in Cyber Security
Cyber-security is big business in Israel, link. For instance, if you use Zone Alarm to protect your computer, you are using a product from Israel’s biggest cyber-tech firm, Checkpoint Software Technologies. Overall, about 200 Israeli companies now specialize in cyber-security, accounting for US$3 billion worth of anti-hacking exports in 2013. And 25% of the world’s venture capital-funded cyber-security startups are Israeli. So it is not surprising that international companies such as IBM, Cisco, Lockheed Martin and Deutsche Telekom are setting up cyber research centers in Israel to develop cyber-security and cyber-defense software, link. Today, Israeli security forces are developing methods of searching social media to obtain intelligence of prospective terror attacks.
WeCU Airport security: Israeli tech companies are working on an airport system that can detect emotional strain in a passenger – a specific kind of strain that is associated with people who intend to commit an act of terror, . WeCU Technologies uses psychology and physiology to detect problem passengers by causing them to have involuntary reactions which are instantly picked up and analyzed in real time.
Israeli Military Innovations
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are essentially defensive. Their goal is to defend the existence of the State of Israel, its independence and the security of the citizens and residents of the state, link. To this end Israel has developed very advanced defenses. Does this ‘benefit the world’? Yes – in the sense that an Israel that survives continues to be a witness to the existence of God. And an Israel that survives offers the only democracy in the Middle East, link, link. Here’s some of Israel’s defensive weapons:
Wall Radar: A handheld radar system for built-up area warfare operations. With a range of 20m it can determine, for example, how many people are present behind a wall, link.
Iron Beam: according to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel’s latest missile defense system uses a high-energy laser which can be mounted on ships or vehicles, link.
Iron Dome: the world’s only dual mission counter rocket, artillery and mortar and Very Short Range (70 km) Air Defense system, link.
David’s Sling: incorporates unique technologies that deal with maneuvering targets (fighter aircraft) and high-precision cruise missiles.
Arrow 3: this upper-most defense tier is a long-range missile defense system designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere, link
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or Drones): Israel’s Aerospace Industries, IAI, is a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of remotely operated systems. It has over 40 years’ experience and 1,700,000 operational flight hours, performing intelligence gathering and targeting missions in support of key military operations around the world. The IAI Heron TP is the largest unmanned reconnaissance aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force. It is claimed Israel is the world’s largest exporter of military drones, link.
Besides military UAVs, Israel is also becoming a powerhouse in the development of commercial drones. For example, it is reported that the British Army deployed Rafael’s Drone Dome system to protect Gatwick airport in 2018.
At the end of the day, the IDF is helped by a divine hand; the God of Israel vows to defend Israel:
Whoever assembles against you shall fall … No weapon formed against you shall prosper … I will be a wall of fire all around her … he who touches you touches the apple (pupil) of His eye. (Isa 54.15,17; Zech 2.5,8)
Israeli inventions – Energy Innovations
Commercial solar power plant based on a tower (Spain). Image: afloresm (SOLUCAR PS10 (2)), CreativeCommons-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
As of 2017 there were 200 renewable energy companies in Israel, about 30% of which were start-ups.
Solar Power Plant: The Ashalim Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Station in the Negev desert has the world’s tallest solar power tower (250m), link, link. The station’s 50,000 computer-controlled heliostats (mirrors) track the sun and reflect its rays to a boiler on top of the tower. The boiler creates super-heated steam that drives a steam turbine, which generates electricity. The final complex will generate about 310 megawatts of power, enough to supply Israel with 16 percent of its energy needs.
Super-iron Battery: Researchers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, are developing a new battery that looks set to replace conventional alkaline and NiCad batteries. Super-iron batteries have a 50 percent energy advantage compared to conventional alkaline batteries and are significantly (75 percent) rechargeable.
Storing Solar Energy: The Weizmann Institute is equipped with one of the most advanced solar research facilities in the world. One project collects sunlight in bright, arid regions and provides it as energy-rich gas or chemicals to energy-consuming regions. A complete plant with a processing capacity of 500 kilowatts has already been tested. Similar research is being done at Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology. Using the power of the sun and ultra-thin films of iron oxide (rust), researchers have found a way to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. This could lead to cheaper ways to store solar energy in the form of hydrogen-based fuels e.g. solar cells that can store solar energy for on-demand use, link.
Israeli inventions in Medical Science
About 1,000 Israeli companies are in healthcare or life-science products, including 700 in medical devices.
Israel’s medical inventions include a system to correct severe curvature of the spine (scoliosis), stem-cell therapy products to treat blood cancers and solid tumors, MRI-guided focused ultrasound to destroy tumors and uterine fibroid cysts without surgery, and nanotechnology “factories” that manufacture protein-based cancer drugs inside the body upon reaching the tumor site. More at Israel’s Medical Innovations”.
Generic Drugs: Teva was established in Jerusalem in 1901 and today Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. is Israel’s largest healthcare company. As the world’s leading provider of generic pharmaceuticals, Teva produces 120 billion tablets and capsules a year in 87 pharmaceutical and API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) facilities around the world. It delivers solutions in key therapeutic areas, such as oncology (study and treatment of tumours), respiratory diseases (as in asthma and allergic rhinitis), and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) – including sleep disorders and migraine.
Artificial Retina: Nano Retina’s Bio-Retina, is a tiny implantable device inserted into the retina in a 30-minute procedure. It turns into an artificial retina that melds to the neurons in the eye. Activated by special eyeglasses, the device transforms natural light into an electrical impulse that stimulates neurons to send images to the brain. The prototype is advancing quickly through clinical trials, link.
Apnea in Infants: Apnea is an unexplained episode of cessation of breathing for 20 seconds or longer, or a shorter respiratory pause. BabySense is a non-touch, no-radiation device designed to prevent crib death. Made by HiSense, the device monitors a baby’s breathing and movements through the mattress during sleep. An auditory and visual alarm is activated if breathing ceases for more than 20 seconds or if breath rate slows to less than 10 breaths per minute. HiSense is part of IATI – the Israeli umbrella organization of high-tech, life science and other advanced technology industries.
Given Imaging, an Israeli medical technology company, have developed a disposable pill-sized camera (the “Pillcam”) for wireless capsule endoscopy. Pillcam records images of the gastrointestinal tract, enabling physicians to visualize the small bowel, esophagus and colon without sedation or invasive endoscopic procedures.
Visual Aid: Israeli-based company OrCam have invented a camera device that attaches to eyeglasses and is wired to a portable computer in the wearer’s pocket. The device improves the lives of individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or have reading difficulties by speaking any text that the user points to, such as menus, street signs, grocery labels, newspapers and bus numbers.
USB-sized Spectrometer:Consumer Physics operating out of Tel Aviv, have invented the SCiO – a handheld infrared spectrometer the size of a normal USB stick. It works with a smartphone and determines the chemical composition of food, medicines, drinks, soil, plants, etc. The SCiO sensor emits near-infrared light that is reflected from the surface of the product. Catching the reflected light, the spectrometer analyzes and transmits data to the user’s smartphone.
JESUS AND ISRAEL: PART 3
The mystery of Jesus the Creator dying for His creation
Jesus Christ brings us a mind-boggling concept that defies all logic. It can actually be traced back to the story of two trees.
It all started with Two Trees
In the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 2) God planted many beautiful trees to provide food for man. In the middle of the garden were two special trees. One was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The other was the tree of life.
We will see later that eating from the tree of life gave eternal life. That is, living in the presence of the Creator forever! As for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said “if you eat the fruit of that tree, you shall surely die.”
What actually dies? And what does death mean anyway? The introduction of physical death is strongly suggested in Gen 3.19 – ‘to dust you shall return’. Serious study of the Bible reveals that the “soul” and “spirit” of man leave the physical body at physical death. In contrast to some atheistic beliefs, a person is not annihilated, but may suffer eternal separation from the love of the Creator God, link. So one tree was the tree of eternal death – condemnation to exist outside the presence of a loving Creator God. The other was the tree of eternal life – living in the presence of the Creator forever!
What Happened?
As the story goes, the serpent tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, and she in turn told Adam to eat it (both could have been actual people, link). So both ate forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve did not die immediately after eating the fruit of that forbidden tree. But they did die eventually of old age. Humans die. That is the consequence of that sin by Adam and Eve. In fact, this sinful act propagated throughout all generations;
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3.23)
This may seem hard and unjust on later generations, but can any one of us claim to be sinless? The Hebrew Bible repetitively presents the concept that sin (acts contrary to standards of godly behaviour) is punishable by death. In Ezekiel 38.4 we read:
The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die
That’s not a joke. Humans don’t have inherent eternal life. The Hebrew Bible teaches that eternal existence is God’s prerogative to give or not to give.
The ‘Tree of Life’ today – Christ!
Suppose Adam and Eve had chosen not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree? Would God have rewarded their obedience by giving them the right to eat from the tree of eternal life and let them live forever? We simply don’t know. They disobeyed God’s instruction and didn’t get to that possibility. But this concept is very real today! Each one of us can indeed symbolically eat from the tree of life if we make one simple but essential step! Jesus said:
Whoever believes in Me will not perish but have everlasting life … I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly
By this He meant eternal life – eternal existence with the loving Creator God. The Bible teaches that, today, when a believer in Christ dies, their soul and spirit go to be with Christ in Paradise, link. This is not ‘soul sleep’; rather they maintain consciousness. But unbelievers, those who deliberately reject the reconciling work of Christ on the cross, effectively choose to eat from the tree of good and evil. So when they physically die they go to Hades and await the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20.11-15). Likewise, they do not lose consciousness.
Jewish Belief: Both ‘trees’ are open to everyone, including Jews. Some Jews hold similar beliefs to the Christian when it comes to death. For instance, they hold that after death the soul returns to its divine Source, and that the soul of a parent continues to watch over the lives of his or her children and grandchildren, link.
Dare you believe the concept behind the Two Trees?
The concept of the Two Trees leads to great philosophical and spiritual depth. It states that Jesus the Creator offers mankind a choice between good and evil, between one tree and another. This is possible by the unique and supreme act of God becoming man in Christ Jesus, and dying in man’s place on the cross. This act defies human logic. It is logical and possible to die for a righteous man. But to die for “sinners” is contrary to human logic and will.
So the concept of God becoming man and becoming the sacrifice to atone for sinful mankind demonstrates God’s ultimate love for man. He died to “buy” man back and give him the right to become an immortal being. This Hebraic-Christian philosophy is an astounding concept and is unique amongst the philosophies of life. So again, would you dare to believe it? Time will prove its veracity. In the meantime, watch the signs. They are leading to amazing promises to those who dare to believe.
Today’s News is often found in Bible Prophecy: It is often Prophecy Fulfilled
Did you know that as you watch the news you are seeing events and situations foretold in the Bible thousands of years ago? You are seeing prophecy fulfilled. Let’s look at a few examples.
Climate Change News
Climate change is constantly in the news. The area of the earth’s surface affected by drought has more than doubled since the 1970’s. For example, Lake Chad in Africa has shrunk to 5% of its size in the 1960’s [National Geographic], new wells for Beijing now have to reach 1,000 meters [Executive Intelligence Review] and two out of every three people will be short of water by 2025 [WWI & Tearfund].
Global warming amounted to nearly 1°C over the past century. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 15 of the 16 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. The year 2015 was the first time the global average temperatures were 1°C or more above the 1880-1899 average, NASA. Having said that, thousands of PhD scientists dispute the claimed cause of global warming (rise in man-made CO2) and say the real cause is solar irradiance variation, link.
But whose weather is it anyway? The Bible says it is God (the God of Israel) who controls the weather, not man, link. Prophecy implies there could be a reason for any global temperature increase.
Bible prophecy says:
The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers … the earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws … therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned … (Isa 24.4-6)
Travel and Science News
Weather satellite
Consider a few statistics:
In the UK a major news item is the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
A hundred years ago commercial air travel was unheard of. Now there are typically 100,000 commercial flights each day! Aircraft fuel consumption was 130 million tonnes in 1992 but is projected to increase to 450 million tonnes by 2050.
Tourism is the world’s largest industry with an annual revenue of $500 billion. It is one of the major sources of foreign exchange in 83% of countries. International tourism: 1950: 25m , 2003: 693m , 2020: 1.6 billion [WTO].
Almost every day the news tells us of amazing advances in science and technology.
Within just 100 years man has developed radio, motion pictures, recording, TV, telecommunications, cell phones, electron microscopes, computers, nuclear power, solar power, fuel injection, satellites, spacecraft …
In medical science man has developed MRI scans, ultrasound, pacemakers, radiotherapy, IVF, artificial hearts, DNA, organ transplants, vaccines …
Bible Prophecy says:
At the end of the age many will rush around and knowledge will increase (Daniel 12.4)
The Cashless Society and Personal ID
Although some countries have recently introduced new banknotes, the fact remains that cash is fast disappearing from society. In North America, 60% of consumers use cash to pay for a transaction at least once a week, a substantial decrease from 67% in 2015, link. Some countries such as Sweden are now removing ATMs (along with negative interest rates) to speedup the process, links. The smartcard and other contactless devices pave the way to cashless trading, link.
When it comes to ID, RFID (radio frequency identification) is all around us. It is found in supermarkets, general retailers, electronic road tolls, company badges, farming, and in your pet dog. A scanner emits a short-range radio-frequency signal which is picked up by a small local RFID device or ‘transponder tag’ (the RFID device shown is the size of a grain of rice). When this tag is ‘passive’ it is energized by the scanning radiation, thereby enabling it to communicate ID information back to the scanner/transceiver.
In 2004 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval to Applied Digital Solutions to sell their VeriChip RFID tags for implantation into patients in hospitals. Tags would not contain medical data, but instead store (and transmit when energized) a unique 16-bit ID number that would be used to access records on a remote database. The tag was to be implanted in the fatty tissue of the upper arm. Similar human ID is being developed in India. Here, a unique 12-digit identification (UID) – known as Aadhaar – holds biometric information of the country’s 1.2 billion residents and is stored in a centralized database. The Aadhaar online identity platform then enables an individual to access services like banking and mobile phone connections – or they can be instantly barred from access.
Such technology is only a short step from the universal controlling technology described in the book of Revelation.
Bible Prophecy says:
And he causes all … to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead … and no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark … (Rev 13.16,17)
Prophecy Fulfilled – the Restoration of Israel
The population growth of Palestine/Israel is striking. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews but this increased to over 6 million Jews in 2013, link, corresponding to an amazing 7400% increase! In comparison, over the same period the UK population increased just 55%.
Today, Israel has highly developed banking, health, and University systems and her industries include textiles, food processing, mining, agriculture and forestry. Israel is particularly advanced in the hi-tech industry such as computer science, electronics, genetics, medicine, optics, solar energy and electric cars.
We can see all this as the amazing natural growth of a young nation, or as the fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy saw this, not as the birth of a new nation, but as a regathered nation.
Bible Prophecy says:
Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone … and bring them into their own land (Ezek 37.21) GO DEEPER
Legal, Political, Social and Biblical Facts make the Case for Israel
By Israel we refer primarily to the State of Israel, but also to the Jewish nation, Israel. If Israel could be tried in a world court, Israel would be prosecuted on several accounts. For example, she would probably be prosecuted on legal issues (as in so-called land occupation), on humanitarian issues (as in water deprivation and the destruction of Palestinian homes), and on the use of unreasonable or disproportionate force (as in her response to stabbings and rocket attacks). Most of the world would be on the side of the Prosecution.
Meet the Prosecution
The Media: The Prosecution is undoubtedly fuelled by media, political, and even legal bias against Israel, link, link. For example, in the UK the BBC and ITV have been accused of reporting bias in favour of Hamas. Statements are inflammatory e.g. “Israel ‘bombs civilian targets with links to Hamas’”, link. In the US, the American satellite TV and Cable News Network (CNN) has been awarded “first prize” for its biased reporting of atrocities in Israel. There is definitely a case for Honest Reporting.
Politicians: Two quotes suffice, one from the West and one from the Arab world. “When the ill winds blow, I will always stand with the Muslims” [Barak Obama, “The Audacity of Hope”]. “We will make the lives of the infidels hell – millions of martyrs marching on Jerusalem” [Yasser Arafat, in Arabic on Palestine Radio].
Growing World-wide Anti-Semitism: According to a comprehensive 2014 global survey, about 26% of the world’s adult population hold anti-Semitic views. That’s over one billion people. Not surprisingly, it is worst in the Middle East with some 74% of the adult population expressing anti-Semitic views, growing to 93% in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, link.
Most Americans tend to support Israel in the sense that they see the actions of Hamas against Israel as unjustified, link. But in 2014 the FBI found that 57% of Anti-Religious Hate Crimes targeted Jews, whilst only 16% targeted Muslims, link. This implies an underlying American bias against Israel, link.
A Biased Church: Even the church is generally aligned with the Prosecution against Israel, link. For example, the Anglican denomination is divided on Israel, but the majority position is anti-Israel. Likewise, the Church of Scotland says Israel does not belong to the Jewish people, link. And articles in the Baptist Union of Great Britain publications demonstrate a strongly anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian position. In 2010, the Methodist Church of Britain voted to boycott Israeli-produced goods and services from the West Bank because of Israel’s “illegal occupation of Palestinian lands”. Apart from relatively small independent churches, it seems only the international Pentecostal church is prepared to act in defense of Israel.
In general, the church world-wide reflects the anti-Israel stance of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which itself reflects the worldview, link:
The persistence, after sixty-five years, of continuing dispossession of Palestinian people from their land by Israeli occupation, (and) continuing settlement of land inside the 1967 borders … is central to the turmoil in the region [WCC].
Israel’s Defense: The Case for Israel
Let’s examine some key issues brought by the Prosecution. What would be Israel’s defense? How would the Defense make the case for Israel?
1. Occupation of Palestinian Territories
The Prosecution
Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory (the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) is in its fifth decade and is a flagrant disregard for international law. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces commit unlawful killings of Palestinian civilians, including children, and detain thousands of Palestinians [Amnesty International]. Some 70,000 Palestinians are now refugees after 50 years of Israeli occupation [UN, 2016]. The Gaza strip is “occupied territory” [UN, 2015].
Illegal Settlements: Israel occupied the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War of 1967. So Israel is building illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Since 1967, the Palestinians have lost control of their land, hilltop by hilltop, field by field, [Haaretz]. As of December 2015, altogether over 800,000 Israeli Jews resided over the 1949 Armistice Lines [WikiPedia]. Israel’s “security fence” (the Wall) violates international humanitarian law and international human rights law. It fragments not only the land but also the social fabric of the Palestinian people.
The Defense
The 1949 Green Line
West Bank Settlements: The West Bank refers to an area bounded by the so-called ‘Green Line’ and the west bank of the River Jordan (see map). The Green line was merely an armistice line drawn up after the 1948-49 war under the auspices of the UN and it was intended to be temporary. Through the 1948-49 Arab aggression, Israel temporarily lost land mandated to her through the 1922 Mandate for Palestine, link, and this was only regained in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Green Line is not therefore Israel’s legal border.
In 1946 the Mandate was transferred over to the UN, and Article 80 of the UN Charter implicitly recognizes the ‘Mandate for Palestine’ of the League of Nations. The Mandate is the last legally binding document concerning the West Bank and Gaza, and so Jewish settlements in these areas are fully protected by Article 80, link. All of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the original 1922 Mandate, link. That includes the West Bank, all of Jerusalem and Gaza.
Arab Rights: The 1922 Mandate did not grant any national political rights to Arabs, but Article 2 did safeguard the civil and religious rights of all inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race or religion. Israel’s government endeavours to do this through democratic elections, link. Israelis of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs, including Arab-Israelis, can actively participate in the election process, and all votes cast are equal in weight, link.
Israeli control: Not all of the West Bank is under full Israeli control. Under the 1995 Oslo Accords II, the West Bank was divided into three areas (A, B, and C) and within these areas the Palestinian and Israeli authorities have different levels of control, link. Area A is under full control of the Palestinian Authority, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and shared Palestinian and Israeli security control, and Area C (62% of the West Bank) is under full Israeli control.
Gaza is not “occupied territory”. In 2005, Israel dismantled 21 Jewish settlements and pulled troops out of the strip. By 2006 Israel had withdrawn from Gaza as part of Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan. The plan aimed to bolster security for Israelis and lessen the tensions between them and the Palestinians. Some 9,000 Israeli citizens were forcibly relocated. Israel said: “The disengagement decision holds hope for a better future; it transfers responsibility for the Strip to the Palestinians“. Today, tight border control is essential because of threats from Hamas. Hamas siphons off some 95% of the cement transferred into Gaza for rebuilding homes, so that it can be used for military purposes, link.
The Bible promised all the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants … forever:
I will give to you and to your descendants … the whole land of Canaan … forever, and I will be their God (Gen 17.8)
Ancient Canaan embraced today’s Jordan, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza) as well as the southern sections of Syria and Lebanon, link.
2. Palestinians are Suffering
The Prosecution
House Demolitions: In the West Bank the Israeli authorities continue to promote illegal settlements whilst at the same time demolishing Palestinian homes. In 2016 the Israeli government flattened 660 houses and other structures, leaving almost 1,000 people homeless [UN Report].
Movement Restrictions: In Gaza, Israeli forces maintain their land, sea and air blockade, imposing a collective punishment on the territory’s 1.8 million inhabitants. Israeli controls on the movement of people and goods into and from Gaza, particularly on essential construction materials, combined with Egypt’s closure of border crossings severely hinders post-conflict reconstruction [Amnesty International].
Israel enforces severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank through a system of permanent, temporary and random manned checkpoints. Restrictions affect the economic status of Palestinians so severely that they breach the rights guaranteed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. That is, the right to a livelihood, the right to an acceptable standard of living, the right to satisfactory nutrition, clothing, and housing. By the end of 2015 unemployment in the West Bank amounted to 19 % and was twice as high in Gaza. It is exceptionally high amongst Palestinian youth [World Bank].
The Defense
House demolitions are carried out for several reasons. It may be done to enforce building codes and regulations in areas controlled by the Israeli military. In 2016 demolitions largely affected East Jerusalem and locations designated as part of Area C under the Oslo Accord. Area C constitutes more than 60% of the West Bank and is under Israeli administrative and security control, link. Demolition is also done as a deterrent against terrorism, link. A 2014 study claimed that demolition causes “an immediate, significant decrease in the number of suicide attacks”, link. In 2016, following a recommendation of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, Israel decided that Palestinian terrorists’ families who turn the killers in to security forces will be able to save their homes from demolition, link.
Movement restrictions: Israel’s security fence (the “Wall”) serves just one purpose: to prevent terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. It has significantly decreased the number of attacks originating in Judea and Samaria: suicide attacks down by 100% and shooting attacks down by 93.5%, link. The downside is that it has severely restricted Palestinian movements.
But movement restrictions have been eased. As of July 2009, Israeli authorities reported that 27 checkpoints and 140 roadblocks had been removed in order to ease security restrictions in the West Bank. An additional 140 roadblocks were opened to traffic in 2008, link. In 2016 Israel relaxed some restrictions on the movement of Palestinians to and from the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, link. But the Israeli Supreme Court has accepted Israel’s position, that it has the right to prevent the free movement of people through Israel from the Gaza Strip for security reasons, link.
Improving economy: After years of decline due to war, Gaza’s economy expanded by about 3.3% in 2015 [World Bank]. Real GDP growth reached 5%, driven by strong growth in the construction sector as well as retail and wholesale trade. In the West Bank real GDP expanded by 2.8% [World Bank].
The Bible instructs the people of Israel how they should treat foreigners (non-Jews). Old Testament Israel was commanded to love foreigners and to let them live normal lives amongst them:
Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land. Treat them as you would an Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves. (Lev 19.33,34)
Unfortunately, as long as Arab leaders refuse to recognise Israel and continue to attack her, peaceful cohabitation seems impossible. The Palestinian Authority engages in constant incitement against Israel by teaching hatred of Israel and Jews in its textbooks, newspapers and television broadcasts, link, link.
3. The Two-State Solution
The Prosecution
Israel must accept a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if it wants to remain a Jewish state [UN]. The only solution is a democratic, Jewish state living side-by-side in peace and security with a viable, independent Palestinian state – negotiations will be necessary – but there’s little secret about where they must lead: two states for two peoples [Obama]. The Vatican “hopes for a solution to the Palestinian question according to the two-state solution” [Vatican, 2015].
As part of this solution, Jerusalem must be the capital of both Israel and Palestine [UN]. Put simply, Jerusalem is not recognised as part of Israel [US Supreme Court].
The Defense
Israel’s leaders have talked about their desire for a “two states for two peoples” solution, but in reality this is impossible. Any unilateral declaration by the Palestinian Authority (PA) would violate the 1995 Oslo II Interim Agreement (signed by the Palestinians). Article 31(7) of this Agreement states:
“Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations“
This Accord is still binding, but is flouted by the PA, the EU and the UN. So any PA attempt to change the status of these territories, namely a two state solution without prior negotiations with Israel will violate this clause. It is here that the proposal will fail since the PA leadership:
does not recognize Israel as a Jewish nation-state
maintains that Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank are Palestinian Territories
maintains that East Jerusalem is the capital of the future Palestinian State
All these are totally unacceptable to Israel. Moreover, according to a recent Stanley Greenberg poll, only 34% of Palestinians accept “two states for two peoples” as the solution. Sixty-six percent said the Palestinians’ real goal should be to start with a two-state solution but then move to it all being one Palestinian state, link. This is in line with the Hamas objective of replacing the Jewish state with an Islamic caliphate, link. Recall that the Arab leadership rejected a two-state solution as far back as 1947 (see UN Partition Plan).
As for Jerusalem, Israel has a well-founded legal claim in international law to sovereignty over the city, link. So the UN and the West are totally unrealistic in their insistence on a two-state solution. Clearly, they are not reading from the same page as the Palestinians!
The Bible says that nations who mistreat Israel, or divide up the land promised to Israel via Abraham, will be judged accordingly:
I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land. (Joel 3.2)
4. Water Apartheid: Palestinians are Denied Sufficient Water
Over 2 million Palestinians suffer from the unfair distribution of water sources, which remain under almost full Israeli control [PWA, 2015]. In the West Bank, daily per capita consumption (domestic, urban and industrial) is around 73 litres, and 242 litres in Israeli towns [CJPME, 2010]. This scarcity is deliberately created and sustained by Israel’s military occupation [The Ecologist].
Drilling: Both the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian farmers are denied the right to construct wells to meet the growing demand for water, even when that water originates almost entirely in the West Bank [UNCTAD, 2015].
The Defense
Israel and the Palestinian Authority set up a Joint Water Committee (JWC) in 1995. Israel is abiding by the 1995 Oslo II Accord and supplying agreed water quantities. Under these Accords, Israel recognized the water rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank, and a clear allocation of quantities of water to each party was determined, link. Both sides agreed on the future needs of the Palestinians in the West Bank, which could total 200 million cubic meters (MCM) per year, link. In 2012, per capita water use was 150 MCM for Israelis and 140 MCM for Palestinians, link. The total water available to Palestinians in 2007 was 200 MCM per year, link.
Israel delivers water, but does not carry out water distribution in Palestinian areas – that task is up to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. But water losses in Palestinian networks are very high, link.
Requests for water drilling is discussed and authorised by the JWC. But water is often used as a political weapon and authorized wells are not dug and leaks are not repaired. JWC permits have been granted for drilling into the Eastern Mountain Aquifer, but as of 2014 the Palestinians had drilled at just one-third of these sites, despite the offer of international finance, link.
The Bible and Water: Israel is a dry land and supplements natural water supplies with desalinated water, link. But when Israel has fully returned to her land God promises to bless her with abundant rain, and in the correct seasons:
Rejoice, O sons of Zion … He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. (Joel 2.23)
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed East Jerusalem, declaring it part of its eternal, indivisible capital, a move never recognised internationally [Haaretz]. The international community does not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Following the line of the UN, the community maintains that Jerusalem should be the capital of two states: Israel and Palestine [UN Secretary-General, 2009]. Likewise, the EU urges Israel to share Jerusalem with the Palestinians as part of a Middle East peace agreement and make the holy city the capital of two states. When challenged in 2014, the White House would not state which city it recognised as the capital of Israel (Jerusalem or Tel Aviv), link. But in 2015 the US Supreme Court declared that “the United States does not recognize Jerusalem – both the Eastern and Western parts of the city – as the capital of the state of Israel”. In 1994 The British Government stated that it did not recognize Israeli sovereignty of any part of Jerusalem [Malcolm Palmer, 1994]. The World Council of Churches (WCC) considers Jerusalem to be an occupied city.
The vast majority (92%) of Palestinians say Jerusalem should be the capital of Palestine, [Stanley Greenberg poll].
The Defense
Following the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, Israel’s Knesset declared Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel in 1950. This was partly based on Israel’s strong historical connections, link. But it was also based on solid legal ground in international law, namely, the 1920 San Remo Resolution, the 1922 British Mandate for Palestine (ratified by 51 members of the League of Nations) and Article 80 of the UN Charter (which enshrines all obligations of the League of Nations), link. Essentially, all this states that the Jewish homeland includes the Gaza strip and the Golan Heights, plus Judea and Samaria, today’s ‘West Bank’. In short, the Jewish homeland embraces Jerusalem. After spending twenty years investigating the legal aspects of Jerusalem’s sovereignty, international human rights lawyer Jacques Gautier concludes:
“According to international law, Israel has a well-founded claim to sovereignty over Jerusalem, including its Old City [Dr Jacques Gautier, author ‘Sovereignty over the Old City of Jerusalem“, link]
Those who insist on Israel’s withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders (when Israel did not hold East Jerusalem) should note that the armistice lines of 1948 were intended to be temporary [Arthur Goldberg, drafter of Resolution 242]. The 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) was never seen as Israel’s legal border in UN Resolution 242, link.
The Bible is clear on the ownwership of Jerusalem. The city belongs to the God of Israel despite what the nations say. It is called “the City of the King” (Ps 48.2), “the City of Righteousness” (Isa 1.26), “the Holy City” (Isa 52.1), “the Throne of the LORD” (Jer 3.17), “the LORD is there” (Ezek 48.35). Soon Christ will return and rule the nations from Jerusalem:
Thus says the LORD, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth … for the law will go our from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Zech 8.3, Isa 2.3)
6. Israel uses Unreasonable-Disproportionate-Excessive Force
The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) have been accused of using excessive force: “There were numerous reports of the ISF killing Palestinians during riots, demonstrations, at checkpoints, and during routine operations; in some cases they did not pose a threat to life” [US State Department report, 2016]. Specifically, in 2015, 149 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces, but only 77 of those deaths occurred in the course of attacking Israelis. Overall, in 2015 the number of deaths and injuries amongst Palestinians caused by Israeli forces was the highest for a decade [UN report].
In 2015 the ISF used excessive force against Palestinians in Jerusalem, Nablus and Hebron. Tactics adopted by the ISF during this period included confiscation of land, ISF military operations in refugee camps, villages and cities, as well as Israelis trespassing into the Al Aqsa mosque [RedCrow Intelligence].
Torture: Israeli military and police forces, as well as Israel Security Agency (ISA) personnel, torture Palestinian detainees during arrest and interrogation. Torture includes beating with batons, slapping, throttling, prolonged shackling, stress positions, sleep deprivation and threats, [Amnesty International]. During the 2008-2009 Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead), Israel carried out what is known as “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza by wanton destruction of property, food, and sanitation infrastructure [UN Investigation, 2009]. Collective punishment is illegal under international humanitarian law.
The Defense
Palestinians throwing stones from the cover of an ambulance. Image: WikiPedia
From Protests to Riots: Palestinian Leaders encourage violence and terrorist attacks against Jews, link. In 2015 some observed a move away from “politically motivated Palestinian protests” in the streets of Jerusalem towards “riots”. These included acts of public property vandalism, the absence of law enforcement personnel, blocked streets, destroyed traffic lights, railways and burnt out bus stations, link. By mid-2015 at least 14 Israelis had been killed by Palestinian stone throwing, link.
Civilian Casualties: Israel has shown the greatest possible restraint and makes a determined effort to limit Palestinian civilian casualties during its operations against Palestinian terrorists, link. Civilian casualties sometimes occur since Hamas and other groups sometimes launch mortar shells and rockets at Israel from civilian areas e.g. close to schools and mosques, link, link. In cases of Palestinian civilian casualties, Israel has a comprehensive investigative process to determine whether errors were made by its soldiers and if legal action should be taken, link, link.
Gaza War 2008-2009: In 2006, following the Israeli disengagement and pullout from the Gaza Strip, there was an increase of 436% in the number of Palestinian rockets launched towards Israel from Gaza (1,123 rockets in 2006). In 2008 this increased to 3,278 rocket attacks from the Gaza strip, link. Rockets were deliberately aimed at civilians. Every country has the moral responsibility to defend its people and so Israel responded with a deterrence – Operation Cast Lead. Civilian casualties were about 1:1 (one civilian death for every combatant death). This compares to the average ratio of 3:1 (three civilian deaths to one combatant death) in similar conflicts worldwide, link.
Bible prophecy says that the descendants of those who are now oppressing Israel will one day bless Israel and Jerusalem:
The descendants of those who oppressed you will come and bow low to show their respect. All who once despised you will worship at your feet. They will call you ‘The City of the Lord’, ‘Zion, the City of Israel’s Holy God.’ (Isa 60.14)
7. Jews have little Historical Connection with Israel
The Prosecution
Jews who have recently returned to Israel lack a strong historical connection with the land. Any claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history, [Article 20, Palestinian National Charter, 1968]. The land was actually populated solely by indigenous Palestinians. Also, there is no tangible evidence of any Jewish remains in the Old City of Jerusalem and its immediate vicinity [Palestinian Ministry of Information, 1997].
Concerning the Temple Mount: Israel cannot show they had a temple here 2000 years ago, [Mahmoud Abbas, 2000]. No Jewish temple ever existed on the Temple Mount” [Yasser Arafat, 2000]. The historic existence of a Jewish Temple is a myth and a lie. So any Jewish claim should be ignored and the Temple Mount area should be referred to solely by the Muslim name Al-Aqsa Mosque or Al-Haram Al Sharif. Similarly, the Western Wall should be referred to by its Muslim name – “the al-Buraq wall” [UNESCO, 2016].
The Defense
Here, the prosecution is weak and easily defended. Palestinian leaders have adopted the tack of “stealing the enemy’s heritage, history, and values”, link. But archaeology and historical documentation shows that Jews have lived continuously in the land of Israel for over 3,000 years, link, link, link.
Brief history: The descendants of Abraham formed the nation Israel around 1300 BC, King David established Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in 1004 BC, and in 960 BC his son Solomon built the first Jewish temple.
Due to disobedience, the northern kingdom (Israel) was scattered throughout the nations by 722 BC and the southern kingdom (essentially Judah) was deported to Babylon by 586 BC. But some Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem between 536 BC and 444 BC. This was to rebuild the temple, establish temple worship and rebuild the walls. So a Jewish presence continued in Jerusalem up to the Roman period.
History records that in 70 AD, when the Jewish civilization was already over 1000 years old, the Romans forced most of the Jews of Judea and Samaria (now the West Bank) into exile and destroyed the Second Temple. However, some Jews remained in the land and archaeologists have discovered 34 synagogues in the Golan Heights dating from the late Roman period through the Byzantine era up until the Arab conquest of the Holy Land around 638 AD, link.
Jerusalem: The early name for Jerusalem (in Hebrew pronounced yer-oo-shaw-law-yimthe) is mentioned in the first book of the Jewish Torah (Gen 14.18). In fact, historic Jerusalem is mentioned 809 times in the Bible, beginning with Joshua 10:1 and ending with Galatians 4:25, link, whilst it is claimed Jerusalem is not even mentioned in the Koran, link, link.
The Jewish temple: evidence from the Hebrew Bible (the Tanach), the New Testament, historians like Josephus, and archaeology all testify to the existence of a huge, impressive temple in Jerusalem. The traditional location lies in the immediate vicinity of the present-day Dome of the Rock, link, and the Western Wall is the western retaining wall of King Herod’s expanded Temple Mount. Historical accounts say that the Dome of the Rock was built by the Moslems to overlay the location of the original Jewish Temple, link. Professor of Archaeology, Kent Bramlett also claims that historical records of the destruction committed by the Romans (70 AD) give “pretty overwhelming” support for the existence of the Second Temple in the immediate vicinity of the Dome of the Rock.
If the Jewish temple never existed, then why does archaeological evidence suggest otherwise? Every year Jews would arrive at Solomon’s Temple to celebrate Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), and for this they needed fresh flowing water. Archaeologists have discovered an ancient water aqueduct running from the Hebron mountains, through Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem, and into the Temple Mount area, link, link. This was done at least 1500 years before any mosque was built!
A Series of Short Articles Outlining the Destiny of Mankind
Destiny: “The particular state of a person in the future, considered as resulting from earlier events.”
This secular, non-biblical definition of a person’s destiny is a useful start. It permits the idea that each person can determine their own destiny. As the Bible reveals, the destiny of a person is not necessarily the destiny God intended for them; it depends upon their free-will.
At some point in our lives most of us ask “What is the purpose of life? Why am I here? Where am I going? Can I determine my future, my destiny? Is my future already planned by God? During my lifetime can I be assured of a good destiny?”
Many famous people have attempted to answer such deep questions. For example, on the destiny of mankind Winston Churchill once said:
“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
Was he right? To answer difficult questions like this let’s put aside the mountains of books on philosophy and the many different religions and simply read some key texts in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The following short articles cover some of the most important concepts of life. They outline the essential factors concerning God’s dealings with mankind, and the pathway to God’s preferred destiny for mankind:
1. God’s perfect plan from the Creation is for man to dwell with His Creator in Paradise. This is man’s perfect destiny. We get a glimpse of a form of Paradise in Genesis 1 and 2. Here, in the perfect Garden of Eden, it seems Adam was initially immortal and was only destined to die if he disobeyed God (see Genesis 2:17). Sadly, Adam exercised his free-will and chose to walk away from Paradise
2. Fast forward to today. For mankind to dwell with God (who is Spirit, John 4:24) in some future Paradise requires mortal man to become a living spirit, like Adam (see Genesis 2:7). The New Testament gospels say that, due to the Fall of Mankind, mortal man is spiritually dead and needs a spiritual re-birth
3. The good news is that Jesus Christ offers individuals free spiritual re-birth if they choose to accept it. But where did Jesus come from?
4. God’s plan was to achieve all this through Abraham and his descendants, the tribes of Israel. The nation of Israel was to became God’s witness and blessing to the nations, through Christ (Genesis 12:3). Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus shows that He was from the tribe of Judah, and so He was a Jew
5. Now God made a covenant with Israel: they would be blessed and be a blessing if they followed His laws (the Mosaic Covenant). They failed, and suffered the diaspora (scattering). On the other hand, as prophesied, Jesus came, and died, and rose again to be God’s blessing to the nations. And today, as prophesied, the nation Israel is being restored to the land God gave them – Canaan
6. For those who choose to follow Christ and be spiritually re-born, they can look forward to dwelling with God in a future Paradise. Their destiny will be to dwell with their Creator God in the New Earth (see Revelation 21)
7. Revelation chapter 21 also gives a final warning. Mankind has a choice; either to accept spiritual re-birth through Christ, or reject the offer and so reject eternal life in Paradise
The following short articles expand upon these themes. Let’s look first at the Bible’s description of Paradise:
At the end of this age there will be dramatic changes in the appearance of the sun and the moon. God says:
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes (Joel 2.30,31)
This refers to the traumatic days and astronomical signs just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Exactly what causes these events is not revealed.
In recent years there has been much interest in so-called “blood moons” as caused by the earth passing between the sun and the moon (a lunar eclipse). Such events are entirely predictable, see NASA lunar eclipses. But the events prophesied in the book of Joel seem unpredictable and sudden. Moreover, unless the present astronomical order is changed, Joel is probably not describing simultaneous solar and lunar eclipses since this is impossible, link.
Let’s look at those predictable blood moons. Some believe that even predictable events like this can be used by God as a sign of His interventions in world affairs, and especially in the affairs of Israel. There is special interest in the times when four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total eclipses, an event known as a tetrad.
There are eight tetrads in the 21st century, and two have already passed, link. Moreover, history shows that when the tetrad dates are close to, or coincide with the dates of Jewish festivals (God’s appointed feasts), then this may be a special sign or warning to Israel. Sometimes very serious events happen around these dates. So let’s first consider Israel’s appointed feasts.
Israel’s Feasts and Israel’s Blood Moons
Some of Israel’s feasts clearly continue beyond the end of this age and into the Kingdom age, the millennium. So, in passing, we might ask ‘Why are Israel’s feasts often overlooked by the church?’ Take for example Pesah (Passover). God instructed Israel to keep Pesah forever:
Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance (Exod 12.14)
Of course, Christ used His last Passover meal (Mat 26) to inaugurate the New Covenant to be made through His crucifixion, and Christians celebrate this in the Easter Eucharist (Holy communion) rather than through the Jewish Passover. Are Messianic Jews to obey Exod 12.14, or are they to accept Christ as the Passover Lamb? The answer is ‘both’. Yeshua’s Supper is temporary in nature – celebrated until He comes (1 Cor 11.26) – but the Passover is celebrated in the millennium, after Christ has come (Ezek 45.21), link.
As with the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles was also decreed a ‘statute forever’ (Lev 23.41), and so we read that this feast continues into the Kingdom age, the millennial reign of Christ:
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall … keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14.16)
Clearly, God requires at least some of Israel’s feasts to continue today and through into the next age on earth – the Millennium. They are certainly not past their sell-by date; they are incredibly relevant! So when we find some feasts synchronized in time with blood moons (often to the day), especially with tetrads (four consecutive total lunar eclipses), we might ask, “Is this a strange coincidence or is it planned by the God of Israel?” Is God’s synchronized celestial timing telling man – and especially Israel – that something very significant for Israel is to happen around that date?
Alignment of Israel’s Feasts with Blood Moon Tetrads: Warnings to Israel?
Not all tetrads appear significant for Israel. For instance, nothing of real significance happened in Israel around the 1927-1928 tetrad, link. But then none of the blood moons coincided with a Jewish feast, link. But occasionally, all four blood moons in a tetrad coincide with the start e.g. Pesach I, or close to the start, of the feasts of Pesach (Passover) or Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
Consider the following tetrads from NASA [Format: blood moon date (Jewish feast and date)].
Here, the blood moons did not align exactly in time with the start of Pesach and Sukkot, link. Nevertheless, we can ask, ‘What happened to the Jews around this time?’ Answer: During 1492, in Grenada (Spain) the razing of the Jewish quarter was ordered by King Ferdinand, and the Church called for the expulsion of Jews from Spain. In 1493 some 37,000 Jews had to leave Sicily, and in 1494/95, Jews suffered in Poland, Lithuania and Italy, link. So this tetrad saw Europe-wide persecution of the Jews.
Here, there is near perfect alignment of blood moon and festival dates. So what happened to Israel around this time? Answer: the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli War, when five Arab armies (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq) invaded Israel. Armistice agreements were signed February-July 1949, link, resulting in the UN “Green Line” – simply a temporary, armistice line and not a border. Ever since, there have been repeated Palestinian demands for Israel to return to this so-called ‘border’.
Again, there is near perfect correspondence of dates. What happened to Israel around this time? Answer: the Six-Day War of June 5–10, 1967, when the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon (and later Iraq) attacked Israel. Their goal was “to wipe Israel off the map”, but instead Jews gained full access to all of Jerusalem – the fist time in nearly 2,000 years! A few months later an Arab summit conference formulated the Arab consensus that underlay the official policies of most Arab states for the next two decades and beyond: “no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it.”
There is near perfect correspondence of dates. In addition, this tetrad is rather unique in that it spans a Shemittah (sabbatical) year, starting 25-09-2014 and ending 13-09-2015. This is a time of rest for Israel’s agriculture and a time for strengthening bonds with God. Since past tetrads have been difficult times for Jews, the Shemittah year is timely! When ancient Israel observed sabbatical years God provided enough food in the sixth year for three years (Lev 25.20,21)! He is still the same God who provides for those who keep mitzvot (God’s commands).
What happened around this time? Many regarded the time around Sukkot 2015 as the start of the third Intifada (Palestinian uprising) against Israel. Early October saw the start of unprovoked stabbings of Israeli citizens, link, link.
Here, only the blood moons in 2033 coincide with Pesach and Sukkot. But the time alignment is closer than for the 1493-94 tetrad. So again, this may be a crucial time for Israel and for the world. For instance, NASA says there is a remote possibility of a huge asteroid impact in 2032, and the Bible suggests such an impact in Rev 8.8. On the other hand, since 2032 is rather distant, Christ may have returned by then anyway!
TAGS FOR ISRAEL’S BLOOD MOONS
For in-depth discussion, see for example Pray4Zion
For the Jewish Calendar for a specific year, see for example Calendar_1 or Calendar_2
For NASA blood moon dates, and tetrads, see for example NASA_tetrads
End-time Blood Moons
As already noted, the prophet Joel described major disturbances in the sun and the moon immediately prior to the return of Christ. Jesus also said that there will be cosmic disturbances just prior to His return to earth:
The sun and the moon will not give their light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven (Mat 24.29,30)
No blood moon here – but look at the traumatic times just prior to this:
There was a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to earth (opening of the sixth seal, Rev 6.12,13) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood (cosmic disturbances visible in Israel, Joel 2.31)
Do these prophecies indicate a simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse? No, at least not according to the present astronomical order. The sun-moon-earth alignments are distinctly different for the two eclipses; a total solar eclipse can only happen at a new moon when the moon passes between the sun and the earth (sun-moon-earth alignment), whereas a total lunar eclipse can only happen on a full moon (sun-earth-moon alignment). So, since the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, the minimum amount of time that can possibly occur between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse is two weeks, link.
Let us assume that the current astronomical order is undisturbed and so discount simultaneous eclipses. There may be some other astronomical reason for the sun darkening and the moon turning to blood. Note that Mat 24 and Rev 6 both refer to ‘stars falling from heaven’ (meteorites?). And in Rev 8 we read of ‘a great mountain burning with fire’ being thrown into the sea, and ‘a great star falling from heaven burning like a torch’ (asteroids?). Some argue that it could be these cosmic impacts upon the earth that cause the possibly simultaneous darkening of the sun, and the reddening of the moon. Huge impacts, possibly related to the great earthquake of Rev 6, could cause massive and long-lasting atmospheric disturbances on earth. It has also been proposed that a simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse might occur in the presence of a large asteroid (or near earth object), link.
Conclusion: End time blood moons as in the Joel and Revelation prophecies may not be created by lunar eclipses, but rather by prophesied earth impacts from space. Having said that, the present astronomical order predicts that between 2016 and 2030 there will be a total of twelve more total lunar eclipses (full blood moons) visible in different parts of the world, link.
When God told Abram (Abraham) to go to “a land that I will show you” (Canaan), He promised to make him “a great nation”, and that in him “all families of the earth shall be blessed”. This was an unconditional promise: the nation turned out to be the Jewish nation, Israel, and through Abraham’s descendants came Christ, the Saviour of the world. God also said:
And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. (Genesis chapter 12 verse 3, NASB).
This verse has never been abrogated and since it refers to both Abraham and his descendants it is true today until the the end of the age. Some 3,500 years have now passed and, in accord with this verse, world history has been shaped by how individuals, people groups and nations have treated the Jewish people. Yes, they have suffered, but a remnant always survives:
All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? [Mark Twain, 1897]
Understanding Genesis 12 Verse 3
The Abrahamic Covenant is formally given in Genesis 15 and 17, but the elements are laid in Genesis 12:2-3. The covenant is wholly gracious and unconditional. The descendants of Abraham only had to abide in their own land to inherit every blessing. Unfortunately, verse 3 is often mistranslated from the Hebrew, so let’s look at a few English translations:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee … (King James Version, KJV)
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you … (New King James Version, NKJV)
And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses [reviles] you I will curse [bind under a curse] … (New American Standard Bible, NASB)
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse … (English Standard Version, ESV)
And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you, and I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you … (Amplified Bible, AMP]
Working backwards from the English to Hebrew can be misleading, but let’s try it. Taking the NASB text and inserting the corresponding Hebrew word from Strong’s Concordance we get:
And I will “baruch” those who “baruch” you, and the one who “qalals” you I will “arar” …
Here, the Hebrew ‘baruch’ (Strongs 1263) means ‘to bless’, ‘to praise’, ‘to give thanks’. Now note that the two verbs ‘curses’ and ‘curse’ have different Hebrew roots; both Hebrew verbs ‘arar’ and ‘qalal’ can be translated “curse,” link. The Hebrew ‘‘arar’’ (Strongs 779) means to ‘execrate’ (express great loathing for), ‘bitterly curse’ or ‘bind under a curse’. In contrast, some take ‘qalal’ (Strongs 7043) to mean ‘make light of’, ‘treat as trivial’, ‘revile’ or have ‘contempt’ for. But is this translation correct?
Working forwards: Hebrew to English
As stated, working backwards from English to Hebrew can be misleading. The query concerns the root ‘qalal’ since it is the root for two Hebrew verbs. In its most basic form, L’hakel (להקל), it means to ‘make light of’ or ‘to belittle’ (as mentioned). But in its intensive form, l’kalel (לקלל), it means to curse or revile, link. The significant point is that Gen 12:3 uses the intensive form, link. See l’kalel.
Having identified the correct form of the Hebrew root ‘qalal’ in Gen 12:3, we can identify the more accurate translations. The ESV and AMP translations seem misleading, whilst the NASB with alternative meanings inserted seems more accurate:
I will bless those who bless you, and the one who reviles you I will bind under a curse … (Gen 12:3, NASB)
To revile means to criticize strongly, to hate, to be contemptuous, speak of abusively, or say unpleasant things about a person or people group e.g. Israel.
Application of Genesis 12 verse 3
Having a clearer understanding of the Hebraic background to this verse, we can now ask ourselves ‘to whom, and when, does this verse apply?’
First, the personal pronoun ‘you’ must translate to Abraham’s descendants; after all, Abraham himself was not made into a great nation, but his descendants were (see Gen 26:4). So God’s blessing applies to all those Gentiles who at least speak well of Abraham’s descendants, Israel, whether they have faith (Gal 3:7), or not. All Gentiles in the world, throughout history, should bless and befriend the Jews if they want to earn God’s favor (using today’s common terminology, ‘Jew’ is any descendant from Abraham, link). For example, Gentiles bless Israel when they “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Ps 122:6-9). Remember also that, through Abraham, “all the families of the earth” were to be blessed (Jew and Gentile) – a reference to the true Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (verse 3b).
Similarly, ‘the one’ must apply to all individuals, groups or nations throughout history. For example, in the millennial age rebellious nations are judged harshly for not honouring Israel:
the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you [Israel] will perish … (Isa 60:12)
And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them (Zech 14:17)
In summary, God’s warning was never abrogated and applies to all time dispensations. It applied during Israel’s exodus from Egypt, to Babylonian rule, to Germany and the holocaust, and to Arabic aggression against Israel today. In short, how nations and individuals treat Israel has shaped history, and still does. It is dangerous to severely criticize, treat with contempt, hate or try to eliminate the Jewish nation, Israel. To do so endangers God’s curse. History shows God’s curse for such lack of respect and disdain is to invoke harsh judgment. It is better to be blessed by God by blessing Israel His people than to come under God’s curse. ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament essentially relates to divine bestowal of prosperity onto humans, link.
Genesis 12 verse 3 in History
Destruction of the Egyptian army
God sometimes leads Israel’s enemies against her in order to honor His name. This happened in the case of Pharaoh when He hardened his heart to chase the supposedly trapped Israelites at the Red Sea (Exod 14). It will happen again in the imminent Gog-Magog war (Ezek 38 and 39).
Pharaoh was clearly an enemy of the Israelites. It took nine plagues and then the death of Egypt’s first born for Israel to be released from humiliating slavery. But, it seems, Pharaoh needed one more demonstration of the power of the God of Israel. The Bible says that when Pharaoh’s army entered the dry land in the midst of the sea it was destroyed (Exod 14:26-31). Archaeological evidence for the biblical exodus is available, link, link.
The Defeat of the Amalekites
The Amalekites were an ancient biblical nation living near the land of Canaan, link. They are notorious since they were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after the Exodus from Egypt. It happened while the Jews were recuperating from their escape from Egypt (Exod 17:8-13). The Amalekites launched a vicious surprise attack on them — even though the Jews had no designs on Amalekite territory. In response, Moses asked Joshua to fight against the Amalekites, whilst Moses himself would stand on a hill top with the rod of God in his hand (v10).
The Amalekites were finally defeated, and subsequently God ordered Moses to record the treacherous attack of the Amalekites for everlasting memory. Today the Jews regard Amalek as representing the worst form of evil, link.
Ancient Tyre was in two parts. The first part was on the mainland and the second was on an island about a kilometer from the shoreline. Over time, the island portion of the city became very wealthy and heavily fortified. It also served as the city’s religious center, where they worshiped pagan gods, particularly the fertility god “Baal”. Despite pagan worship, God’s anger against Tyre appears to have been aroused only when she declared her aggression against Jerusalem:
‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’(Ezek 26:2)
To this, God declared:
‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you … they will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea’ (Ezek 26:3-5)
This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great when he built a land bridge from the mainland to the island of Tyre in 333-332 BC. Alexander’s forces took rubble (stones, timber and soil, v12) from Tyre’s mainland and built a causeway to capture the island. Ancient Tyre (the island) is no more, see archaeological verification. Modern Tyre occupies the northern half of the island and also sprawls across Alexander’s causeway and onto the mainland, link, link, link.
Judgment upon Russia – Communism
Pogroms (antisemitic violence) erupted in Russia in the late 19th century and went on into the early 1920’s. Pogrom is a Russian word meaning ‘to wreak havoc’ and at this time Russian authorities initiated violence, including slaughter, against Jews.
But, in turn for Jewish persecutions, did God ‘wreak havoc’ upon the Russian people themselves by bringing in repressive communism? The Russian (or Bolshevik) Revolution took place in 1917 when working class people of Russia revolted against the Tsar. They were led by Vladimir Lenin and a group of revolutionaries and a communist government set in. Stalin came to power after Lenin in 1924. In the 1930’s Stalin’s communist terror engulfed the USSR, sending millions to labour camps or firing squads. He destroyed the remnants of individual freedom and failed to promote individual prosperity, link, link.
Stalin’s war against the Soviet Jews: A gradual liquidation of Jewish cultural institutions also set in with Stalin’s ascent to power, link. Part of Stalin’s antisemitism was to conjure up the so-called Doctor’s Plot, in which the Kremlin doctors, most of them Jews, ‘confessed’ under torture that they had deliberately misdiagnosed health problems of Soviet leaders. In fact, the doctors were released immediately after Stalin’s death and completely rehabilitated.
Stalin’s timely death: Stalin suffered a stroke on February 28, 1953. Curiously, it was on the same day as the Jewish holiday of Purim. This festival commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia (Iran) from Haman’s plot to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews in a single day (see the Old Testament book of Esther). It was also on the same day that deportations to Siberia of more than one million Jews from Moscow alone and millions more from other parts of the Soviet Union were to begin, link. Was this the outworking of Genesis 12 verse 3 – God’s judgment upon those who hate the Jews?
Russia’s Jew-hate Today: It is claimed that today Russia is the global leader in Jew-hate (does the Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation imply this? See Israel’s enemies). Germany has by no means been history’s top purveyor of global antisemitism. That distinction goes to Russia, which has spread antisemitism more widely and durably, link. Will God’s judgment upon Russia for her treatment of Jews be completed in the imminent Gog-Magog war? Here Russia is totally defeated and humiliated.
Germany’s Jew Hatred
Hitler capitalized on antisemitic ideas that had been around for a long time. By blaming the Jews for the WWI defeat, Hitler created a stereotypical enemy. In the 1920’s and early 1930’s, the defeated country was still in a major economic crisis, but the Nazis argued that expelling the Jews was the solution. This political message and the promise to make Germany economically strong again won Hitler the elections in 1932.
After Hitler came to power, the laws and measures against the Jews steadily increased. Nazi anti-Jewish policy constituted legal measures to expel the Jews from society and strip them of their rights and property, while engaging in incitement, abuse, terror and violence, link. It ended in the Shoah, the Holocaust, the murder of six million European Jews, link.
As promised in Genesis 12 verse 3, it appears Hitler’s Germany experienced God’s curse for hating the Jews. At the end of the war Germany was in utter chaos, link:
Displaced Persons’ were roaming about the country, often looting as they went. Transportation and communication services had ceased to function. Agriculture and industry were largely at a standstill. Food was scarce and there was a serious risk of famine and disease during the coming months. And to crown it all there was no central government in being, and the machinery whereby a central government could function no longer existed [Field Marshall Montgomery, 1945]
The leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed (Isa 9.16)
Britain’s Blessing – Prosperity
In the 18th and 19th centuries you’d be hard pressed to find Bible teachers who weren’t defenders of the Jews, men such as Lord Shaftesbury, William Wilberforce, J.C. Ryle, Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley and more. Interestingly, this was an age of great evangelistic efforts, notably among the Jews, and particularly among the Jewish population of the East London of Charles Dickens, link.
When it comes to Britain’s leaders, the Jew Benjamin Disraeli (1804 – 1881) twice served as UK Prime Minister and led the Conservative party for nearly three decades. It has been said “Many modern Conservatives look back on Disraeli as their prophet, high priest and philosopher rolled into one”. Notably, there was a lack of anti-Jewish violence in Britain in the 19th and early 20th century, link.
It was during these centuries that Britain prospered through the revolution of industry and transport, link. For a few decades in the 19th century British manufactured goods dominated world trade, link.
Britain’s betrayal of the Jews
In 1917 the British Foreign Office stated:
His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people … it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine [A.J. Balfour, British Foreign Office]
This became known as the Balfour declaration. The 1920 San Remo Peace Conference gave Britain a provisional ‘Mandate for Palestine’ based upon the Balfour Declaration and this was formalized in 1922 by the Council of the League of Nations, link. The primary objective of the Mandate was to grant political rights in respect to Palestine to the Jewish people. The 1920 Mandate defined “Palestine” as spanning both west and east of the Jordan.
Britain Reneged on the Mandate
The 1922 League of Nations sub-division. Image courtesy Eli E. Hertz. Enlarge
The Peel and Woodhead commissions of 1937/38 recommended partitioning Palestine into a small Jewish state and a large Arab state, a proposal hardly honouring the Mandate. It was rejected by the Arab leadership. There’s worse. The British White Paper of 1939 was a statement of policy that severely compromised the British commitment to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The White Paper limited Jewish immigration to Palestine to just 75,000 over a five year period. The policy therefore repudiated the Balfour Declaration and Britain’s commitments under the League of Nations just at the time of greatest need for a sanctuary for Jewish refugees, link.
It got even worse. In July 1947 the ship ‘The Exodus’ was carrying Jewish emigrants to British Mandatory Palestine, link. It carried 4515 men, women and children – most of whom were Holocaust survivors. The British navy attacked the Exodus to resist her landing in Palestine. When she did eventually land, some Jews were forcibly removed to be reloaded onto ships sailing back to Europe.
In Summary: Britain essentially failed in her charge to establish a Jewish homeland, and it was left to the UN and to the Jews themselves.
Did God Judge Britain for Betraying the Jews?
Some see Britain’s general decline commencing around 1947/48, when she finally reneged on her Mandate for Palestine and handed it over to the United Nations, link.
Britain’s Declining Navy: Britain once boasted the most powerful navy in the world. The British Navy steadily increased from the 1700’s to reach a peak fleet size in 1945 of some 800 destroyers and frigates, link. But by 1950 there had been a rapid decline to 250 destroyers and frigates, and by 2017 Britain had just 19!
Britain’s Declining Empire: Around 1920/21 Britain’s Empire reached a territorial peak, covering 24% of the Earth’s land area, link. It is interesting to note that this occurred when Britain was mandated with helping the Jews find a homeland in Palestine (1917, 1920, 1922). But between 1945 and 1965 the number of people under British rule outside the UK itself fell from 700 million to just 5 million, link.
The merits and sins of such an Empire are debatable, but the fact remains that Britain very rapidly lost her world influence from about 1945, and this continued to the close of the millennium.
Over the next decade, Britain’s pretensions to be a great power will evaporate … with rapidly shrinking military and diplomatic influence” [The Guardian, 2009]
For many, the transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997 marked the end of the British Empire.
Britain’s Declining Economy: In the early 1950’s Britain was an industrial giant, with an output per head 30% ahead of the six founder members of the EEC. But within 50 years it had been overtaken by many European and several Asian countries. Today, UK manufacturing accounts for just 11% of GDP. See “The Slow Death of British Industry: a 60-Year Suicide, 1952-2012” [NewStatesman, 2013].
Genesis 12 verse 3 Today
According the Genesis 12 verse 3, today’s institutionalized church is in danger of God’s judgement. Why? because in general it embraces some forms of Antisemitism. This is often in the form of antisemitic rhetorical speech or writing, or in social action and political maneuvering against the Jewish State.
The world will also see God’s anger vented upon Islamic nations who today revile, and in the the near future, war against the Jewish state.
Antisemitism in the Institutionalized Church
The World Council of Churches (WCC): The WCC is an ecumenical movement promoting Christian unity across many denominations, including Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed churches and the United Church of Christ. It represents over 500 million Christians in more than 100 countries and territories. A key objective is the breaking down barriers between people and seeking justice and peace.
WCC’s flagship project on the Arab-Israeli conflict is called EAPPI, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. Despite WCC’s noble objective of ‘breaking down barriers and seeking justice and peace’, the activities of EAPPI are biased against Israel. In particular, it is claimed EAPPI recruits activists abroad, sends them to Israel for three months and trains them to lead anti-Israel campaigns, link. In addition, NGO MONITOR claims EAPPI:
rejects the link between Israel and the Jewish people
rhetoric accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ and ‘war crimes’
strengthens work on sanctions and suspension of US aid to Israel
encourages civil disobedience action
encourages churches to join campaigns for economic boycotts e.g. BDS
supports Palestinian ‘Right of Return’
stresses Israel’s ‘land occupation’
lobbies the EU to impose sanctions on Israel
supports the call for the UK to apologize for the Balfour DeclaratiOn
The Kairos Document: The WCC is a promoter of the Kairos Palestine document. This group of Palestinian Christians repeatedly claims Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, claims Israeli settlements ravage Palestinian land, claims daily humiliation of Palestinian workers, and stresses the ‘right of return’ of refugees. It is also claimed that Kairos characterizes terrorist acts of armed resistance as ‘Palestinian legal resistance’, denies the Jewish historical connection to Israel in theological terms, compares Israel with the South African apartheid regime, and calls churches worldwide to engage in BDS.
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS): This is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. In 2005 the WCC encouraged its member churches ‘to explore ways of avoiding economic participation in illegal activities related to the Israeli occupation’, link. The BDS campaign is an example. It is claimed that major UK churches have adopted the anti-Israel BDS agenda, link.
Jewish Reaction: Given such activities, it is not surprising that the UK Jewish Board of Deputies has described the EAPPI (aka WCC) as ‘inflammatory and partisan’ and accused it of ‘creating a climate of hostility towards Israel within the Church of England’.
Given how the WCC reviles the Jewish people, it’s an open question as to how the God of Israel will enact Genesis 12 verse 3. Is the WCC (and the member churches that support its views) part if the apostate church of Revelation 17 which is eventually ‘burned with fire’?
Aggression from Islamic Nations
Some see today’s Arab-Israeli/Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be rooted in biblical history, namely in the hostile Amalekites. The nation of Amalek is long gone, but many Israelis see Amalek living on in their daily enemies, link. One such enemy is Iran.
Today, Islam repeatedly reviles the Jewish state. Israel is criticized in the most hateful way:
Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it [Hamas Charter, 1988]
The very existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to humanity [Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, August 2012]
Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor … that has to be removed and eradicated [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, April 2018]
How will Genesis 12 verse 3 Apply? In the immediate future there will be an Islamic invasion of Israel from the north. Many see this as being headed by Russia and Iran. Meanwhile, the western nations simply standby and observe (Ezek 38:13). What happens? The invaders are completely defeated by the God of Israel (Ezek 38:18-23). They will “fall upon the mountains of Israel” (Ezek 39:1-8). Moreover, God will be magnified in the eyes of many nations (Ezek 38:23, 39:21), and Islam will be humiliated. Is this an example of the curse God places upon those who curse Israel?
The Book of Revelation – An End Time Message
After all’s been said and done, the Bible’s bold declarations culminate in its last book, Revelation. Here we read the final verses of the Bible, and the promise and warning of Jesus. Since Jesus is soon to return (He will be seen “with the clouds” Revelation 1.7), this last book is essentially an end time message. First, an amazing promise to those who trust in the risen Jesus:
Revelation 22: 12-14
Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
The city here is the New Jerusalem described symbolically in Revelation 21. Here we find the blessings (fruit) of the symbolic “tree of life” first mentioned in Genesis 2.9 in the Garden of Eden. It seems that, for believers, time has gone full circle to what God planned in the beginning. Sadly, not all partake of this eternal blessing and fellowship with God. Jesus gives a warning:
Revelation 22.15
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
So there we have it. Man has a choice and Jesus gives a plea to mankind:
Revelation 22.16,17
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Today, man is expert at twisting God’s word. We see this in his attempts to redefine marriage for example, and in his attempts to replace national Israel with the church (Replacement Theology). So Jesus gives a final warning:
Revelation 22.18,19
I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new Jerusalem), which are written in this book.
The important biblical concepts discussed in these seven short articles are summarized below in a timeline:
According to the Pew Research Center, an astounding 2.2 billion people in the world base their religious beliefs and worldview on text written by Hebraic men who wrote bold declarations about the world’s origins, future, and man’s ultimate destiny. Interpretations of the Bible abound, but what is actually written?
In Romans the 3rd chapter, the apostle Paul wrote:
Do the Jews have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews.
Put another way, here Paul is saying that the inspired Hebrew scriptures of the Jews are the very words of God!
Let’s put aside religious biases, mystical interpretations, or even our secular worldview. Let’s read with an open mind what the Bible tells us about our origins and our future. Right at the beginning we read a mystery, namely, that the God of the Bible reproduces “His kind”. In the Genesis account of man’s creation the Bible speaks of “mankind made in God’s image”:
In Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
But what does it mean “to be made in God’s image”?
The Bible says “God is Spirit” but clearly we are “flesh and blood”. So isn’t something wrong here? No. We need to look to man’s future. In chapter 8 of Paul’s letter to the Romans he spoke a mystery. He said creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. He spoke of a hope of man’s “spirit form” in the future, as distinct from flesh and blood. Instead of “mankind” or “fleshkind” he was really speaking of man as a “spiritkind” or “Godkind”.
In Romans 8:18-23
I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children … For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children and set our whole being free.
These are powerful and inspired words. Paul is saying that both creation and man himself groan due to imperfection and mortality. But it is possible for mankind to be translated to an immortal “spiritkind” like his Creator. He sums it up like this:
1 Corinthians 15.53
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality
This will happen at some point in the future. As we read on in the Bible we discover that man in immortal (spirit) form will one day live with his Creator God on a new and perfect earth! Now that blows your mind!
In Genesis chapter 1 we read that God made mankind male and female and blessed them to be “fruitful and multiply”. Why did the Creator of the universe give man the mandate to procreate and proliferate? Think about the billions of humans born since the world began. What were they born for? Where have they all gone? What did they live for? Did their lives have any real meaning? The answer to these questions is found in a mystery: we must be changed or “born again” as the Bible puts it.
Israel’s King David asked a similar question. He wrote in the 8th Psalm:
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
Here’s the Answer – Spiritual Rebirth
The apostle John boldly tells us that all we observe was made through Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). From human cells to the earth and the starry heavens – all were made through Jesus (John chapter 1). The atomic constants and the molecular structure of matter were made through Jesus. And the Bible tells us that this same Jesus came into the world to show man how to live. John goes on to say that all who believe in Jesus are given the right to become children of God. These are children not born through a woman’s pregnancy, but born of God. This is a mystery accepted by faith. In John 1:9-14, we read:
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
This speaks of two births of man: a physical birth through woman and a spiritual birth through God’s Spirit. In John 3 Jesus said:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
Note that Jesus leaves the ball in our court! It’s up to an individual to choose to believe in Jesus and be born a second time! It’s up to us to find the meaning of life through Jesus.
The Hebrew word ‘Yehudi’ (Jew) originated from the name Judah (2 Kings 16.6). But when Israel became divided into northern and southern kingdoms (the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah) the term ‘Jew’ came to apply to all those in the Kingdom of Yehudah (Judah). This kingdom embraced the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, so Paul called himself a Jew since he was from the tribe of Benjamin (Acts 22:3), and Jesus was a Jew since His lineage is traced to Judah (Lk 3.23-33, Heb 7.14).
Today it is common to refer to Abraham’s descendants, or anyone who practices Judaism as ‘Jews’. More …
Man’s Destiny – As God Intended
The apostle Paul described man’s destiny as a mystery. He said that mortal man was meant to become immortal (that is the plan of his Maker) and then live with His Maker eternally. This is a truly mind-blowing concept, but that is what the Bible says.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15 verses 50-54, Paul wrote:
What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot share in God’s Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality.
Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!”
There is a caveat here: this amazing transition to immortality is conditional, as explained below.
Man’s Eternal Home – the New Earth
A popular view is that when we die we go to live in heaven. But the Bible doesn’t say that. It doesn’t say that man’s reward is to go permanently to heaven. Heaven is God’s throne and earth is meant for man. But man will not spend eternity on this earth! The truth is that a New Heaven and a New Earth is prophesied. And it is in the new and perfect earth where God comes and walks with man, as He did in the Garden of Eden. A perfect God-man relationship will be restored. Such prophecies are brief and full of symbolism – little detail is revealed. But the concept and promise is there (and the caveat is there too)! Here’s what the Bible says about this amazing promise:
In Revelation 21: 1-7, we read about John’s vision:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Did you see it? Did you see God’s caveat? God says He will fulfill this amazing promise “to the thirsty”. What about those who do not believe and are not thirsty for a relationship with their Creator? Revelation 21.8 says:
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
The amazing promise of eternal life with our Creator is conditional. We must first reach out to God through the living Jesus Christ. In doing so our lives will be totally changed. Jesus said this eternal and perfect destiny can be ours by simply believing and trusting in Him. We can of course choose not to believe, and many do so. One more thing. Before the passing away of the present earth, prophecy strongly suggests that there will be a glorious time of peace on this earth when Jesus returns. And believers will play a major role as immortal beings!
NEXT
A Contract – God’s Covenant with Israel
A “contract” can be defined as an agreement between two parties which obliges each party to do or not to do a certain thing. It is an agreement with promises of delivery, but also with stipulations and penalty clauses. In the time of Moses God made such a contract with the people (nation) of Israel, although the Bible refers to it as as “God’s covenant”.
God made a contract with Israel at Mount Sinai via His servant Moses. They were to follow the statutes of holy living, various laws and observe mandated Holy Feasts at their appointed time. Their mission was to teach the world by their example and be God’s witness to the nations. Moses was instructed to spell out God’s contract to the Israelites:
In Exodus 19: 5-8 we read:
Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 7:12:
If you listen to these commands and obey them faithfully, then the Lord your God will continue to keep his covenant with you and will show you his constant love, as he promised your ancestors.
In biblical terminology this contract between God and Israel is often referred to as the Mosaic Covenant. The “if-then” statement in these verses reveals that it was conditional. Israel had to be obedient to God’s requirements in order to receive His blessings.
Israel Broke God’s Covenant – So the Penalties ‘Kicked-In’
As history shows, the people of Israel strayed from their promise on Mount Sinai. They failed to keep to the ways God had stipulated in the contract. As punishment, her people were sent into captivity by the ferocious Babylonians. And when Jesus came He wept for His people for He knew they were going to suffer and be dispersed amongst the nations. Let’s read some of the fine print in the contract. In Deuteronomy 28:1-16, we read:
Blessings for Obedience
1If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
3You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
8The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.11The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
12The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
Curses for Disobedience
15However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
The Contract Renewed
As discussed, Israel failed and broke the contract, and so in the New Testament era the contract was offered to Gentiles – namely the church. Today the church has the opportunity to receive the blessings of the contract (God’s blessings). All she has to do is keep her side of the contract by being God’s witness to the nations. She has to preach the good news (the Gospel). That said, in these end times, a remnant of Israel is once more fulfilling her mission, together with the contracted Gentiles.
Today we see the return of the Jews back to their God-given homeland (Canaan). We see the establishment of the State of Israel. We see a nation turning to the statutes God laid down under Moses. We see the majority of the nation now following God’s Holy Feasts and keeping the Jewish Sabbath. As a result, the nation of Israel is once more being blessed in the country (abundant agriculture), blessed in the city (technological innovation) and blessed in the sea (discovery of large natural resources). We also see God’s amazing protection (as in the 6-day war), and God building a numerous people as in the birth of numerous sons and daughters.
NEXT
The Abrahamic Covenant: All Nations will be Blessed
The book of Genesis says that God made a great promise to Abraham (the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant): “through you I will bless all the nations”. That is why his descendants, the Israelites, are blessed. Today, Israel has been restored as a nation and is blessed with progress, protection, resources and intelligence. And despite many attempts over nearly 3,000 years to exterminate the Jews, a remnant has always survived. In fact, the number of Jews in Israel today has increased by over 7,000 percent in just 100 years!
Testing Abraham’s Faith
In Genesis 22:1-18 we read how God tested Abraham. Let’s read the incredible test that earned Abraham an incredible reward for his descendants. God said to him:
“Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord Will Provide’. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
Abraham’s Reward
As the scriptures say, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith”. So God could use Abraham for the future and He rewarded him through several unconditional promises. First, through Abraham’s descendants came the offer to all men of reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. That stands today. Secondly, God said that He would make the descendants of Abraham into a great nation which would be God’s servant and witness in the world. Today we see God fulfilling this promise as God’s people return to their promised land. The people of Israel are once more becoming God’s witness to the nations.
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The Fall of Man – Paradise was Lost
PARADISE (EDEN) WAS LOST, BUT THE APOSTLE JOHN WROTE THAT IT WILL BE RESTORED IN THE FUTURE.
In the Creation account of Genesis, we read about a paradise-like garden called Eden, where two important trees were planted by God: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. These trees seem to have been deliberately planted to test how humans would use their free will. As the story recounts, the first humans failed the test and were driven away from Paradise.
Let’s read about the creation of mankind:
Genesis 2.8-15
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The Redemption of Man – Paradise Restored
Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was supposed to make them die. They didn’t die immediately, but they did die of old age, like all mortals. It seems that mortality was the consequence of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Mortality was the consequence of the wrong free will choice. What if they hadn’t eaten the forbidden fruit and simply obeyed the rules God imposed in Eden? Would they have been given the gift of immortality as a reward? Would they have continued to live and not die? It seems that, given free choice (free will), mankind made the wrong choice.
We can dismiss the Genesis account as myth, and many do. At the outset it seems unfair on the rest of mankind. But it does explain everyday experience. It explains how man’s free will (choice) can be destructive, or constructive. It explains the chosen paths of Hitler and Wilberforce for example; one man destroyed humanity whilst the other helped humanity. In a fallen world who can deny that man can do either?
The Genesis account also gives hope for mortal man. The Bible says the whole of creation, including mankind, will return to a state of paradise in the future. The Apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that Eden will be restored and populated by all who believe in Jesus.
Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
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The Gentile nations will honour Israel
The millennial age is one of firm government from Christ, but also one of universal peace. Corrupt world governments will have been crushed and Christ’s Kingdom will embrace the whole earth (Dan 2.35). The Gentile nations at last acknowledge Jerusalem (Zion) as “the Holy City” (Isa 52.1):
“The Gentiles will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn … the sons of foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you … the sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa 60.3,10,14)
Millennial Jerusalem will also be called “the LORD is there” (Ezek 48.35) and nations will go up from year to year to worship the LORD (Zech 14.16). In fact, they will especially honor the Jew:
“In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (Zech 8.23)
Future Geological Changes around Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives will split into two
When Christ returns the geology of the area will be totally changed and the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem splits into two (enlarge image). It splits east-west with half the mountain moving north and half moving south, generating “a very large valley … reaching to Azal” (Zech 14.4,5). Azal may be several km south of the present-day Mount of Olives, link. It is well known that there is a geological fault line running east-west through the Mount of Olives and just south of Jerusalem, link. Could it be that present-day Jerusalem is moved north to sit high above this valley? Ezekiel 40.2 and Zech 14.10 suggest that the millennial Jerusalem is elevated above a plain.
Ezekiel 45 and 48 provide amazing detail of a (probably new) temple – the LORDS’s sanctuary – located just north of the city area (see map). Note that healing waters flow east from the temple down into the valley to enter the northern end of the Dead sea, resulting in the restoration of fishing (Ezek 47.1-10).
When is “the end of the World”?
Jesus talked about world events at the “end of the age” in Mat 24.3. Here ‘age’ is translated from the Greek ‘aión’, meaning ‘an age’ or ‘a cycle of time’ (not ‘world’ as sometimes translated). So here Jesus was referring to a time dispensation rather than to the literal end of the world. Study of prophecy strongly implies that the ‘end of the age’ and ‘the end of the world’ are separated by 1,000 years.
It appears that we currently nearing the end of approximately 6,000 years of human government and the start of 1,000 years of peace on the earth – the Millennial Age when Christ rules the earth (Zech 14.9). After this comes the literal ‘end of the world’ – the physical destruction of the present earth through intense heat (2 Pet 3.7,10). It is interesting that NASA scientists predict that, eventually, the sun will expand to become a red giant and burn up the solar system, including earth, link.
Despite the intervention of the God of Israel to protect her, two end-time wars against Israel must surely take their toll? And (perhaps between these wars) Israel also goes through a time of distress or ‘tribulation’ referred to in Dan 12.1 and Mat 24.15-25. This is the severe persecution of Israel under the final world government and world ruler, link – the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’ (Jer 30.7). But throughout Israel’s history, despite 3,000 years of persecution, God always leaves a remnant of Israel as His witness. So during the last days a remnant is preserved, albeit through a time of refining and affliction:
“See, I have refined you … I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa 48.10) “I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly and will by no means leave you unpunished” (Jer 30.11)
So how many survive these onslaughts on Israel?
“One third shall be left … I will bring the one-third through the fire … (and) they will call upon My name … (and) I will say, ‘This is My people'” (Zech 13.8,9)
So it is this one-third remnant of Israel that survives these times and comes through, refined as silver and tested as gold, to be God’s worthy servant in the millennial reign of Christ, link.
Why Boycott Israel?
Boycotts are social protests with the aim of changing Israeli government policy through economic damage. For instance, the global BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) aims to create economic and political pressure on Israel concerning (so-called) land occupation and Palestinian rights. Divestment is where investors refrain from investing in Israeli companies or in companies that trade with Israel, and consumers boycott Israeli products, especially products from Israeli settlements in so-called “Occupied Palestinian Territory”. But International law firmly states that Israel is not in ‘occupation’, link.
Are boycotts effective anyway? Maybe not. Israel is still prospering, with the highest average living standards in the Middle East, the highest density of high-tech start-up companies in the world (high-tech exports c$19bn a year) and a lower Government debt to GDP than the USA or the UK.
So is there a deeper reason for the boycotts? Probably. It is claimed that the BDS campaign has a much wider objective; namely, the elimination of the Jewish State and should be stopped, link. But those who boycott Israel should heed the biblical warning:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12.3)
Israel’s Blessing
Before Moses died he blessed the tribes of Israel and some of these blessings involved blessing of the sea and the land. Joseph was to be blessed with ‘precious things from the deep (Heb ‘tehom’: sea, abyss) lying beneath’ (Deut 33.13), Asher was to ‘dip his foot in oil’ (Deut 34.24) and Zebulun and Issachar were to find ‘treasures hidden in the sand’ (Deut 33.19).
Israel may be seeing these blessings today (enlarge map). In 2014, Israel’s proved reserves of natural gas were 10.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), and it is estimated that Israel may discover up to 200 Tcf. Also, Israel has one of the world’s largest deposits of shale oil, with a potential of some 250 billion barrels in the Shfela basin. Recent drilling has found thick oil strata in the Southern Golan Heights north-east of the Sea of Galilee. The Dead Sea contains some 45,000 million tons of salts rich in minerals which are exploited by Israel’s mining sector. And the Negev desert has an almost unlimited underground supply of brackish water, which is being exploited for agricultural irrigation. More …
Image: Known oil and gas fields in the Levant Basin. Oil and gas fields in grey. [US Energy Information Administration, Wikimedia Commons]
Israel’s current borders are hotly contested as governments insist on ignoring the true legal position. Israel’s eastern border is of particular concern since it involves the West Bank. Thankfully, according to Bible prophecy, such disputes will be short-lived as this age rapidly comes to a close. In the succeeding Millennial Age on earth, Israel’s borders will be firmly established by the God of Israel. In fact, these future borders are almost identical to the borders of ancient Israel given to Moses in Num 34.1-12 as he was about to divide up Canaan for the twelve tribes (enlarge map). Ancient Israel’s eastern border ‘went down along the Jordan, ending at the Salt Sea’ (Num 34.12).
Israel’s future borders are clearly defined in Ezek 47.13-20, and again the eastern boundary runs along the Jordan (v18). The borders also include Gaza, significant parts of present-day Syria and probably all of Lebanon. Are the politicians listening?
The Land of Israel is Promised to God’s People
The 1922 League of Nations sub-division. Image: Eli E. Hertz
Some 80% of today’s Jews in Israel follow the Jewish scriptures in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) in some way, ranging from fundamentalism to loose Jewish practice. In Genesis they read God’s promise to Jacob, grandson of Abraham:
“The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you” (Gen 35.12)
Note that God’s unconditional land covenant with Abraham passed to Isaac (and then to Jacob) rather than to Ishmael and the Arab nations (Gen 17.19). This is the fundamental reason why religious Jews claim that the Land of Canaan (modern Israel) is their land, covenanted to them by God.
Israel’s Divine Protection
It is quite remarkable how Israel has survived attacks from overwhelming invading armies. Certainly, the evidence to date is that each time Arab nations attack Israel, they are defeated and their end-state seems worse than their first. By the end of the 1949 War of Independence the fledgling Israeli forces had defeated five invading Arab armies. In 1967 the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon (and later Iraq) attacked Israel, but were defeated in just six days despite the huge Arab superiority in armour, aircraft and troops. In October 1973 Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel (the Yom Kippur War) but were eventually defeated. As to the future, at the end of the age all nations will gather against Israel in an attempt to destroy her – but again God intervenes. Israel’s enemies should take note of God’s promises to Israel:
“Whoever assails you will fall because of you … no weapon that is formed against you will prosper” (Isa 54.15,17)
“I will be a wall of fire around her … he who touches you, touches the apple of (the Lord’s) eye” (Zech 2.5,8).
The Hebrew term ‘Aliyah’ describes the relatively recent massive influx of Jews to their ancestral land, Israel. They are coming from all over the world, from wherever they have been scattered amongst the nations. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews in Palestine (modern Israel) but this increased to over 6 million Jews by 2015, corresponding to an amazing 7400% increase! The picture shows the arrival of Jewish immigrants to Israel in 2007.
This mass migration is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy – that towards the end of this age and just before Christ returns, God will call the children of Israel out of the nations and once more put them in their own land:
Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone … and bring them into their own land (Ezek 37.21)
Life in the Millennial Age
Prophecy paints a picture of a world at peace (no war) with Jerusalem (Zion) as the focal point since Christ dwells there. Of His sanctuary near Jerusalem the LORD says:
“This is the place of My feet, where I shall dwell in the midst of the children of Israel” (Ezek 43.7)
Millennial life around Jerusalem is described in some detail. Nations will willingly go up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD and listen to His teaching (Mic 4.2 Isa 66.23). It also appears that some of the Hebrew festivals are reinstated, as in the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14.16). Man will still have his daily work but there is some indication that the bias of work will be towards husbandry (farming) and hunting (fishing) rather than industrial manufacturing (Ezek 47.10 Isa 60.5, 65.21 Amos 9.13,14). People will be born and will die in the Millennial earth, just as in the present age. Man’s life span may well extend to at least 100 years (Isa 65.20,22) but physical death inevitably follows. Death is the last enemy and is not destroyed until the close of the Millennium. More …
Israel in the Millennial Age
The Millennial Age on earth provides a forum for the completion of God’s unconditional covenants with Israel – the Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestinian and New Covenants. Specifically, during the millennium, Israel will come a great nation, Christ will establish His kingdom and sit on David’s throne, the tribes of Israel will have been fully restored to the land promised to Abraham, and God will write His Law on the hearts of both Jew and Gentile. After some 2,500 years of dispersion amongst the nations, Israel will again take on her intended role in the world:
“You are My witnesses” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen” (Isa 43.10)
So the restoration of Israel will be a sign or witness to the nations that the God of Israel, the God of the Bible, the only true God, loves mankind. In fact, during the Millennial Age God actually comes to dwell with Israel and the nations through Jesus the Messiah at Jerusalem:
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst … Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people” (Zech 2.10-11)
The seven-branched lampstand (Israel’s Menorah) well-summarizes the purpose of Israel both now and in the Millennium. The center branch represents Divine light (understanding) from God and the six branches represent human efforts to spread this light to the Gentiles (Isa 42.6).
God Intervenes in World Affairs
Future wars against Israel will be different from previous wars. Whilst some claim that the 6-Day war in June 1967 was miraculous in that Israel overcame huge superiority in armour, aircraft and troops, future wars will certainly be unique. These wars will directly glorify the God of Israel as He openly defeats the attacking forces. After the (largely Islamic) Gog-Magog war we read:
“I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgement which I have executed” (Ezek 39.21)
And during the final war against Israel prophecy says that God will again clearly intervene to protect His people:
“Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle” (Zech 14.3)
This battle concludes with the Second Coming of Christ to reign as King over all the earth (Zech 14.9), the last form of human government (probably centered on the EU) having been taken away like ‘chaff in the wind’ (Dan 2.34,35). God indeed intervenes in world affairs!
Israel – God’s Witness in this Age and in the Next
A primary reason for the existence of Israel is that she is God’s “witness and servant” in the world (Isa 43.10). This has been true in history and is true for the future. At the very end of this age 144,000 are drawn from twelve tribes of Israel and sealed for their protection (Rev 7.3,4). As God’s witnesses and servants they are to ‘turn many to righteousness’ (Dan 12.3) in very troubled times as nations crumble (Lk 21.25, Dan 2.34,35) and God’s judgments on the earth begin. The result of their witness is a great turning to God from all the nations (Rev 7.9,10)
The remnant of Israel who enter the millennial age with Christ continue this witness and servant hood, and some are sent to the nations to declare God’s glory (Isa 66.19). At last, the Gentile nations acknowledge and value the unique role of the Jew:
“In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (Zech 8.23)
Still others become priests and keep charge of the (new) Jewish temple in Jerusalem (Isa 66.21, Exod 44.15).
The Fate of the Attacking Nations
Prophecy indicates that there will be several major wars against Israel in the near future, just before Christ returns to rule the earth as King (Zech 14.9). The so-called Gog-Magog war in Ezek 38-39 results in the attackers being defeated by the intervention of the God of Israel, rather than by the armies of Israel (Ezek 39.3). This is in the form of extreme weather – extreme rain, hail and snow – and also by fire and brimstone similar to that which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezek 38.22)(Job 38.22,23). They fall on the open fields and mountains (Heb ‘har’ – hill country) of Israel and fail to reach Jerusalem (Ezek 38.19). The Golan Heights must be involved.
There will be an ‘all-nation’ invasion of Israel at the very end of the age, with Jerusalem the objective (Zech 14.2). This man-God war could involve neutron bombs since these vaporize flesh at close range. Such a fate of the invaders is suggested in Zech 14.12. The attackers may also be destroyed by nuclear devices since Malachi 4 refers to a time of fierce heat when invaders are burnt to ashes.
Major war against Israel is Imminent
Bible prophecy describes how the increasing political bias of western nations, and the increasing aggression of Arab-Muslim nations finally leads to another major war against Israel. In fact, since prophecy is not precise, some see several major Middle East wars just before the close of this age and the Second Coming of Christ.
A future invasion of northern Israel is strongly indicated in Ezek 38 and Ezek 39. The countries involved appear to be mainly the Islamic nations surrounding Israel, possibly led by Iran and Russia. The invasion could be imminent given the present Russian-Iranian alliance and Iran’s declared hatred of Israel. At the very end of this age prophecy indicates that all nations (Gentile and Islamic) will attempt a final invasion of Israel:
“I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zech 14.2)
“I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone … though all nations of the earth are gathered against it” (Zech 12.3)
This latter war appears to be unique in that it is not primarily man against man, but man against God; it is commonly known as Armageddon (Rev 16.16, 19.19). Both invasions are defeated by the God of Israel. More …
The real reason for the aggression against Israel
The real reason for the aggression is spiritual, not political or even humanitarian. You may reject the concept of a spiritual world co-existing with the physical world, but it is a fact; Jesus Christ proved beyond doubt that the spiritual world exists. Israel is the central player in that spiritual world. She is God’s chosen witness in the world and it is through Israel that Christ came (He was of the tribe of Judah) to provide redemption for the world. He proved that too, by His resurrection from the dead. But the truth about this powerful spiritual world is blurred, corrupted and buried by spiritual forces of darkness:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6.12)
These forces blind the nations – the politicians, the media, the institutionalized church, the man in the street and the adherents of political Islam such that they “believe a lie” (2 Thes 2.10,11). In fact, the spiritual aggression shown to Israel (and to the true followers of Christ) will intensify towards the end of this age (Rev 12.13-17).
Israel’s Islamic Enemies
The problem is that Israel is now occupying land previously conquered by Islam. Muslims conquered The Levant (which embraces all of Israel and much more, link) in the 7th century and the land of Israel remained in Muslim hands (apart from the brief Crusader period) until liberated from the Muslim Turks by the British in 1917. According to Islamic ideology, once Islam conquers a territory it is to remain under Islamic dominion forever, and Islam is humiliated when such territories are lost to ‘infidels’, link. So Islam wants the Levant back!
As the 1988 Hamas Charter states, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it”. Today this extreme ideology is underscored by ISIL. The term means ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’, so the destruction of Israel and the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the land of Israel is the declared objective of militant Islam, link. The Levant objective falls under the general Islamic ideology of a world-wide caliphate, link.
Map copyright: By No machine-readable author provided. MapMaster assumed (based on copyright claims). [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], Wikimedia Commons
Israel and the Church
Fundamentalist Christians believe that modern Israel, and not the church, will be central in world affairs at the close of this age. They believe that prophecy shows that Israel will become (if not already) God’s main witness in the world. Sadly this is not generally true of the western institutionalized church, which usually holds to ‘replacement theology’ i.e. the church and not Israel is God’s main witness today, link. They believe that since God rejected Israel then the Christian church is now God’s chosen people, not the Jewish people. Put simply, today’s church is often blind to her Jewish roots. This view is of course incompatible with Christ’s teaching, namely, that the gospel (as spread by the church) should be first conveyed to God’s people, the house of Israel (Mat 10.6). God wants the church to call His people, wherever they are, back to Himself.
The result of such unbiblical teaching is that the institutionalized church takes the world’s view and essentially rejects modern-day Israel, and so pays little attention to end-time prophecy about Israel. This is spearheaded by the World Council of Churches (WCC) which has called on member churches (Anglican, Methodist …) to support an international boycott of Israeli settlement produce and services, link.
Israel and the UN
Without doubt there is an overall bias in the UN against Israel. Between 1955 and 2013 there were 77 UN resolutions against Israel, and just one against the Palestinians, link. In 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted 20 resolutions against Israel, but only 3 against the rest of the world [UN Watch]. How can Israel be so wrong?
Israel is often accused of being the aggressor in conflicts, whereas Israel claims she wages defensive war after provocation, link. Resolutions accuse Israel of settling in “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, and ignore Article 80 of the UN Charter which upholds the right of Jews to settle anywhere west of the Jordan! Other resolutions refer to the on-going Palestinian refugee problem, but many see this now as a political tool by Arab nations, link, link. But the UN is not all bad: in 2015 the UN began to address issues of concern to the Jewish community, particularly anti-Semitism.
Bias Against Israel
From the rise of Zionism to the present day, Israel has not been welcomed on the world scene. There is a majority bias against Israel from the UN, the media, NGOs, and the man in the street. Why? After all, Israel is just some 8 million people living on land the size of Wales! Here’s the real reason (although you probably won’t agree):
Politicians, the media, and many NGO’s are really just pawns in a spiritual battle between truth and error, between light and darkness, between Christ and His adversary Satan. Israel is a special nation chosen by God to be His witness in the world and to bring redemption to the world through Christ, link. Israel is ‘a light to the nations’ (Isa 49.6). Satan knows all this and end-time prophecy underscores the attempts by Satan to eliminate Israel:
“the dragon (Satan) … persecuted the woman (Israel) who gave birth to the male child (Christ)” (Rev 12.13)
This hatred was evident in the holocaust and subsequent wars against Israel, and culminates in all nations turning against Israel at Armageddon (Zech 14.2, Rev 16.16). But there is hope. More …
King David conquered Jerusalem in 1052 BC and today, in the Old City of Jerusalem (enlarge image), lies the rock (Mount Moriah) where Abraham offered up Isaac for sacrifice to God around 1800 BC (Gen 22.2). The deep significance of this to Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs makes Jerusalem one of the most contested pieces of real estate in the world. This is particularly true for orthodox Jews who believe that Jerusalem is center-stage of the land of Canaan promised to Abraham’s descendants, and for Christians who believe that Jesus was crucified and resurrected in the city, and will soon return to the Mount of Olives just east of the Old City.
Given these historic and certain future events, we can see that the various claims on Jerusalem are actually the outworking of a spiritual battle over Jerusalem, a battle between truth and error, between the God of Israel and spiritual forces of darkness. So, on the one hand we see the Vatican demanding control over Jerusalem’s religious sites, link, the UN stating that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and Palestine, and Palestinians claiming Jerusalem as their capital. On the other hand, orthodox Jews claim their historic and covenant right to the city. No wonder Jerusalem will be the location of the most epic battle of history! More …
Israel’s Leaders Speak Truth to the World
“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us” [Golda Meir, 1957]
“From my childhood, I have believed Jews and Arabs can live together, and I believe now they should live together. All the rights to this country, to the land of Israel – especially Judea and Samaria – are Jewish … but everyone who lives in the country should have all the rights of the country” [Ariel Sharon, April 1989]
“The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war” [Benjamin Netanyahu, 2006]
“We must constantly repeat that the root of the conflict is the very existence of the State of Israel” [Benjamin Netanyahu, 2012]
“The nuclear deal with Iran does not block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to the bomb” [Benjamin Netanyahu, August 2015]
The Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Problem
The is a solution, but prophecy indicates that it will not occur in this present age. The Bible instructs the people of Israel how they should treat foreigners (non-Jews). Old Testament Israel was commanded to love foreigners (Deut 10.19) and to let them live normal lives amongst them:
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong … (he) … shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself” (Lev 19.33,34)
This instruction is timeless and applies to Palestinian Arabs today. Unfortunately, as long as Arab countries refuse to recognize Israel and continue to attack her, such cohabitation would seem to be impossible. But Israel will be at peace with her neighbours in the Millennium!
There’s no Two-state Solution
Most of the western world aims for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. The UN has even resolved to raise the Palestinian flag at the UN headquarters after upgrading the Palestinians’ status to a “non-member observer State” – even though no such state exists! In reality there can be no lasting, workable two-state solution. Here’s why.
According to a recent Stanley Greenberg poll, only 34% of Palestinians accept two states for two peoples as the solution. Sixty-six percent said the Palestinians’ real goal should be to start with a two-state solution but then move to it all being one Palestinian state, link. This reflects the PA leadership position:
“We will never accept a Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital” [Mahmoud Abbas, May, 2011]
The problem here is that Israel has already declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, and this is compounded by the Palestinian leadership which does not even recognize the Jewish State:
“Palestine will not recognize Israel as Jewish state” [Abbas, 2014]
Add to this the Hamas objective of replacing the Jewish State with an Islamic caliphate, link, then the ‘two-state solution’ is clearly impossible!
The West Bank
The West Bank refers to an area bounded by the so-called ‘Green Line’ and the west bank of the River Jordan (SEE MAP). The Green line was an armistice line drawn up after the 1948-49 war under the auspices of the UN and it was intended to be temporary. So, through Arab aggression, Israel temporarily lost land mandated to her through the 1922 Mandate for Palestine, and this was only regained in the 1967 6-day war. The Green Line is not therefore Israel’s legal border, link, and all of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the original 1922 Mandate. That includes the West Bank.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords II, the West Bank was divided into three areas (A, B, and C) and within these areas the Palestinian and Israeli authorities have different levels of control. Area A is under full control of the Palestinian Authority, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and shared Palestinian and Israeli security control, and Area C (62% of the West Bank) is under full Israeli control. Some 350,000 Jewish settlers live in the relatively lightly populated Area C, link.
Who Backs Israel Today?
Israel’s strongest ally, the US, provides a diplomatic shield for her at the United Nations. This protects Israel’s desire to maintain the status quo and refrain from reaching an accommodation with the Palestinians. So the US can veto any UN resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian state. Traditionally, the UK government has had good relations with Israel, including good intelligence cooperation, and has been viewed as one of the world’s friendliest countries to Israel, link. In recent years, India has expressed the desire to “deepen and develop” ties with Israel, and some see India as “Israel’s best friend in South Asia”. There is also muted and occasional support from the UN and the EU, but this is usually outweighed by condemnation in other areas.
Currently, Israel has strong support from some western NGO’s like Freedom House. There are 21 governmental and intergovernmental entities (including the EU) that financially support Israeli NGOs, link, although some of these are politically biased and represent the interests of foreign governments, link.
Israel: A Middle East Democracy
In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has a western-style democracy. Whilst not perfect, this means that Israelis of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs, including Arab-Israelis, can actively participate in the election process, and all votes cast are equal in weight. Also, Israel is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. The principle of the generality of the elections ensures the active right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 18 years old, to vote and the right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 21 years old, to be elected. No voter ever votes for an actual person. Instead, every voter votes for a single party.
Israel is considered by third parties to be the only ‘free’ country in the region in that there is a climate of respect for civil liberties, freedom of expression, significant independent civic life, an independent media, and a military under civilian rule, link. More …
Israel’s Government
The Knesset, Jerusalem. Image: James Emery, Douglasville, USA [CC BY 2.0], Wikimedia
The Israeli government resides in Jerusalem. This is where Israel’s Parliament (the Knesset) stands and legislates and where the Prime Minister, the President and the Cabinet have their offices (enlarge image). The location is politically sensitive in that the international community regard Jerusalem as part of both Israel and Palestine, and even that Jerusalem is ‘not part of Israel’ [US Supreme Court, 2015].
Israel is governed by a western-style multiparty parliamentary system. The government is headed by the Prime Minister, who is elected in nationwide elections for a period of four years, and an elected President who has a largely apolitical ceremonial role.
The Knesset has legislative power and comprises 120 members who are also elected for a term of four years in nationwide elections. The electoral (voting) system is based on nation-wide proportional representation. This differs from the ‘first past the post’ system in the US and UK, and permits small parties to be elected.
Israel’s Climate Change
Rain in the Judean desert. Photo: Dror Feitelson Pikiwiki Israel [CC BY 2.5], Wikimedia.
Bible prophecy over end-time Israel speaks of great blessings on the land. This will be in terms of abundant agricultural produce – grains, fruit and wine (Ezek 36.29,30) and nations will remark that desolate land has become “like the garden of Eden” (Ezek 36.35). All this of course requires water. Over the past 100 years Israel has engineered a national water carrier system and desalination plants, and she drains water from large aquifers under the desert. But what of the climate? Has there been a change in rainfall?
The Jewish National Fund has planted over 250 million trees, which are known to be beneficial to the climate. But to date rainfall statistics show no long-term rainfall improvement since the 1970’s, link. For this reason, in 2014 the Chief Rabbinate of Israel urged the public to begin saying a special prayer daily to ask God to bless Israel with abundant rain (enlarge image). All over Israel, people now recite this prayer. Israel’s climate change is certain since her God is faithful to His promises. In the last days God promises Israel:
“I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing” (Ezek 34.26)
“He will cause the rain to come down for you … the former and the latter rain” (Joel 2.23)
Some 80% of Israel’s natural water is in the north and the National Water Carrier (NWC) system conveys water from Lake Galilee southwards. The NWC was started in 1959 and now comprises a system of giant pipes, open canals, tunnels, reservoirs and large scale pumping stations (enlarge image).
But with a rapidly growing population, Israel’s total annual renewable natural sources of fresh water are well below the UN definition of water poverty. So today Israel is meeting much of its water needs by purifying seawater from the Mediterranean and some 80% of domestic water in Israeli cities comes from desalinated water (the desalination facilities are connected to the NWC). Israel also reuses treated sewage, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers for agriculture. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Israel continues to supply agreed water amounts to Palestinian areas. In 2012, per capita water use was 150 MCM (million cubic meters) for Israelis and 140 MCM for Palestinians.
Israel’s Land Improvements
Arava agriculture. Image: Central and Northern Arava R&D
As Jews started returning to their homeland around the start of the 20th century, the need to combat desertification became one of national importance. New immigrants embarked upon an extensive program of afforestation, and since 1900 almost 250 million sub-tropical trees have been planted in all regions of Israel. Over half of Israel’s saline soil is arid or semi-arid and only 20% is arable. Even so, Israeli farmers have come a long way since the Zionist pioneers began clearing rock-strewn fields and draining the swampland. Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the country has almost tripled the territory used for farming and production has multiplied 16 times.
Israel is officially in ‘water poverty’, and so agriculture makes extensive use of treated sewage, computerized early-warning systems for leaks, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers. The Negev desert has large underground supplies of brackish water, which can be exploited using these advanced technologies, and it now produces more than 40% of the country’s vegetables and field crops. More …
Israel’s Legal Borders
According to the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, the Jews could settle anywhere between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, see map. The Mandate did not grant any national political rights to Arabs, but Article 2 did safeguard the civil and religious rights of all inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race or religion. In 1946 the Mandate was transferred over to the UN, and Article 80 of the UN Charter implicitly recognizes the ‘Mandate for Palestine’ of the League of Nations. Moreover, as a direct result of Article 80, the UN cannot transfer these rights over any part of Palestine (vested as they are in the Jewish People) to any non-Jewish entity, such as the Palestinian Authority.
The Mandate is therefore the last legally binding document regarding the West Bank and Gaza, and so Jewish settlements in these areas are fully protected by Article 80. Sadly, this legal fact is often ignored by the UN. More …
Land Boundaries of Ancient Israel
The descendants of Jacob (Israel) were the twelve tribes of Israel and they settled in the Promised Land of Canaan (enlarge map). In today’s terms, they settled mainly in the area currently claimed by Israel, including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, although the tribes of Benjamin, Gad, Reuben and part of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan. This settlement aligned with the boundaries God gave Israel at the time:
“I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates (Exod 23.31)
Few would doubt that Jews have for centuries been substantially over-represented in many fields of learning and accomplishment, notably of course is Albert Einstein. The proportion of Jews with IQ’s of 140 or more is estimated to be about six times the proportion of any other ethnic group. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world, and she has the highest density of start-up companies in the world. Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 850 individuals worldwide, of whom some 23% were Jews or people of strong Jewish ancestry. This is an amazing achievement bearing in mind that Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world’s population! Jews have won a total of 41% of all the Nobel Prizes in economics, 28% of medicine, 26% of physics and 19% of chemistry.
Why such Jewish genius? It is probably a blessing from God since they are His chosen people. Recall that when Israel obeys her God then she is specially blessed:
“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country” (Deut 28.3)
Future of the Israeli People
This is both dramatic and traumatic, but ends in glory and victory. Prophecy states that regathered Israel will go through a time of ‘great tribulation’ and distress as the world system persecutes Israel. Jesus said that ‘unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved’ (Mat 24.22). Whilst involving the whole world, it is essentially a time of suffering for those Jews who have returned to the Promised Land. The OT refers to this time as ‘Jacob’s distress’:
“Alas, for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved from it” (Jer 30.7)
Many Israeli’s suffer, but a remnant (one-third) survives (Zech 13.9). These are the one’s who are refined through suffering and go on into the Millennial world with Christ at His Second Coming. These are the Jews who are at last honoured by the nations and who glorify God and serve Him on the Millennial earth. More …
Demographics of Israel
In the early 20th century the land of Israel was a mix of many peoples representing some 50 languages and there was no common Arab identity. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews but this increased to over 6.2 million Jews in 2015. Today, out of thew 8.3 million people in Israel (2015) the demographic mix is: Jewish (75%), Arab (21%), Others, including Christian (4%). Out of the 6.2 million Jews in Israel (2015), the demographic is: Orthodox (20%), traditional (38%), secular (42%).
The Tribes of Israel
God made this unconditional promise to Abram (Abraham):
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you … I will give to you and your descendants … all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Gen 17.7,8)
So who are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? They are of course the twelve tribes descended from Jacob (whose name was changed by God to Israel). These tribes (enlarge image) are listed in Gen 49. They were Hebrew Israelites. Since these tribes will once more take up their role as a witness to the nations during the Millennium (Ezek 37, Ezek 40-48), it follows that they must be amongst those who are returning to the State of Israel today. Note that, whilst it is common to refer to Abraham’s descendants as ‘Jews’, this is not strictly accurate. Strictly speaking, today’s Jews (Hebrew, ‘Yehudim’) are those who follow Judaism and who are descendants from the kingdom of Judah.
When Jesus spoke of the appearance of new shoots on the fig tree signalling that summer is near, He was really saying that His return and the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom of God is near – even ‘at the doors’. In Luke 21 He said ‘look at the fig tree (Israel) and ‘all the trees’ (the Gentile nations) and so observe the signs of the times. He implied that Israel will be the vortex of the nations at the end of this age and the sign of His soon return.
Over the past 100 years the nation and people of Israel have come to prominence on the world scene. This simple fact points to the imminent return of Christ.
The Re-emergence of Israel
Around 922 BC the twelve tribes of Israel split into a southern kingdom (called ‘The House of Judah’, embracing Judea and Jerusalem) and a northern kingdom comprising ten tribes and called ‘The House of Israel’, or simply ‘Israel’. History shows that both houses rebelled against God, and despite warnings from the prophets, both houses were eventually removed from their Promised Land. The house of Israel and the house of Judah had broken God’s covenant (Jer 11.10), and by the first century all twelve tribes were scattered amongst the nations (Ja 1.1).
But God has compassion on His people (Deut 30.3-5) and promised that He would bring them back from the nations and place them back in their own land:
And (the Lord) will lift up a standard for the nations, and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isa 11.12)
I will take the children of Israel from among the nations … and bring them into their own land (Ezek 37.21)
Importantly, it is this return of God’s people that will eventually bring the nations to know God (Ezek 36.23). When was this to happen? Israel was to return and seek God after the gospel had been spread to the Gentile nations (Rom 11.25). The twentieth century saw both the evangelization of the nations and God’s chosen people returning to Israel.
The Purpose of Israel
This question is only meaningful in a spiritual (rather than secular) context. According to the Bible, Israel is indeed a special nation, chosen by God to bless mankind and to make a name for Himself. To Abram (Abraham) God promised:
“I will make you a great nation … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12.2,3)
And King David exclaimed:
“And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went … to make a name for Himself” (2 Sam 7.23)
History confirms the reality of such statements. Israel led to the Messiah, Jesus, and prophecy indicates that the land and people of Israel will be used to glorify God in the sight of the nations at the end of the age and in the age to come.
The Origin of Israel
Under God’s call, Abram (later called Abraham) migrated from the city of Ur sometime between 1900 and 1750 BC to God’s appointed land, Canaan (today’s Israel). Abraham’s wife Sarah bore him a son, Isaac, and Isaac’s wife Rebecca bore Jacob. History shows that God had a special task for Jacob and his descendants and He later changed Jacob’s name to ‘Israel’ (Gen 32.28). The etymology of the name Israel is not clear, although Gen 32.28 implies that Jacob and his descendants would struggle but prevail. The history of Israel confirms this thought; Jacob’s descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel (the Hebrew Israelites) have suffered but prevailed for 3,000 years.
The descendants of Abraham formed a nation (Israel) around 1300 BC after their Exodus from Egypt to Canaan under the leadership of Moses, and in 1004 BC King David established Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
NO! In the light of Israeli anti-discrimination law and Israel’s right to self-determination as a Jewish State, the accusation of ‘racist’ against Israel is unjustified. All Israeli citizens are granted full civil and voting rights. And just as a Palestinian state would maintain a demographic balance in favour of Palestinians, so the Jewish state of Israel maintains a demographic balance in favour of Jews by controlling immigration.
There is a legal distinction between defensive wars and wars of aggression. The facts show that Israel’s role in Arab-Israeli conflicts has always been defensive in response to Arab aggression. In response to major Arab attacks (1948-49, 1967, 1973), or incessant rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel has exercised her right of self-defense under UN Charter Article 51.
NO! Whilst western nations led by the US and the UN favour the two-state approach, it is NOT the solution favored by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or the Palestinian people! They aim for a single state – a Palestinian state.
NO: The terms ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Zion’ do not even appear in the Qur’an, and Mohammad never visited Jerusalem in person. Muslims see Mecca as the holiest place in the Islamic world, and so turn their back on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem when praying
NO! All of Jerusalem was mandated to be part of the Jewish homeland under the 1922 League of Nations ‘Mandate for Palestine’ and so Israel’s sovereignty over all of Jerusalem is well-founded. Jerusalem was first divided through the 1948-49 Arab invasion of Israel, but at no time was East Jerusalem under legal ownership by an Arab entity. In any event, the division (the ‘green line’) was intended to be temporary.
Evidence from the Tanach (the Hebrew Bible), the New Testament, historians like Josephus, and archaeology all testify to the existence of a huge, impressive Temple in Jerusalem
YES: THE CLAIM IS LEGAL ON TWO ACCOUNTS
According to international law, Israel has a well-founded claim to sovereignty over Jerusalem, including its Old City. Also in international law, it is a sovereign state’s right to determine its own capital, and Israel proclaimed Jerusalem to be her capital shortly after the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948.
NO: The Palestinian refugee problem was created by a sudden invasion of five Arab armies in response to the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948. Arab governments rejected Israel’s offer to repatriate 100,000 Arab refugees, and the offer of UN money for the refugees.
Israel is abiding by the 1995 Oslo II Accord and supplying agreed water quantities. It is up to the Palestinians to maintain water networks, utilize wastewater, improve existing supplies and drill new wells. Instead, water is often used as a political weapon, and so authorized wells are not dug and leaks are not repaired.
THEY ASSUME THERE IS A ‘PALESTINIAN LAND’
According to international law, Israel is NOT occupying Palestinian land since the West Bank and Gaza Strip were not under any sovereignty prior to the Six Day War. All of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the 1922 British Mandate for Palestine and Article 80 of the UN Charter.
THE FALLACY
There never was “a Palestinian people” or “a Palestinian Arab nation”. League of Nations documents of the 1920’s refer to the local Arab population as ‘existing non-Jewish communities’. Palestinian nationalism only emerged in the mid-twentieth century, partly in response to the emergence of Zionism.
YES! Archaeology and historical documents show that Jews have lived in Israel for over 3000 years! For example, they verify God’s plan for the Jewish Temple, the existence of King David, and the existence of Jewish synagogues in the Holy Land up to the Muslim conquest in 638 AD.
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In the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 2) God planted many beautiful trees to provide food for man. In the middle of the garden were two special trees. One was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The other was the tree of life. 
By this He meant eternal life – eternal existence with the loving Creator God. The Bible teaches that, today, when a believer in Christ dies, their soul and spirit go to be with Christ in Paradise, 
