The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his094/isue25.arj/ISUE25.TXT

Text File | 1990-12-11 | 5.3 KB | 106 lines

                   Should Believers Support Israel?
                                  by
                          Michael Schiffman

.    There is a great deal of talk these days in political circles as
well as in religious circles regarding the State of Israel.  As the
Palestinians wage loud protest against the Jewish state, people are
beginning to raise serious questions about the Israeli's possession of
the West Bank and the Gaza strip.  They claim Israel is acting
wrongly.

.    There are several issues at stake here.  First, regarding
Israel's right to the occupied territories, It should be pointed out
that these lands were never part of a Palestinian state.  They were
lands controlled by Jordan and Egypt prior to the 1967 war.  Why in
that time did not these Arab states declare a Palestinian state?  They
could have done so freely.  Not until Israel controlled these lands
did there cone the outcry for a free Palestinian state.

.    Secondly, these lands were part of the historic Judea and
Samaria, the Biblical Land of Israel.  In peace negotiations with
Egypt, Israel returned the Sinai peninsula because it was never part
of the historical Land of Israel.

.    Thirdly, these lands were won in a war that was not started by
Israel, but by her Arab neighbors.  The territories taken provide
safe, defensible borders.  Israel has a right to this land.

.    Politically, people have questioned America's support for Israel.
Israel has been, and has remained America's best friend in the world
today.  Israel's defense is strategic to a stable middle east.  Were
it not for the Israeli army, nothing would stop the soviets from
taking advantage of the middle east as they have in other parts of the
world.  The Israeli military presence contributes to the  peace of the
region, which in turn contributes to our security.

.    Politics is one thing, but a spiritual consideration of Israel is
something else.  How should believers view the modern State of Israel,
and who should we support in the Israeli-Arab conflict?   Israel is a
secular state.

     It is this secularity that provides for the tolerance
of Christianity and Islam as well as Judaism in Israel.  In Moslem
countries this is oftentimes not the case.  Iran furnishes a perfect
example of a non-secular state.  It is good that Israel is a secular
state.  Israel's detractors reason that because the State of Israel is
secular, it's existence can not be the work of God in fulfillment of
prophecy.  They say that if God were behind Israel, it would not be
secular.

     The fact is, God did say in prophecy that He would restore
the Jewish people to the Land, which they themselves would govern,
which has indeed happened.  In Ezekiel 37, the prophecy of the dry
bones is a metaphor of the restoration of Israel.  Chronologically,
the bones came together, tendons formed, and flesh appeared, but there
was no breath in them (vs.8).  It was only later that breath entered
them.

     In the spirit of this metaphor, breath can be understood as
Spiritual life.  Israel returns in unbelief, and only later believes.
This fits well with Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11.  The secularity of
Israel should pose no problem to her status as the work of God.

.    People have argued that because Israel is secular, it's
government does not deserve our support as believers.  America too is
secular.

     All our officials are not perfect.  We pray for our leaders
because Romans 13:1 tells us that "there is no authority except that
which God has established."  We support America even if we disagree
with the leadership.  And we pray for the leadership.  It is no
different with Israel.  We may not agree with every government policy
and action, but we should still support Israel because God is behind
it.

     If the American authorities are established by God, so are the
Israeli.  Israel should be supported by believers, not because they
like the prime minister, but because it is the work of God in
fulfillment of His Word.  As He has been faithful to Israel, so is He
faithful in all His promises to believers.  Israel's blessings are the
believer's encouragement.

.    Others have pointed to the plight of the Palestinians in refugee
camps as reason to support the Palestinians and oppose Israel.  Just
because a group is "third world" does not mean they are right.

The Palestinians are not a victimized peace-loving people.  These people
have bombed children's day care centers, nursing homes, school busses,
and market places in Israel.  They do not recognize Israel's right to
exist.  How can Israel treat them any differently?  This land was not
Palestinian in the first place.  It was under the British from 1917 to
1948.

    Prior to 1917, it was under the control of the Ottoman Turks
for 500 years.  There was no pre-existing Palestinian state.  If they
would recognize Israel's right to exist, and not seek the complete
destruction of the State of Israel, there would be peace.  Israel has
done what they have had to do to keep peace.  Believers who disagree
with Israel's policies should still recognize God's hand on Israel,
and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the coming King of
Israel, the Messiah Yeshua, who will rule the world from Jerusalem and
preside over 1000 years of peace.

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