Chapter 52: Israel – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
I offer this as one of the chapters of my book that I did not plan on writing, but in the light of the Hamas attack on Israel 7th October 2023 and with the eyes of the whole world now turned onto Israel, ranging from very pro- to very anti-, along with Israel’s significance both relating to this book and end times prophecy, it was a ‘no brainer’ for me to want to write something. Israel goes right to the heart of the subject of this book that is mainly about Jewish priests of the Bible and, even though I am revisiting some of what I wrote originally, I am doing so in the light of new knowledge and fresh insights. I want to share what I am finding, notwithstanding there are those with a greater knowledge than I possess and with greater intellect and understanding of the ways of the Almighty etc., including some who possess that all important Jewish perspective that I lack, and may see some things differently to me.
My approach was to write soon after those attacks and return to the subject later since I knew there would be plenty of “fall out”, notwithstanding after going to print there will almost certainly be a lot more by way of developments! Moreover, the theological considerations around Israel are huge and Christians, even those of the mostly doctrinally sound ilk, are far from agreed. While I would rather not enter the fray (and, besides, what are my credentials anyway?) I feel I needed to do so and that meant doing a lot more research and reflection. Hopefully, if readers do not agree with all that I come up with in this chapter, we can still agree to disagree and take this as at least food for thought on some complex issues, while at the same time recognising that only the God of Israel has all the answers.
I hope readers will therefore bear with me for sharing my thoughts on what is a profound and controversial subject and, from my reading of church history alone, I have found it is one that Christian leaders have long pondered and disagreed on. There is much we don’t know (which is why I needed time to reflect and research further) but this is my stake in the ground, mindful as I am that there will be those, even in my own theological stable, who will not agree with all that I am about to say.
I should begin with the caveat that there is much I have not fully made up my mind on, as much due to not being in possession of all the facts and these pertain to subjects where those who purport or appear to know what they are talking about often have opposing views and take polarised positions. Since we are talking about what is tantamount to war, the old maxim applies that truth is the first casualty of war. I have reflected elsewhere that we are not helped when media, politicians, and societal elites lie, including withholding the essential truth we need to come to a fully rounded view.
One of these subjects is as a big as any biggie – what to make out of events related to Israel today? But before I get going on Israel, which is also a major topic that is more than touched on in my book, I would point out the Priests of the Bible were also Priests of Israel according to the Covenant God made with Abraham and then the one with Moses at Mount Sinai relating to the Aaronic priesthood, which Priests of Bible considers at length. (I will further consider, at the end of this chapter, the Covenants of the Bible, including the Sinai and Davidic Covenants and especially the Abrahamic Covenant, noting both their relevance and that this too is a subject where Bible believing Christians hold different views.)
I want to reiterate that the Bible is firstly a Jewish book that is best read through a Jewish lens and with a Jewish mindset. Accepting this will have a bearing on any discussion. But first, I want to lay out a number of subjects that have given rise to controversy, particularly among earnest Christians. While most Christians I have come across do not take one or other extreme position, and such is the ignorance that is sadly all too apparent, many do not even have a view other than that which might have been told to them by their ministers, but I would like to suggest where one stands on these subjects will have a bearing on our views on Israel, and what is, will be and should be happening.
These are the subjects I have in mind. Not a definitive list to be sure but it is one that covers many subjects that I see as important and where Christians have different views, and this impacts not just on how one views Israel but also happenings in the world and church. What I want to do is define all the terms I use. I often defer to Wikipedia, despite not being a source I would normally go to for deeper theological understanding. I will also share what I find and say why I believe as I do. Besides studying the Bible on these matters, I have read what Christian scholars with different (sometimes opposing) ideas have had to say and now is the time to set out my thoughts, yet without claiming any special authority. When it comes to taking views, we may see things in terms of shades of grey rather than black and white, so defining what is meant when it comes to the use of terminology is important and often it is not the case that if you don’t believe one thing you inevitably have to believe the opposite.
- Preterism versus Futurism.
- Cessationism versus Continuationism.
- Supersessionism versus Dispensationalism.
- Calvinism versus Arminianism.
- Anti-Zionist and Anti-Semitism.
- Reformed and not Reformed.
- A-, Post- or Pre-Millennialism.
- Israel and Palestine.
- Evangelical, Liberal and Catholic.
- Tackling (or not) “social injustice”.
1. Preterism versus Futurism
When it comes to Bible prophecy, there are some that hold the view that almost all Bible prophecy was fulfilled in Bible times and, if not the case, those prophecies where there has been no literal fulfilment should not be taken literally. This is the Preterist view point. The Futurist, however, and my study of the Bible leads me to taking this position, will identify many (500 or more) not yet fully fulfilled prophecies and given that the other, about 2,000, prophecies have already been fulfilled to the letter, we can expect the same for what remains, although often prophecy, e.g. the Abomination of Desolation, touched on by Daniel, Jesus in His Olivet discourse and Paul when talking about the Antichrist that is yet to come, and that concerning Immanuel, mentioned in Isaiah 7:14, can be fulfilled partly sooner and completely later. There are a number of other examples that could also be given.
Often the crunch question is whether to interpret future events as physical or spiritual happenings. One of the consequences of taking the position we do concerns how we view what is happening to Israel today, e.g., becoming an autonomous nation with Jews living in their historic homeland and concerning a wonderful future that is in prospect for them under their Messiah.
2. Cessationism versus Continuationism
Cessationists believe the gifts of the Spirit (notably the sign gifts, e.g., speaking in tongues and prophecy) are not for today and these died out, and were effectively made redundant, when the canon of scripture was complete. Continuationists dispute this, believing that the gifts are for now. I am a continuationist as I find nothing in the Bible to support the cessationist position and much to back up the notion that these gifts are for today’s church (even if we don’t see them manifest) so they can bless others, but with a degree of scepticism, having seen too many instances of counterfeit gifts on display, which many of my “cessationist friends” are often all too quick to point out are a sham.
This is pertinent when those purporting to be prophets claim this or that concerning Israel, not directly found in the Bible. However, I believe we are all the poorer because much of the church, including the charismatics (who often focus on individuals and what is going on in their set-up rather than the bigger picture), have neglected the prophetic and have not tried to find what God is saying when it comes to what is going on and how we ought to respond. Always, we must test and weigh what is prophesied.
3. Supersessionism versus Dispensationalism
According to Wikipedia: “Supersessionism, also called replacement theology, is a Christian theological doctrine which describes the theological conviction that the Christian Church has superseded the nation of Israel assuming their role as God’s covenanted people, thus asserting that the New Covenant through Jesus Christ has superseded or replaced the Mosaic covenant exclusive to Jews” and that “Dispensationalism is a theological framework of interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or “dispensations” in which God acts with his chosen people in different ways … They believe that there is a distinction between Israel and the Church, and that Christians are not bound by Mosaic law. They maintain beliefs in premillennialism, a future restoration of national Israel, and a rapture of the Church that will happen before the Second Coming of Christ, generally seen as happening before a period of tribulation”.
My observation is that Replacement Theology has been the majority view in the church down the ages, and this began even before Augustine and, while Dispensationalism is often presented as being a more recent phenomenon, there have always been Christians who have believed there continues to be a special place for the nation of Israel in God’s plan, outside the Gentile dominated church, even though there have been differences in views concerning when the Rapture of the Church is to take place. While I have rejected Supersessionism, largely because of the many Old Testament scriptures that foretell a future for a literal Israel, who are the actual descendants of Abraham, yet I cannot be an ardent dispensationalist either, although their argument that we need to distinguish the Church’s heavenly calling from Israel’s earthly one shouldn’t be ignored, especially if seeing End Times prophecy through a Futurist lens. My reservations include: I am not convinced on the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, after which Israel is again at the fore, and then Jesus returns, and disagree that teachings on the Gospel of the Kingdom, found in Matthew’s gospel, are for Israel only but not for the Church, as well as several other scriptures being applicable to either Israel or the Church, but not to both. I should add that while I admire J.N.Darby, who has been referred to as the father of dispensationalism, for reasons other than his eschatology, I am not a fan of his disciple Schofield. I have consider a number of the references that are to be found in his popular Reference Bible are biblically unsound or suspect.
4. Calvinism versus Arminianism
My first “Google hit” when I typed in “Calvinism vs Arminianism” (reasonably) gave me “In Calvinism, God’s sovereignty is emphasized to the extent that God controls all events, including the election of individuals for salvation. In Arminianism, there’s a balance between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. God’s sovereign will works in harmony with human free will”. Taking sides on which is right has been a contentious factor throughout church history, giving rise to many debates. The strength of feeling on the subject along with taking a position was brought home to me when, shortly prior to writing this, three Christians in the knowledgeable and earnest category left my church, not due to personally falling out but they felt the position taken by the “Leadership” was too Calvinist.
While I see myself as a moderate Calvinist, e.g., holding the view of the “Eternal Security of Every Believer”, I believe preaching the Gospel to all and sundry must be a priority and that beliefs like divine predestination and human free-will when it comes to making a response should be held in tension and are something only God can altogether resolve, although I can see the validity of arguments from either side. When it comes to Israel, they are elect of God but individually they need to respond to God’s offer of salvation, made possible because of the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua Hamashiach.
5. Anti-Zionist and Anti-Semitism
According to Wikipedia: “Zionism is a nationalist movement that emerged in the 19th century to enable the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, a region roughly corresponding to the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition” and “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities”. The history of the Jews has thrown up many cases of Anti-Semitism, and we are seeing this today in the aftermath of the Hamas led attacks on Israel on 7/10 (which I will get to). Hatred of Jews, as with hatred of any ethnic group, is wrong and is something to be challenged and has been especially seen throughout history. Without wanting to be too pedantic, strictly speaking the Semites are the descendants of Shem, following the Great Flood, and include some of the Arab nations.
I reiterate, Anti-Zionism is not the same as Anti-Semitism, and such is today’s cancel culture that those that who criticise Israel often unfairly suffer for doing so (even if their views may be wrong) and are often labelled as Anti-semites, due to powerful forces pushing Zionist ideology and legitimising the oppression of non-Jews who get in the way of their plans, and these are often supported by well-meaning Christians who are sympathetic to the Zionist cause. I do not agree with many of the positions taken by Jeremy Corbyn, James Galloway, David Icke and Stephen Sizer, but all have suffered (wrongly imho) being cancelled for their “Anti-Semite” views that on closer examination are not Anti-Semite.
Also, my reading is Zionism is not Judaism and my suspicion is that some of the leading Zionists (where most quite frankly couldn’t care less about the God of Israel), that among other things have politicians in their paid pockets and control much of the mainstream media, are behind some of wickedness going on in the world, e.g., 9/11, where those who don’t go along with or seek to expose it are then accused by a powerful Zionist lobby as being Anti-Semite, with untoward consequences to follow. But always, as has been argued throughout this book, God has a special love for Israel and this includes today’s Jews who are presently deceived, having turned from Him, yet Jew hatred is always unacceptable.
6. Reformed and not Reformed
According to Wikipedia, “The Reformation was a major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and the authority of the Catholic Church … the Reformation marked the beginning of Protestantism”. Earlier, I wrote a chapter in this “Priests” book titled: “Jesus our Great High Priest”. This is significant because among the important doctrinal emphases of the Reformation, Jesus our Great High Priest was central; His atoning sacrifice for all humanity, as a result of His dying on the Cross, means that we can approach God through Him, without the need for any other priestly intermediary.
There were many important figures of the Reformation, many unknown to most. The two that are best known are Luther and Calvin, who both held to Replacement Theology and gave indications from what they said that they were Anti-Semite. It is true that, while among the many other Reformers, some who gave their lives for upholding the very doctrines those in my theological camp nowadays take for granted, many were deficient in their thinking on Israel (although it can be argued, throughout the history of the church, no movement completely understood everything), yet their contribution in helping today’s believers to have a correct understanding of God and His Word, was monumental.
7. A-, Post- or Pre-Millennialism
The prospect of a future reign of Christ on earth is a subject (at least implied) in many Bible prophecies, besides the one concerning His 1000-year Millennial reign that we read about in Revelation 20. Sound, learned and pious Christians have long been divided over what to make out of the Millennium. I can think of many good Christians down the ages whose views differ from my own and whose modern equivalent I would want to unite with but, as to whether this matters or not, I would argue that it does because it will affect how we see and respond to what is going on in the world and how this relates to Bible prophecy. There are three main scenarios that have been put forward to explain the Millennium: A-Millennialist – believing the scriptures referring to the Millennium are not to be taken literally; Post-Millennialist – believing we are already in the Millennium or about to be, i.e. before the personal return of Christ; Pre-Millennialist – believing the Millennium will happen immediately following Christ’s return to planet earth and when Israel has an important part to play, as led by their Messiah. As for “Pan-Millennialist” (all will pan out in the end), I find that position to be lazy and intellectually dishonest. My research undertaken writing my books has led me to take the Pre-Millennialist position.
8. Israel and Palestine
Also, in my research into the Prophets and the Priests of the Bible, I was able to plot some of the history of Israel, beginning with the call of Abraham, through the Exodus until the Exile and post Exile until the first century CE. While there have been Jews living in the land of Israel ever since, before the twentieth century they were relatively few in number and they shared the land with non-Jews, typically those following Islam and, to a lesser extent, Christians. Jews began returning to Israel later in the nineteenth century with the advent of Zionism. Following the Balfour declaration in 1926, and even more in the aftermath of World War 2, that migration increased. Until Israel was given independence in 1948, Israel was under foreign occupation and rule (ever since the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC).
The land of Israel has been referred to as Palestine, beginning with the Romans (even though some who are pro-Israel detest the use of the term). As for today’s “Palestinian” people, these are best referred to as mostly Arabs, often from countries that are surrounding Israel, although ever since the Exile in the sixth century BCE there have been non-Jews living in the land, including the Edomites and Samaritans, which has been discussed earlier in this book. “The Palestinian Question” is a complex and controversial one, which has given rise to heated exchanges and much division, even among earnest Christians, and is one I confess I do not have an entirely satisfactory answer to, other than to suggest that when God is left out of the equation, as my studies have shown, confusion often follows.
Britain conquered Palestine from the Ottomans in 1917, toward the end of World War 1. Significant, and often referred to, is “the Balfour Declaration”, which according to my first “Google hit” “was a letter written by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lionel Walter Rothschild, in which he expressed the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine”. British rule in Palestine was administered under a League of Nations Mandate until Israel became a sovereign state in 1948. It was aimed to lead the native population to self-government and independence. Britain allocated nearly 80% of Palestine to Transjordan, and this included the majority of Arabs that lived there. Even so, there are claims on behalf of the Arabs living in non-Jordan Palestine prior to this that they were cruelly driven out by Zionists intent on ridding the land of those who didn’t fully go along with being subject to a Jewish state. That tension remains to this day, with those, dare I say, with their particular agenda (both sides), wanting to stir up trouble. A moot point is that the almost all entirely Arab nations surrounding Israel have not been forthcoming when it comes to welcoming Palestinians from Israel.
9. Evangelical, Liberal and Catholic
According to Professor Bebbington, such as in his often referred to seminal book: “Evangelicalism in Modern Britain – a history from the 1730s to the 1980s”, the four characteristics which have marked Evangelicals are: Biblicism (emphasis on the authority of Scripture); Crucicentricism (centrality of the atonement); Conversionism (people need to be converted to Christianity); and Activism (e.g., in evangelism, on issues of social justice). From the get-go, I was in the Evangelical camp and I soon discovered that my early mentors were anti-Liberal for taking away from the Scriptures and anti-Catholic for adding to the Scriptures (and they were also suspicious of many other Evangelicals for not being doctrinally sound enough) and definitely anti-cult. Over the years, I have mixed with and positively engaged with folk from the Liberal, Catholic and “unsound” Evangelical camps and, while seeing the bad in all of them (and in my own camp come to that), I have seen a deal of good too. My convictions are still predominantly Evangelical and my desire, like St. Paul, is for all Israel to be saved.
10. Tackling (or not) “social injustice”
Over my sixty years of engaging in Christian circles, I have seen many different emphases coming to the fore on what was deemed as being important. I have seen the divisions that often went with it, some of which could/should have been avoided (if only people could have been more genuinely tolerant). In my later working life, when I embarked on a career as a community worker, I saw how important it was to tackle issues that were to do with what came to be labelled as social justice, because I believed that was consistent with what the Bible teaches. I have found that this is something that has increasingly exercised Christian consciences as they seek to respond. I have also seen the pitfalls, such as making these concerns override those of preaching the Gospel and going along with secular agendas that do not have a sound Biblical basis. Often secularists are happy to receive from and give support to Christians for their campaigns etc., but often, only on their terms.
I cover these challenges and concerns in my other writings and it is one that Christians have to deal with the world over, often differently. Whether we include “social” or not, justice should be a concern of all Christians (because God is just) and this includes responding to the legitimate concerns of today’s social justice movement (while rejecting the illegitimate), without losing our nerve by neglecting the teaching that the Holy Spirit has been sent to convince the people of the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. Only then can we have a world full of justice that the prophets predicted will happen when the Jewish Messiah comes. While limited in what we can do in an unjust world, ignoring injustice is not an option; neither is neglecting to preach the true Gospel. Whether or not “Palestinians” have been/are being dealt with justly by the Israeli authorities, is a contentious yet pertinent matter. There are many non-Jews living outside Gaza and the West Bank who say they have been well-treated.
Back to Israel
As we consider the situation as it relates to Israel today, that longing for justice for all the parties involved should be our concern. But concern should also be tempered with reality, for in my lifetime I have seen many attempts at peace deals and, while such attempts may be laudable none have ended up with entirely satisfactory results. One of the temptations we all face is getting on our spiritual high horses and looking down on those who don’t go along with our way of thinking. I have tried to explain in each of the headings given above what each term means and my reasons for taking the position I do, knowing there will be a high likelihood that some of my readers will see things differently.
While one might deduce that where one stands on the ten “either/ors” raised above will dictate how one sees world events and the position one might adopt on Israel, and while this is true it is only to an extent. The quandary we all face is we do not know all of the relevant facts, amid all sorts of disinformation and opinionated pundits and our own prejudices. Trying to understand the wide range of views on offer and deciding what is true and what isn’t and seeking the heart and mind of YHWH, who is the Holy One of Israel, are some of the main challenges I believe we need to face up to. I write in the knowledge that strong Christian believing friends take radically different views on the rights and wrongs of what has happened, is happening and should happen, concerning Jews and Palestinians.
So I will continue, in the light of the above, with how I see things right now, mindful that when I later return to the subject there may well be momentous, unforeseen developments. What I will do is to set out my own thoughts, soon after the October 7th event occurred, and then returning to them six months later, along with what has come out of my further theological reflecting. While in a peaceful, nice setting (our Indian family home), I don’t have the same access to wide ranging perspectives.
October 2023
My first observation is Israel is never long out of the news and that is consistent with how I understand Bible prophecy. The 7/10 attacks have been referred to as Israel’s 9/11 and just like 9/11 are likely to prove a “game changer”, perhaps leading eventually to some of the end time battles such as the Gog-Magog war prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39. I am loathe to speculate though, for at least three reasons – it is too early to do so and the situation is in a state of flux; when that particular war takes place, Israel will stand alone (not the case at present) and it is God who delivers them, and lastly, Russia (Gog) supported by Magog (Iran) are being held up as the bad guys when the irony is all the parties that have supported Zelensky and Ukraine are just as bad and, now that conflict is all but lost, this anti Putin/Russia alliance is now, without exception, supporting Netanyahu and Israel. I am sceptical too of the official Israeli claim that these atrocities took place WITHOUT Israel leaders’ prior knowledge.
Claims have been made backed up by evidence that the Israeli leaders did know and by allowing the attacks makes them just as guilty of war crimes as Hamas, even before we get to happenings in Gaza. There are other claims of nefarious dealings by the Israeli leadership and I could write a long paper to examine “evidence” but suffice to say my suspicions are more than raised, including Hamas having been set up by the Israeli leadership in the first place to oppose the PLO – all for political ends and to push an insidious Zionist agenda that includes Israel world domination. But this is not the place!
While not a point many would raise, I see all sorts of related events. Before Israel, it was Ukraine; before Ukraine it was Covid; before Covid it was Trump; before Trump it was Brexit (and we can go on about issues that get folk, including Christians, worked up and coming to virtual blows) and as I reflect on Israel, the apple of God’s eye, it was Israel more than any that pushed the Covid hoax with its draconian measures in making its citizens take the deadly shot while at the same time sanctioning all sorts of unrighteous acts that in the past led to God’s judgement. While it is said Israel does not practise idolatry, abortion is the modern equivalent to sacrificing to Molech. I am mindful of the pre 7/10 Palestinian claims of human rights violations, and believe some at least may be justified. In moving on from making these points that will grate with some who love Israel, I hark back to God’s words to Moses that remains forever true: “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers” Deuteronomy 7:7-8.
There are some among the Christian pro-Israel camp that would point to scriptures like “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” Isaiah 66:8 as proof of divine providence in establishing the land of Israel. Others have reservations, such as claims by Palestinians living in the land of being treated badly. Over recent years, I have heard many claims and counter claims and am yet to come to a firm view. If we are into quoting scripture: “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone” Deuteronomy 28:64 might still apply. Sacrifices to Baal and Molech, for example, continue, as seen by the number babies aborted in Israel and all sorts of sexual immorality being practised, something the prophets regularly rebuked, when God’s judgement would be the eventual outcome.
My object is not to take sides or win arguments but in this as in every season we need to be seeking the Lord and His truth. If I have a plea to my Christian brothers and sisters, it is that they seek the truth and do not gravitate to those plausible voices that merely reinforce their prejudices – both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. One piece of wisdom from my late father was “two wrongs don’t make a right”, and I can’t help feeling that is what is happening, with each side claiming the moral high ground. Both sides of the Israel Palestine divide may point to wrongs perpetrated by the other side and I do not feel qualified to definitely say where the right-wrong balance lies – Israel or Palestine, simply because I do not have the intellectual capacity, nor am I in full possession of the facts to do so. What I do know is many innocent people have suffered in the conflict and, whether it is an Israeli Jew or a Palestinian Arab, both deserve to live in peace. I liked it when a church leader friend, when asked to put on his church prayer bulletin “Pray for Israelis in their suffering”, wisely added “and for Palestinians”.
It was the 7/10 Hamas terror attacks on Israeli civilians that got the world’s media attention on Israel and the various related conflicts, and following that the civilian deaths as a result of Israeli forces going into Gaza in order to seek out and then destroy Hamas. Then there are the Stop the War protests all over the world. I get some of the arguments of both sides. For the protestors, it is the carnage, suffering and avoidable deaths of civilian casualties living in Gaza. As for Israel, they need to go after the terrorists. As for Hamas, they create bases in civilian centres and prevent folk leaving when the IDF warn them that they are going in for an attack. While a cease-fire and a negotiated peace settlement is desirable, I feel that it is an unrealistic hope as things presently stand. While I do not trust the authorities on the Israel side because they are beholden to their nefarious, Zionist cabal puppet masters, I trust Hamas even less with their demonic driven leadership and avowed aim to wipe Israel entirely off the map and bring in the Caliphate. As I write, this remains an unresolved conundrum.
Much has been said concerning the cease-fire marches. For some protestors, maybe most, their motive was to call for an end to the conflict where most of the victims were innocent civilians. As with any protest, there are those with other intentions, including stirring up hatred toward Israel and supporting Hamas, irrespective of their actions that sparked off the current conflict and their avowed aim to destroy Israel. I see the actions of Hamas and their supporters and the mealy mouthed, virtue signaling response by some of those in authority disappointing, disgraceful and yet unsurprising, as are those that support Israel irrespective of whether their actions are right or wrong. I am sure, when I return to the subject in four months’ time, such will have been the developments my views may well change.
As I begin to wrap up, I want to reflect on two descendants in the Abrahamic line: Ishmael, Abraham’s son, and Esau, Jacob’s son. Ishmael is seen as the father of the Arab nations and the person Muslims, who are often among those most opposed to Israel, look up to. While some Muslims have been friendly toward Israel, others have called for its complete destruction. Then there has been a long Bible history of conflict between Israel and Edom, through characters like Doeg, Haman and Herod. The demise of Edom and God’s anger at their rejoicing in Israel’s demise, were among the main themes of the prophecy of Obadiah. Among those whose ideology is Zionism with their vision of a greater Israel, there may be descendants of the Edomites following the Babylonian exile, the Khazarian mafia, some of their Ashkenazi Jew descendants forming much of present-day Israel, including the Rothchild dynasty, those influenced by the Sabbateans and freemasonry, and other bad “Jewish” actors, including the modern equivalent of the Synagogue of Satan spoken of in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9.
One might go further and see a relationship with the “sons of god”, Nephilim infiltration in Genesis 6 and the prophecy concerning the Fall of Babylon in Revelation 17-18, for it is the ancient Babylon system and its nefarious and occult practices that has gained major leverage in all main monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Interestingly, the judgement of the Great Harlot we read of in Revelation 18 is what precedes Christ returning on His White Horse. We should also take a long-term view. With reference to the prophet Isaiah, we read: “In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance” Isaiah 19:23-25.
Regarding Israel, they remain the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8), not because they are better than anyone else (they aren’t) but God always keeps His promises and, because God has not washed His hands of Israel, Satan continually contrives for Israel to be destroyed, and he has been unsuccessfully trying to do so ever since God gave His word to Abraham. One of the promises is to give the physical descendants of Abraham the physical land of Israel (far beyond its current borders). While some would want to replace physical with spiritual, and others claim that it would be unfair of God to favour one nation over another, as dear Job had to find out – you can’t expect to win an argument with God.
What we are seeing is the continuation of the Seed War that began in Genesis 3, with the Fall of Adam, followed in Genesis 6 with the Great Flood and in Genesis 11 with the confusion of the languages at the Tower of Babel – all before Abraham received from God his Great Nation promise. As I argue elsewhere, this is part of an ongoing war between God and Satan, good and evil, light and darkness. I believe there is an evil underbelly to both Hamas and Zionism, even if good people support one or the other. Those who I feel for are the innocent civilians, especially children, both Israeli and Palestinian, many of which from both sides have died. What we are seeing is more than a conflict between Israel and Palestine etc., and it is one that will only be finally and fully resolved after Jesus returns to Earth.
Given the direction the world is heading, all humanity will soon be forced to decide which side they are on, if they haven’t already done so: good or evil, light or darkness, God or Satan. While I hope there will be a Great Awakening, when good prevails over evil, I believe that we must first brace ourselves for a false light amidst Great Deception (and here the Antichrist fits the bill) and the prospect of wickedness prevailing for a season. But God, who is not mocked, will have the last word. We know that in the end God wins (I know that to be so, for I have read to the end of His Book). We cannot sit on the sidelines. We must choose sides. It is not one between Israel or Palestine or any other choice of opposites, but it is God’s side and it is to Him I turn and I would urge my readers to do so too. As for peace (shalom), that will only entirely happen when the Prince of Peace is reigning – from Zion!
March 2024
I confess that by leaving a four-month gap to reflect, research and watch how the Israel-Gaza conflict pans out I had expected more developments than I am seeing, including a wider escalation of the war. There is still time of course and the “war” along with threats and claims and counter threats and counter claims that are far from over continues to develop and is reported on in the news, although in checking out the main news stories there is much else going on to attract news reporting attention.
While the BBC is not my favoured news reporting outlet, it is the first I check out while on the road, and after that (from a British perspective) UK Column or GB News and (from a wider one) Bitchute and Rumble. There is little to demonstrate that the far wider escalation I had expected has yet happened. Instead, I find, as I check recent news, the BBC reporting stories like the Israeli admitted assassination of a Hamas leader in a foreign country and the outraged responses from the normal suspects. I confess that besides news stories, what I find are opinions voiced ranging from very pro- to very anti-Israel.
Whether any of this will be the trigger for the likes of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah to become more involved we cannot yet tell. Then there are happenings involving other powers in the region that I have not touched on. I suspect the USA, Russia and even China, the UK and the NATO alliance are playing their part as interested onlookers seeing this as part of a wider conflict that they all have a big stake in. There is also the part played by the UN and its agencies that are meant to be honest brokers and peace makers, but as I reflect elsewhere, they are not to be trusted as much as we might want to. I note a recent BBC report begins: “Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has outlined proposals for the future governance of Gaza once the war between Israel and Hamas is over. There would, he said, be limited Palestinian rule in the territory. Hamas would no longer control Gaza and Israel would retain overall security control, he added”.
Another BBC report begins “Of all the priorities for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his fourth visit to the Middle East in three months, there is one message above all others that he wants to deliver. His main mission on this trip is to ensure the Israel-Gaza war does not spread into a regional conflict”. I am sceptical, given my antipathy toward the current US administration, while recognising the laudable agendas include not creating a refugee crisis, not allowing the war to escalate, and peace. I confess I am suspicious of UN involvement. For one thing, the UN isn’t an “honest broker”. Then there is the part Yemen might play in the conflict, given recent Red Sea attacks and retaliation. One recent report is titled: “Strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen show war in Gaza has already spread” and sounds ominous in terms of what to expect, knowing the situation could quickly change.
What the Israeli action does confirm, not that there is a lack of other reasons to come to such a view, is the intent of the Israeli leadership to go after and destroy Hamas wherever it can be found, including if elements are to be found in the relative safety of another country. Checking past reports, we learn how Israel has attacked from the air and gone into Gaza with the avowed intent to destroy Hamas but with, as a result, enormous civilian casualties, and one wonders where it will all end? While there have been widespread calls for cease fires to allow access for humanitarian aid, the effect of such is limited. While I suspect, many looking on from the sidelines, do so in consternation at what they are seeing.
I know I will upset my pro-Israel friends by saying this but, as sympathetic as I am to the “Israel project” for reasons I have given, I cannot ignore the Israeli actions I am seeing as tantamount to genocide, with the intention to take over Gaza completely and displace its Palestinian inhabitants, despite claims it is all about going after the bad guys and the collateral civilian deaths, injuries and loss of homes and livelihood (which is proportionately very high) is what always happens in times of war. There are reports pushing both narratives and as one would expect the Israeli authorities denying they had done anything wrong and that the disputable number of civilian casualties are the inevitable result of what comes from any war, but the UK Column report I watched recently, claiming worse, I found disturbing. Obviously, propaganda plays a part. I suspect Hamas’ claims of numbers of deaths include combatants who are well adept at mingling with the civilian population. Sadly too, the level of indoctrination among children for example has unnaturally heightened Jew hatred among Gazan citizens.
As I set out at the beginning of this chapter, I write neither as one who is pro-Israel, nor as one who is pro-Palestine, at least in the “which side I am on” sense, and it would be over-pious to claim that instead I am pro-God. If I have a concern, besides that of the innocent suffering, it is to echo the desire of those on both sides that want to live in peace but find for reasons beyond their control that is not possible and, for understandable reasons, meaningful, respectful dialogue while attempted on many occasions does not happen. My views on the Israeli leadership and the ungodliness seen among the people in Israel, which would have made the Hebrew prophets of old wince, are far from positive. I also sense that, while many Israeli citizens truly want to live in peace and to do the right thing, that many of the Israeli key and powerful influencers are those who have an ungodly agenda. That is just as true for the Gazan citizens who call themselves Palestinians, who are victims of the troubles, and their leaders who also have an ungodly agenda. I watch feeling helpless but trusting in Him who is holy.
As I keep repeating, as much as I would like to come to a fully rounded view, I cannot. Before my pro-Israel friends, who I suspect will be those most interested in priests of the Bible, disown me, in my quest to find right balance, I checked out and mostly accept the thoughts of two people providing a mainly pro-Israel perspective. The first is Melanie Phillips, who plausibly argues there is widespread antisemitism in all strata of society and that Israel is fighting for civilisation in a world where the so-called civilised nations are becoming increasingly uncivilised. The second is Colonel Richard Kemp who, reflecting on the military aspects of the current Gaza conflict, argues that the Israel defence forces have acted entirely appropriately. I am conscious that most of what I read comes with a bias, one way or another, requiring me to take this into account in trying to come to a rounded view.
I cannot subscribe to the views of modern day “Replacement Theologians” that there is nothing special about today’s Israel in terms of attracting divine favour and any claims to sovereignty in the land they lay claim to cannot be sustained on biblical grounds. I beg to differ and believe Israel and the Jewish people are special and unique for all sorts of reasons. It is why I now turn to the Abrahamic Covenant. Yet, just like Gentile sinners, Israel needs to repent and the most loving thing we can do is to tell them the Gospel that is all about the Messiah, their Holy Book anticipates, and is at the heart of this book.
I close this section with a sense of disquiet that I may not have got the balance right amidst a plethora of perspectives on offer, a good deal of information on what is going on and even more that is hidden from us. The BBC headline shortly before I wrote this “Gaza ceasefire vote: Commons debate descends into chaos” is pertinent to this section for, despite the politicking we are seeing, it also highlights the anti-Israel sentiment we can now see that is afoot, the pressure being put on MPs to adopt an anti-Israel position and a deficient perspective among UK Parliamentarians and that going down such a path will unlikely resolve the matter of peace and security for Jew and Arab alike. I deplore the rise of true antisemitism (as opposed to anti Zionism). Not touched on much in this book is the nature and often overlooked impact of radical Islam and jihadism as well as Zionism on these and related matters.
I read feeds from those that pro-Israel and those anti-Israel (leadership). Just prior to writing this, an acrimonious debate took place between two people putting forward different views on what needs to happen: “You’re A MONSTER!” Cenk Uygur vs Douglas Murray On Israel-Palestine War With Piers Morgan” making me realise that a middle ground is far from being agreed. I also note from checking out various newsfeeds that the overwhelming sentiment worldwide seems to be anti-Israel (although I suspect such is the cultural climate we live in, those who are pro-Israel dare not say so) and that has been the most notable change since the October 7th attacks. The reality of what is happening, who is right and who is wrong (and to what extent), and what now needs to happen is a complex one that many have sought to resolve without success, not least because the main players, including the Israeli ones, are beholden to agendas that are not that of the God of Israel. I don’t claim to even being close to having all the answers, other than what I have laid out in this book, not that I can affect what is happening even if I had. Meanwhile, the yet to be revealed Antichrist is waiting in the wings with his peace deal to come, along with his opposition to the true Christ, ready to be welcomed by Jew and Gentile alike. The first seal opened in Revelation 6, kicking off “the Tribulation”, suggests a short season of peace. Yet God who is ever just remains on His Throne and has not relinquished control.
The Abrahamic Covenant
In several places in “Priests of the Bible”, we have referred to one or other covenant. The one most referred to is the Mosaic (Sinai) Covenant, which was, as is the case with most covenants, an agreement between two parties, here: YHWH and Israel. God said He would bless Israel provided they kept His Law. The fact they didn’t, despite being given many chances to do so after failing the previous times and despite many warnings by the prophets, meant they finally ended up being sent into Exile as part of God’s judgement. One of the prophets, Jeremiah, who saw what was happening in the final days of the Kingdom of Judah (the Kingdom of Israel had ceased to exist long before for the same reason) and Judah being sent into Babylonian Captivity, wrote about a new covenant concerning Israel.
This would be better than the one they had broken and while we have seen glimpses, it is still to happen: “the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” Jeremiah 31:31-33.
Going back to Moses, we have hints about a new covenant: “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” Deuteronomy 30:6. This is also spoken about in Ezekiel: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” Ezekiel 36:26-27. When Jesus celebrated his final Passover meal, we read: “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” Luke 22:19-20.
The writer to the Hebrews picks up concerning the New Covenant, which he argues is better in all sorts of ways to that of the Old Covenant, when discussing Jesus who is the Great High Priest, the one who made it all possible: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” Hebrews 8:8-13.
Another Covenant, also touched on in several places in this book, is The Davidic Covenant, which refers to God’s promises to David and is found in 2 Samuel 7 and later summarised in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16. This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. It is worth noting that Jesus is referred to ten times as “the Son of David” in Matthew’s Gospel. While some may want to spiritualise what this “kingdom” is about, most references link it to Israel and Jerusalem. But the one covenant we want to focus on for the rest of this chapter is the Abrahamic Covenant, as it has an important bearing on the future of Israel and is a subject where different views have been put forward.
One of the first things we note that is so remarkable is that Abram, as he was called then, was an idol worshipper (or at least his family were), yet he had been specially selected by God for what would become one of the main themes of the Bible, which was to call a whole nation to Himself and how the relationship progressed, and when he was called, Abram responded. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant, which we first come across in Genesis 12: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed … And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him” Genesis 12:1-3, 7. There are several important points to consider here, not least from our perspective: in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The Abrahamic Covenant is repeated several times in Genesis, firstly to Abraham (Chapters 15, 17, 22) as well as to Isaac (26:3-5) and then to Jacob (28:13-15).
Genesis 15 is particularly significant, not just because of the powerfully pertinent points it brings out, including to do with the Abrahamic Covenant, but it is one that is often neglected by those preaching and teaching on Abraham. It comes between two other remarkable chapters: Chapter 14 to do with the battle between the four kings against the five, the part Abram had to play and his important meeting with Melchizedek and Chapter 16 when Abraham tries to help God out regarding having the all-important heir needed for fulfilling God’s promised, by sleeping with Hagar. While the product of that union, Ishmael, was himself to become a great nation, he was not part of the Promise God gave.
While over many years God’s appearances to Abraham seem to be far and few between, they were always timely, as here: “After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (15:1). He further reassures Abraham by telling him: “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (15:5). Abraham responds: “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (15:6). This response would be picked up by Paul, in order to support some of the arguments he makes that we will soon get to (Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6).
The ceremony recorded in 15:9-17 indicated the unconditional nature of the Covenant. When a covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments, then it was tradition at that time and in that region for both parties to pass between the pieces of animals that had been previously slain and effectively cut in two. Here, God alone moved between the halves of the animals. Abraham was in a deep sleep. God’s solitary action indicated that the Covenant was principally His promise, binding Himself to the Covenant. In this passage, two important topics are covered, discussed elsewhere in this book: the sins of the Amorites and the 400 years his descendants would be slaves.
The conclusion to Genesis 15 is also most important in that the matter of the land that God promised was also addressed: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (15:18-21).
Even 500 years later, after Joshua had conquered Caanan and allocated the land, and we read “And the Lord have until Israel all the land He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein” Joshua 21:43, we also read at that time a lot of Caanan’s land had not been entirely conquered: “This is the land that yet remaineth …” Joshua 13:2 and even under David when Israel, territory and security wise were best placed, some of that land, in particular at the extremities of “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” had not been conquered. This begs the question if not then or between then and now, when? It questions those who say modern day Israel has forfeited any hope of future land or that the promises only apply spiritually or to spiritual Israel.
I do not know much about David Jeremiah, but what he has written well articulates my own understanding on this matter, and I quote: “Of all God’s covenant promises to Abraham, I believe the most amazing is His promise concerning the land. God told Abraham to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house and go “to a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). God then led Abraham to the land that would belong to his descendants forever. The land promised to Abraham and his descendants was described with clear geographical boundaries. It takes in all the land from the Mediterranean Sea as the western boundary to the Euphrates River as the eastern boundary. The prophet Ezekiel fixed the northern boundary at Hamath, one hundred miles north of Damascus (Ezek. 48:1), and the southern boundary at Kadesh, about one hundred miles south of Jerusalem (v. 28). If Israelis were currently occupying all the land that God gave to them, they would control all the holdings of present-day Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank of Jordan, plus substantial portions of Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia”.
In Genesis 17, God again reaffirms the promises of the Covenant He first gave Abraham as well as establishing the rite of circumcision as the sign of that Covenant. All males in Abraham’s line were to be circumcised and thus carry with them a lifelong mark in their flesh that they were part of God’s physical blessing in the world. He also changed Abram’s name (Exalted father) to Abraham (Father of a multitude): “As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (17:4-8).
The big test for Abraham came when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, through whom the promise had been made and this after a long wait and an amazing miracle, all of which was to be undone at the end, or so it seemed. The point here is not to go through this amazing story, which we discuss elsewhere, but consider what Abraham was told at the end, which is all about the Covenant: “And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (22:15-18). Other than mention again similar words that would be given to the children of that Promise, Isaac and Jacob, we leave the Old Testament for the time being and switch to the New.
“Abraham was the first Hebrew patriarch and a figure revered by the three great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” (Britannica). We turn to the second of these religions: Christianity. The word “Abraham” appears 70 times in the New Testament and is mentioned in 11 of the books. The Abrahamic Covenant is specifically discussed in Galatians 3 but first we will consider what John the Baptist and then Jesus said. Both attracted the anger of the Jewish religious authorities because of what they said when taking them to task about being the physical descendants of Abraham and thinking that being descended from Abraham gave them some sort of entitlement in God’s eyes. John said: “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” Matthew 3:9. Jesus said: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad … Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” John 8:56, 58, doing so after accusing the Jews that they were children of the Devil rather than those of Abraham.
We mentioned earlier two instances of Paul quoting from Genesis that Abraham was imputed as righteousness because of his faith. Paul develops the theme in Romans 4, in the context of explaining how we as believers in Jesus can be justified by faith. After dealing with some of the great doctrines concerning salvation in Romans 1-8, and before considering some of the implications of that teaching in Chapters 12-16, Paul turns his attention to a topic we could label as “the Israel conundrum”. The question begged with an attempt made to answer it, is what to make out of Israel with whom some of the Covenants had been made, and given their present unbelief where it would lead them. This is a huge subject and not one I will attempt to consider in greater depth but instead I turn to Galatians 3.
Paul’s epistle to the Galatians was written to address the thorny and contentious issue at the time of whether those Gentiles who had embraced the Christian faith needed to also obey what was written in the Old Testament Law, i.e., become Jews before becoming Christians, doing what the Mosaic Covenant required. In order to make his point that this was not a requirement, Paul cited Abraham as an example and specifically referred to the Abrahamic Covenant, in Galatians 3: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (3:7-9).
He then makes the point concerning the use of the word “seed” and since the seed that was being looked forward to was Jesus, all those who believe in Him (Jew and Gentile) are beneficiaries: “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect” (3:14-17). Paul wraps up this particular argument thus: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (3:28-29).
Before we move on, we need to raise an important “context” point. The word generally translated “seed” in the KJV is translated “offspring” in the ESV and “descendant” in the NIV and Amplified versions of the Bible. The Hebrew word, according to Strong (H2233), is “zera” and can take all these meanings, where seed might also be translated as semen. Interestingly, when the KJV uses the word that it translates as seed in the New Testament, e.g., in Galatians 3, the Strong (G4690) Greek word “sperma”, which is where we get the word “sperm” from, it takes on the same meanings as that found from the Hebrew text. I make this point because it is easy, having read Paul’s explanation of “seed” in Galatians 3, to ignore the many Old Testament references to the Abrahamic Covenant as being to the physical land which Abraham’s physical descendants (at least some of them) would eventually possess.
Not only had physical land been promised to Abraham’s “seed”, with this being repeated on several occasions, as has been cited in the references above, and without being fully fulfilled as far as we can tell, it is also something the prophets prophesied concerning what was to happen in the Messianic age that was yet to come (based on a Futurist rather than a Preterist understanding of prophecy), all of which pointed to physical rather than spiritual Israel, notwithstanding the clear Pauline teaching that Gentile believers in Jesus are also beneficiaries. How they fit into these apparently yet to be fulfilled promises is a big subject, along with the claims of many Christian Zionists that today’s Israel is entitled to the land simply because God said so in the Bible, and that which was written concerning Abraham and other heroes of faith: “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” Hebrews 11:16.
It is appropriate we give the Hebrew prophets the last word. Since we are spoilt for choice, we only include the words of some “minor prophets” (there is much to be found in the “major prophets” too). I do not claim these are the only texts that concern a future Israel. I expect some will argue, either they have been fulfilled, e.g., after Judah returned from exile, or the correct understanding is to spiritualise what appears to be physical happenings, but I do so to in effect rest my case, declaring we have yet to see the final fulfilment of the Abrahamic Covenant and that fulfilment may well be a physical one.
“For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days” Hosea 3:4-5.
“Then the Lord will be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. “But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things” Joel 2:18-20.
“Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit. “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them,” Says the Lord your God” Amos 9:14-15.
““In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will assemble the lame And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. “I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever” Micah 4:6-7.
“Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes”” Zephaniah 3:19-20.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness’ … “It will come about in all the land,” Declares the Lord, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God’” Zechariah 8:7-8, 13:8-9.
Not that it matters what my views are on the current conflict, but it might be helpful to say what these are if readers haven’t managed to figure this out for themselves. I suppose it would be some 45 years ago when I had dealings with a godly lady who had served as a missionary headmistress in Lebanon and we used to discuss the Israel Arab conflict. Given some of those who influenced me most were pro-Israel, I would put forward arguments they made. She would counter with pro-Arab arguments, often based on first-hand experience. I recall her making the point that the Israelis were adept at self-righteous propaganda (although I am sure the same is true on the Arab side). I have often dreamt of Jews and Arabs being able to put their cases in an atmosphere of mutual respect and finding, as is now happening on a small scale, the two parties coming together united in the one who died for both.
We continue to see good Christian folk arguing in favour of either side, with people like me sitting on the fence, despite believing God has promised physical descendants of Abaham “the land” and has a special place for Israel based on statements like: “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee” Isaiah 43:4, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” Jeremiah 31:3, and “He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved” Psalm 47:4. I suspect most Israelis are no better and no worse than any other ethnic group. But sadly, Israel has been infiltrated by bad people (Synagogue of Satan) and they are calling the shots. It seems to me that my Zionist leaning Christian friends not only do not see it but oppose Israel-loving Christians who do.
And this on top of all those prophecies cited earlier predicting a wonderful future for Israel under its coming King – and we have barely touched on what the major prophets have had to say on the subject. At the same time, the God I worship is a just God, yet many Arab supporters continually claim Israel is perpetrating injustice. As I see it, it is not a matter of one side is clearly right and the other side is clearly wrong; it is a lot more complicated than that, and as much I would like to come down on one side or the other, I can’t because I don’t know enough. If that is a lonely position to take then so be it.
One is spoilt for choice when it comes to an apt Israel related scripture to end with, but let us cite the words of Paul: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” Romans 11:25-27. The big question continues to be begged: who then is true Israel?
As we have been considering Abraham, we do well to end with a hymn about the God of Abraham, for methinks the best we can do for now is to watch and pray, and praise and worship the God of Abraham:
1. The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
2. The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle’s wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God’s face;
I shall God’s power adore,
and sing the wonders of God’s grace
forevermore.
3. The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned.
4. The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and “Holy, holy, holy!” cry
“Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!”
This is one section I did not reckon on writing. I have already devoted an unexpectedly large amount of space to the subject of Israel and, while a lot more could be said, this is not the place to elaborate on themes that warrant a book in their own right. Besides which, while not going into detail, I have tried to consider alternative perspectives, aware of the folly of taking polarised positions while being exposed to widespread propaganda and cajoled to take sides. Yet there are reasons for saying more, brought about by a combination of factors. Firstly, writing my book has taken longer than I planned up to the point of publication when no further changes can be made. Secondly, there have been significant developments relating to the situation that has arisen following the October 7th Hamas-Gaza attacks on Israel since I last wrote, which warrant at least a mention. Thirdly, I have become increasingly aware that I have managed to unintentionally upset both the pro-Palestinian lobby and the pro-Israel lobby (whose theological perspective often more closely aligns with my own) with the views expressed in this chapter. While I like to think that anyone beholden to the truth should not be overly concerned at the danger that comes as a result of walking in the middle of the road, I am also mindful of texts to do with blessed are the peacemakers and the benefits arising out of brothers dwelling together in unity.
The main focus of this book remains on what the Bible teaches rather than what this or that pundit has to say (and, truly, I continue to find myself checking out what those presenting widely different and often opposing views come out with without necessarily taking sides). For having taken more of an interest in Bible end time prophecy in recent years, not just to indulge the whims of an old man who has been put out to pasture but I would like to think taking a leaf out of the Children of Issachar’s book by helping the people of God know how best to respond. I hope readers will find these final thoughts and those that preceded them helpful. I am thinking of the Iran drone attacks on Israel (as well as from many allied countries), which I first found out about when checking my newsfeed on 13th April 2024, and the response of Israel and the various major global players. Of course, we wait for developments including, in a worst-case scenario, a world war. My point here is not to articulate on what happened, take sides or suggest what should happen next but note this could be part of the escalation expected following the October 7th attacks, leading to the end time events I have discussed, for example with reference to Daniel 7 onwards and Revelation 6 onwards. While I have argued that the quietist response of my early spiritual mentors is not altogether the right one, I am also conscious that we still don’t have all the necessary facts to hand and even if we did what can we usefully do? But respond we must (check out the end of Chapter 47 for thoughts on what this response ought to be).
Let us conclude with two further thoughts: Firstly, the people caught up in the current conflict, and since our attention has been drawn to Iran where there is a spiritual revival of the right sort going on, we start there followed by most Jews and Arabs, are good people or at least no worse than anyone else and have no interest in violent conflict. Iran, Israel and much of the Arab world, along with many powerful nations who have an interest, happen to be led by bad people. Secondly, while rejecting the “rose tinted” view of Israel put forward by some of my pro-Israel friends, I stand by my belief that the Covenant with Abraham, which we first read of in Genesis 12:1-3 (verses I quote elsewhere), still stands: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”. Moreover, we do well if we “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, for “they shall prosper that love thee” Psalm 122:6. Going back to numerous end time prophecies concerning Israel, the final outcome is a wonderful one. As has often been said: we live in interesting days, and we have only touched the surface. Perplexing things are happening around us at an alarming rate. Much is happening on earth that we don’t see and can barely fathom, but there are even more unseen goings on in the spiritual realm we definitely can’t see. But we can be confident; not only is God in control and He wins but He has already won.
JRB Publications 