Israel: Whose Land is It?
Part 3 of a 4 Part Series
Jim Croft
The earth is the Lord’s. The geographical location and boundaries of nations is not a matter of human political decision. (Ps 24:1) The placement and perimeters of nations is a right that God has reserved for himself. (Acts 17:26) Man might make decisions, but all the while God’s discreet influence is inevitably guiding the process.
There is a nation that God defines as particularly his own and he has delegated its ownership to one people group. The land is Israel and the Lord has given it to the Jewish people as an everlasting possession.
All Christians know and intermittently recite the Lord’s Prayer. Few are aware that the, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth portion has implications about the restoration of the entire land allotted to the Jews as their homeland. During the 40 days prior to Jesus’ heavenly ascent, the Lord spoke to the 120 about the Kingdom of God.
His disciples made inquiries about the timing of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. His answer clearly defines that it will happen: “The Father sets those dates and they are not for you to know.” (Act1:3, 6-7 NLT) This article is intended to establish that the Promised Land belongs to the Jews and that Jerusalem is its eternal Capitol.
Prophesied Restoration
A primary theme of the Old Testament’s promises and prophecies is the restoration of the Promised Land as the Jew’s perpetual possession. There are prophecies that declare there will be a time when the Jews will peacefully and without fear of enemies inhabit the entirety of the land given to them by God. (Isa 11:11, Ezek. 39:25-29) That has yet to happen. Post Solomon’s reign, Israel has never known peace and has always been occupied by hostile foreign forces.
If God does not keep his many promises to return the Jews to their own land, there is no reason to believe he is going to return to take believers to heaven. One would be hard-pressed to find more biblical references about Christians inheriting heaven than it does about the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob inheriting Israel. The Lord considers the Jewish people and their homeland treasures that he holds dear. (Deut 7:1-8)
Promised Land & Jerusalem
The Jews have a three-fold right to their land; God gave it to them. In the 20th Century, they purchased it from the Arab Sheiks. And, Jews have paid for their homeland with their blood since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Contemporary Christians must not be confused by present-day West and East Bank issues and arguments about how to divide the land to accommodate the Palestinians. The UN’s compromise to appease Islamic nations and terrorist organizations of the likes of Hezbollah and Hamas is something that enrages God. It’s trifling with the borders that God established for the land He calls His own, Israel. (Joel 3:2)
The full territory promised to the Jews stretches eastward from the Mediterranean Sea a little north of Lebanon to the Euphrates River bordering Iraq. From there, it extends southward to the river of Egypt (Gen. 15:8). God’s original allotment for the Twelve Tribes takes in all of the Sinai, Judea, Samaria, and significant sections of present-day Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Biblically, Jerusalem has always been recognized as the capital city of the nation. The fact that Jerusalem is the former site of Israel’s National Temple and the residence of Jewish kings that ruled over the combined northern and southern provinces of ancient Israel identify Jerusalem as the nation’s capitol. During the worldwide Millennial Reign of Jesus, the inhabitants of Gentile nations will bring their offerings/taxes to the Kingdom’s Capitol, Jerusalem. (Rev 21:23-25) The insolence of those insisting Israel’s Capitol is Tel Aviv is one and the same as resisting the Almighty.
Palestinian Question
In the 2nd Century there was a Jewish nationalist activist named Bar Kokohba. He led a revolt against Rome and was defeated in 135 AD. The Emperor Hadrian vindictively decided to wipe out the name and memory of Israel. Therefore, he renamed Israel after its age-old enemies the Philistines. He called the area Syria et Philistia. Up until that time it had always been known as Israel or Judea, the home of the Jews.
The word Palestine is a corruption of the word Philistine. Avid Bible readers know that God ordered the Jews to dispossess the Philistines of Canaan’s Land that it might become the homeland of the Jewish descendants of Isaac and Jacob. During the years in which the world maps of Christian nations labeled Israel as Palestine it was a subtle insult to the Jewish people.
On January 3, 1919, Emir Feisal of Syria signed an agreement with the Jews and multiple
governments renouncing all claims to the area known as Palestine. He said that it should be the territory of the Jews.
The agreement was made even more secure by 164,000 European Jewish Zionist between 1933 and 1935. They paid absentee Arab landowners $20 million for the rocky, sandy and swampy area that is today called Israel.
With God inspired skill, the Jews transformed it into a green, productive land for the first time in hundreds of years. In 1937, it was the intent of the Arabs to secure a big Arab State outside of Judea, leaving little Israel for the Jews. Their slogan then was “Arabia for the Arabs and Judea for the Jews”. The Christian community worldwide should insist that they remember and abide by that slogan.
Strictly speaking, calling the region Palestine is unjustified because historically there is no such thing as Palestine or a Palestinian people group. In 1946 the famous Arab historian, Professor Hitti testified that there is absolutely no mention of a Palestine anywhere in Arab history.
In 1977 the PLO leader Zuhair Mohsen stated that the Palestinian people did not exist and that they all belonged to the Arab people. He further stated that the establishment of a Palestinian State was just a name to continue their struggle against Israel in the cause of Arab unity.
Watchmen Seek Jerusalem’s Peace & Prosperity
The prophet Isaiah spoke of watchmen intercessors that would continually remind God of His promises to Jerusalem. The Hebrew word for remind is the same as the modern word for a secretary. A good secretary will constantly remind an executive of upcoming crucial appointments. In like manner, Christian intercessors are to remind God day and night not to rest until Jerusalem is known as a praiseworthy city by the earth’s inhabitants. (Isa 62:6-7)
The Word of God clearly states that Gentiles who have become Christians are united as one with the Jews and Israel. That status makes Gentile believers members of the Commonwealth of Israel. (Eph 2:12-19) In the realm of the Spirit and through salvation, Christians are fellow citizens of Israel with the Jews. Citizenship carries responsibility.
We are to comfort Jerusalem and the Jewish people by speaking tender prophetic declarations. “Your sins have been pardoned by the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah; the time of your punishment has ended. No longer will Hamas, Hezbollah, Egypt, Iran and Syria be able to threaten your security. The Lord, the Captain of the Heavenly Hosts is coming to your rescue. (Isa 42:1-2) You no longer stand alone. You have hundreds of thousands of near kinsmen, Christian Gentiles that consider your destiny of utmost importance because it’s entwined with their own destiny. We are praying that all of your enemies experience shameful defeat. (Psa 129:5) With the eye of faith, we envision peace within your walls and abundant prosperity breaking forth for the residents of Jerusalem.” (Psa 122:6-9)
Educated Self-Interests
There are many benefits for loving and seeking good for the Jews, Israel and Jerusalem. Believing prayer warriors can trust God to do as he has promised in Psa 122:6-9. Those who sow loving prayers of peace and prosperity into Jerusalem can anticipate reaping prosperity for themselves, their relatives, and friends; and for the entire Household of God.
The word for prosperity also implies safety from that which is harmful. That can include safety from illnesses. The first title by which the Lord identified Himself after the Jews were rescued from Egypt was as the Lord their healer, their doctor. His names depicting his functions and character do not change. All who fulfill the mandates to intercede for Israel can expect the Lord to prosper their families with the blessings of prosperity and good health.
In this regard Jesus is our pattern. The Jews of antiquity did not seek social interaction with Gentiles. When the Jewish elders of Jesus' day wanted him to come and heal a Gentile centurion's servant they knew that they would have to give him a good reason. When Jesus heard that the man loved the Jewish people and had built them a synagogue, he sent the Spirit of Faith for healing to the man's home and healed the servant (Luke 7:2-10).
No More Fence-Sitting
God promised Abraham that all who blessed his descendants would be blessed and those who cursed them would be cursed. (Gen 12:2-3) Christian nations are at a crucial juncture in their respective economic histories. A key to help pull them from disaster is to align with Israel as loyal friends. Any Christian who has held insolent, uncharitable views about Israel and Jews in general needs to repent. Divine favor towards your nation can be invoked by urging your politicians to enact policies that support Israel as the Jew’s homeland and Jerusalem as its Capitol.
Next week: The blessings that await those who bless the Jews.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Jim Croft
jcm888@comcast.net
