Peter Sammons reflects on the World’s determination to divide up Israel
EARLY MORNING WAKE-UP CALL
God speaks in mysterious ways! I woke up on 29 June early (far too early) in nervous and excited anticipation of a TFM (Through Faith Missions) outreach-mission in Wolverhampton. Twenty different thoughts must have been buzzing simultaneously around my mind – and I really, really wanted to get back to sleep! Then an unusually powerful thought entered my head out of nowhere, and apparently nothing to do with the mission project. I believe this was a rare moment when God speaks at a time when we are ready to (and needing to) listen. The powerful thought that entered my mind was in essence: “those nations that seek to divide My Land will themselves be divided – as naturally as night follows day”.
God’s Word seems definitive on two matters; (1) God will return the Jewish people en-mass to the Land of their forefathers and (2) the “world”, in reply, will attempt to divide that Land, in other words to deny it to the Jews (perhaps I should say, to the Israelis) and thus to nullify God’s expressed intention. So far, so extremely controversial !
HOSTILITY
Let me first point out that some “theologians” (n.b. hostile to Eretz-Israel) insist that they want ‘verses’ taken from somewhere/anywhere in the Bible to ‘prove’ that God is going to return Israel …. to Israel. Their ‘game’ here is plain. For any one ‘verse’ that can be found to support this assertion, they aim to ‘find’ two that ‘disprove’ it. It’s a dilettante’s game. In this way no definitive Biblical resolution is possible, and surely that is their a-priori intention. A lover of Scripture will observe – sadly – that this is no way to handle the Word of God, and this approach of ‘verse-mining’ as some have styled it, leads inevitably to the ‘lobbing’ of supposedly competing Bible verses like ‘hand-grenades’, to damage an opponents’ argument.
One ‘theologian’ playing this game online, despite being approached by other theologians with specific and challenging Scripture passages, merely denied that what these passages purport to say is what is, in reality, clearly being said. Rather than join in this pointless online exercise I referred the theologian in question to David Pawson’s “Israel In The New Testament”, which makes out a detailed, comprehensive, and coherent case. The theologian’s response? “I find that David Pawson does not engage seriously with Scripture”! A response that I , for one, find both risible and evasive, in equal measure. At the risk of falling into the theologian’s trap, however, I shall venture just these two:
God will return the Jewish people en-mass to the Land of their forefathers: Jeremiah 29:14. “And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will return your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will return you to the place whence I exiled you”.
The “world” will attempt to divide that Land, to nullify God’s expressed intention: Joel 3:1-3: “in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgement with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people”.
INADEQUATE
Plainly the quoting of a verse, out of its context, is no “slam dunk”. Indeed the late David Pawson used to say, “a verse taken out of context – is a pretext”, and I think Pawson is 100% correct. The profound insight that God has not finished with Israel, (opposed by so-called ‘fulfilment theologians’ (e.g. Tom Wright)) does not depend on individual verses or passages. Rather, it depends on the entire witness of Scripture and on God’s self-declared covenantal faithfulness. We must examine the whole of Scripture to discern God’s purposes …………
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, OR OF SATAN?
Many clergy and professional theologians rather wish to “sit on the fence” as regards Israel, for a whole host of reasons that we simply do not need to rehearse here. But one question I have yet to hear any of them answer, is this: “Is Eretz Israel of the Holy Spirit, or is it of Satan?”. In my experience, they balk at this one. Generally the subject rapidly changes ……
DIVIDED WE FALL
So, the world it determined to divide Israel into “Israel” in the small corners (remember the division plans entail no-contiguous borders, and so indefensible borders), and something called ‘Palestine’ into two blocks, possible conjoined by a land corridor yet to be specified and drawn on a map. This is the official plan of the ‘United Nations’ and of the EU, and of the USA and Britain (and it must be said, many other members of the UN that are happy to ‘go with the flow’, and/or win concessions thereby). Will God, in return, divide those that seek to impose this false peace upon Israel? The answer seems pretty clear. Yes He will.
Lately we have heard that some States in the USA will act to secede from the tax element of the Union if either “Trump” or “Harris” are elected as President. Whilst stopping short of secession from the Union, they aim to wage ‘tax-warfare’, and ‘lawfare’ against the Federal Government – so divided has become USA politics. The EU always seems to be just two crises away from political schism. The inability of the European EU-South to manage finances as do the EU-North, and the consequent determination to hold the South to account, seems just one area where the EU may ‘divide’ – and that is before one considers unprecedented inwards migration courtesy of the EU’s determination not to defend its external borders. Finally the EU is self evidently in two places as regards Ukraine. Brexit may be followed by Italexit or any combination of exits, but more likely procedural log-jam (as in the USA) may mark out the practical ‘division’ of the once mighty EU.
Britain has seen-off the Scottish Nationalist Party – or has it? British national dis-integration as a political question may have receded for the time being. But it is being supplanted by the very real growth of Dar al Islam within Britain’s borders, and the rise of avowedly Islamist politicians. The SNP is no longer the only divisive ‘game in town’ threatening UK integrity. Rather, and more likely, Britain will ‘cantonize’ (perhaps on the Swiss or Belgian models). People speak now of ‘Londinistan’, but increasingly also of segregated areas in each major UK city. As these words are being written, the new Labour government is to issue an amnesty to 90,000 economic migrants – their so-called ‘backlog’. Will the newcomers then recognize themselves as ‘British’? Or as something else? Enough said ……….
WHO RECOGNIZES WHO?
An interesting piece published in 2011 at a time when President Obama (a Moslem?) sought to divide the land of Israel: https://flashtrafficblog.epicentermedia.net/2011/06/24/a-message-of-warning-to-the-nations-do-not-divide-the-land-of-israel-understanding-the-book-of-joel-part-5/ . Just as relevant today when the division of Israel is again receiving fresh international political impetus. Under a new (and it must be stated, Antisemitic) Labour government in Britain, it seems that Britain will in 2024 ‘recognise’ ‘Palestine’ as a ‘nation’, and so institutionalise and pertpetuate permanent warfare between Israel and this new ‘state’ of ‘Palestine’. If this happens, God’s judgment on Britain is likely to come swiftly. (Note that the author, Joel Rosenberg, is a Messianic Jew. He therefore perceives Israel’s future through both ‘Old Testament’ and ‘New Testament’ eyes.) This piece from a South African Christian source is also helpful: https://faithequip.org/dividing-the-land/
FINAL CHRISTIAN COMMENT – DIVIDE AND CONQUER
The division of God’s Land (for that is what it is, let’s not beat about the bush) will come with huge consequences. Whether the World will in reality divide The Land is a moot point, but the Bible tells us of a false peace yet to be imposed. A “deal” involving “the Palestinians” seems a likely backdrop to said false peace. The Western World is certainly unravelling, at the very time it is so active in trying to “divide” (and so to conquer) Israel. Jerusalem will become a millstone around the World’s collective neck (Zechariah 12:3). The USA Methodist church that is so active in hating Israel (see link below, ‘a reason to hate’) has just divided. Britain’s C of E similarly looks likely to split, but remains bizarrely united in its support of a so-called “two-state solution”.
When will they ever learn? What you wish on Israel only comes down on your own head.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My book “Last Days and End Times – Making the Connection” is relevant to this general subject: in printed book form here: https://christian-publications-int.com/Last_Days_and_End%20Times.html . As a freely downloadable PDF here: https://christian-publications-int.com/images/PDF/LastDays.pdf
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As a summary of a complex set of questions, this video is helpful, at 5 1/5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76NytvQAIs0
Recent Comments