21st November 2023
On the 7th October 2023, the Hamas terrorist group started a war with Israel when they committed terrible atrocities against Israeli citizens on the Sabbath. The atrocities they committed were the worst I have ever seen. They showed a level of evil unparalleled since the Nazi Holocaust during the Second World War. They killed over 1,200 men, women and children and injured many more simply because they were Jewish. They also took over 240 hostages back in to Gaza. In response, the Israeli government took the decision to attack Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas and its military infrastructure and to obtain the release of the hostages. As I write this, the war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for weeks with no end in sight. So, what is really going on, what does it mean for us as Christians and what does it mean for the world?
The root cause of this conflict is a spiritual one and it goes back to the time of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in the Old Testament. Abraham had two sons. One was born to Hagar who was Sarah’s Egyptian servant and he was called Ishmael. The other son was born to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and he was called Isaac. Isaac and Ishmael were step-brothers and in their youth, there was hostility shown by Ishmael to Isaac (Genesis 21:9-14). This led to Hagar and Ishmael being expelled by Abraham. In Genesis 16:12 we see a prophecy given to Hagar about Ishmael in which God shows her that Ishmael will be a wild man who does not get on with others. From the beginning the descendants of Ishmael were a warlike people. So, who are the descendants of Ishmael? They are the Arabs of today. And who are the descendants of Isaac? They are the Jews. And ever since the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Arabs around her have been attacking Israel. So, what about the Palestinians. Well, they too are Arabs. So, the current war between Israel and Hamas has its roots in the hostility of Ishmael towards Isaac and the warlike nature of Ishmael’s descendants. This hostility from the Palestinian Arabs has led many of them to seek the destruction of Israel and the elimination of the Jewish people. And I believe that this hostility will never change because its in the genes so to speak. Those who think that the Palestinians and Israelis can one day live in peace with each other are misguided.
Most people think that the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis is about land and that is certainly what you will hear from the Palestinians. Spiritually, there’s more to it than that but for now I would like to focus on the land issue. For the purposes of what I want to say I’m going to refer to the land as the Promised Land. The Palestinians and most people in the world talk about the so-called occupied territories in the Promised Land; that the Israelis are occupying land that belongs to the Palestinians. The so-called West Bank is usually called the Occupied West Bank. This is a totally false idea because the land has never belonged to the Palestinians. There has never been a Palestinian State run by people called Palestinians. The Israeli’s can’t occupy a land that the Palestinians have never owned. The modern-day Palestinians are Arabs from other Arab countries who have moved into the Promised Land at various times since the nation of Israel was destroyed by the Romans about two thousand years ago. It was the Romans who first called the Promised Land, Palestine. So, who does the Promised Land really belong to? The answer is in the Bible. God gave the land to the Jews forever. We see this in the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant made by God. In Genesis 12:1-3 we see the Lord telling Abram to go to the Promised Land and in Genesis 13:15 we see Him giving the land to Abram and his descendants forever. And finally in Genesis 15:18 we see the Lord making a covenant with Abram in which He defines the land that his descendants will possess. And to cap it all, in Genesis 17:5-8 we see that the covenant is an everlasting one. So, God is the guarantor of the Jews owning the land forever. That settles it.
There are many people who think that the solution to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is to create two states side by side in the Promised Land; a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. To achieve this, the Promised Land would be divided up between the two states. This is known as the Two State Solution. This is a serious mistake. Every attempt to divide up the land has failed. So, for instance, in the 1990s the Israeli government handed over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. Hamas then took control of the Gaza Strip and turned it into a terrorist base used to attack Israel. And that has led to the current war between Israel and Hamas. And why doesn’t it work when attempts are made to divide the land? The answer is simple; God is opposed to it. We see this in Joel 3:1-2 when God judges the nations for dividing up the Promised Land.
With all of this in mind what should Christians be doing in response to the current war between Israel and Hamas? We should be supporting Israel but on the whole that is not happening. I only know of a handful of churches and a small number of Christians who are doing this. We need to remember what God said to Abram about the nation of Israel in Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse”. This is a serious matter. Christians should always bless Israel and woe betide those who are against her. So, why are the majority of Christians not supporting Israel at this time? I believe that the answer lies in a false teaching that is prevalent in the Church. It’s called Replacement Theology. It is also known as Supersessionism or Fulfilment Theology. It teaches that the Church has relaced Israel in God’s plans. It also teaches that the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people and that God has no future plans for the nation of Israel. And it teaches that the promises that God has made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Church, not Israel. I’m not going to show you how Replacement Theology is wrong in this blog; that needs to be tackled separately. But I will say this about Replacement Theology: it is a demonic doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1). And it is this evil doctrine that causes so many Christians to disregard Israel.
So, what about the wider implications of the war between Israel and Hamas. This war has had some telling effects on the wider population in the West. It has shed light on some dark elements in our countries. Firstly, it has exposed the evil of antisemitism that is still around. It has resulted in a huge rise in antisemitic activity. In the UK, Jewish people have become afraid for their lives and Jewish businesses have been attacked. This echoes what happened in 1930s Germany and it is wicked. Some of this antisemitic activity is linked to some of those involved in the Pro-Palestinian marches that have become a major part of our society these days. It is very telling the way that these marches have drawn enormous support from certain sections of our society. It is also telling that those who take part in these marches deliberately excuse what the Hamas terrorists did on the 7th October. This is in contrast to the comparatively paltry support that has been given to the peaceful, civilised Pro-Israel marches and vigils. This reflects the widespread sinfulness of Western societies. Once again, this war has exposed the widespread darkness in Western countries. For the reason I gave above, those who take part in the Pro-Palestinian marches and who attack Israel over this war are going against God and are putting themselves in danger.
For me, the most interesting aspect of this war is how it has shown us who are the sheep and who are the goats in the wider society but most of all in the Church. It has provided more evidence of just how desolate the Church has become in the West. Furthermore, the indifference and silence of the Church in regard to supporting Israel is damming. However, I am hearted by the minority of Christians and organisations that have shown their support for Israel and who have stood alongside the Jews of our nation. I think of, for instance, Christian Action Against Antisemitism. I just wish there were more.