On October 7th, 2023, the Jews in
Israel suffered the most deadly, wicked, evil attack on Jewish
people since the Holocaust. Perversely proud to be responsible
for the massacre: the terrorist group Hamas who killed Jewish
families in their homes, burning some of them alive, raped women,
beheaded babies, and kidnapped people of all ages - from babies to
grandmothers - to hold as hostages. As of this writing the count of
the number of dead stands at 1,500 and the number of hostages is
over two hundred.
Hamas supporters all over
the world celebrated and continue to celebrate the evil event, and
call for more, shouting "From the river to the sea Palestine will be
free." By which they mean from the Jordan river, to the
Mediterranean sea, Israel's homeland will be free of both the state
of Israel and the Jewish people. In other words, they want to wipe
both Jews and the Jewish state off the face of the earth.
Shortly after I started this blog
in 2014, Hamas began a new campaign firing missiles at Israel. I
wondered about the lack of outrage in the article "Bombs,
Design and Spiritual Blindness." At that writing, the number
of missiles Hamas had sent to Israel in an attempt to destroy it was
in the
thousands. But Israel, no doubt under pressure and counseled not
to retaliate and instead told they should rely on the "Iron
Dome" to protect her citizens, reacted much more calmly than the
U.S. did when terrorists struck at America in the 9/11 attacks. But in response to this latest
iteration of Hamas trying to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, to protect the Jewish people, Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu justifiably declared that Israel was at war with Hamas, and
that "every Hamas operative will die."
With this as a brief background, let us
look at the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Israel-hating Arab
nations that surround her. Many scholars and pundits have offered reasons for the
conflict though all have failed to see or at least reveal the true reason for
the conflict. Jewish commentators like Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro
get very close to the root of the conflict, but even they stop short and have not revealed the root of the conflict.
The reason for the
conflict is easy to see for anyone with eyes to see and "ears to
hear." This is of course a phrase from Jesus (Mark 4.9 et. al.) who
is referencing the prophet Ezekiel (12.2), and is his way of saying
some truths can only be seen by spiritual eyes and understood by
those with spiritual discernment. Nevertheless I'm going to reveal
the root cause of the conflict - though undoubtedly many will not
see and will not believe. That did not stop Jesus from revealing
hard truths, so neither will I let it stop me.
Since at its root, the problem is a
spiritual one requiring spiritual discernment, the spiritually blind will not be
able to see it, the haters will deny and mock it (and me) and the
spiritual cowards will refuse to acknowledge it nor will they stand up for
the truth. During the holocaust the German church was
largely silent as was the
Pope. But this is not a time to be silent. After the holocaust,
the Jews, and all who supported them proclaimed "Never again!" Now
is the time to re-iterate that commitment and stand against an evil
that seeks to wipe out the entire nation of Israel, and kill every
last Jew. Now is the time to find out what you would have done
during the holocaust. Will you be like the many churches and people who
remained silent and did nothing as the atrocities progressed (First
they came for...); or will you be like Dietrich Bonheoffer and
speak against it and do what you can now to stand against it? Now is the
time.
Never again is now. If you've said those words and meant it,
now is the time to show it.
Red Herrings and other Misses
Many have pointed out facets and
symptoms of the problem which, while true, miss getting at the root of the
issue.
Dennis Prager in his PragerU video
"The Middle
East Problem" points out the result of the problem: "One side
[Arabs and Islamists] wants the other side [Jews] dead." And with
the death of the Jews would come the elimination of the nation of
Israel. But that is a result or a symptom of the problem, that
is not the root of the problem.
Many consider the root of the problem to be the
fight over the control of the strip of land that has always been
Israel's homeland, both in Biblical times as well as in modern
times, with many suggesting a two state solution to resolve the
problem. Though the land legitimately belongs to Israel both by
virtue of the fact that God, the creator (Gen 1.1) who owns
everything (Ps 24.1) gave it to the Jews in perpetuity (Gen 12.7,
13.15, 15.7, 15.18, 17.8, Eze 37.25, et. al.); and also by fact that
Israel won two wars[1] confirming both their right to the land and to
exist as a nation. (In passing, the right to exist is a God given
right and doesn't need to be "won", but for those who think it does,
Israel won the wars. And like elections, wars have consequences.)
Nevertheless, though they have all rights to the land, in order to obtain
peace, Israel has gone along with offers to split up the land.
Others point to the false claim
that Israel is "occupying" Palestinian Land. That's another red
herring. In the first place, countries don't illegitimately occupy
land that is legitimately theirs. The land is legitimately Israel's
as pointed out above. And secondly, as Dennis Prager points out at
the end of his "The Middle
East Problem" the Palestinians do not now, now have they ever had
their own land. They have nothing up on which to base their claim.
Just as, if I walk over to your car, sit on the hood and
claim it as mine, that does not actually make it mine, no matter how
loudly I yell and scream or threaten to kill (or actually kill). I
would have no legitimate claim on your car, and those who think I do
would be just as deceived and wrong as I would be.
Pretexts for War
But the land is merely a pretext
for the killing of Jews. Likewise for the false claim of Israel
"occupying" the land. Both are mere pretexts.
Hamas and the Palestinians don't merely want part of the land. We know
because they've rejected
five offers to split up the land [2] with the only condition
being they will accept Israel's
right to exist and maintain peace. But they don't want part of the
land, they want all of it, and more importantly, they want
Israel and all Jews dead.[3]
If not the land, and not the so
called "occupation", if bother are pretexts, then what is the
issue? Why this hatred of Jews that has resulted in many attempts to
annihilate them? (Haman, Hitler, Hamas among others.) Let's get to
it then.
The Ultimate Proxy War
With the U.S. engaged in war with Russia by proxy via Ukraine we've
all become familiar with the concept of a proxy war. I define it and list current
ones in my article "Proxy
Wars." And now with Hamas' terrorist attack on innocent Jews in
their homes, while at a concert, or as they go about their daily lives, this
is the most graphic illustration of the proxy war whose root is a
spiritual one.
At the root of the satanic hatred
and desire for the destruction of the Jews, is the satanic hatred
and desire for the destruction of God. But satan cannot harm God. Nor
can he overthrow God and take God's throne. He tried and failed
miserably, for which God cast him out of heaven. (Is 14.12-15) Since
satan cannot harm the being of the eternal, omnipotent God in any
way, he has resorted to harming and attempting to destroy that which
God loves best - the pinnacle of God's creation - humans.
And to really spite God, and
demonstrate his contempt for God, satan targets the people most
identified with God: the Jews. God's covenant with the Jewish
people, identified by what theologians call the "covenant formula"
is repeated throughout the old testament and identifies God with the
Jews, and Jews with God. In that "formula", God says:
"I will be your God, and you will be my people." (Jer 7.23 - also Ex
6.7, Jer 11.4, 30.22, Eze 36.28, 37.23, et. al.)
God made it clear that he is as
identified with the Jews as Christ is identified with Christians.
(Acts 9.4)
So while satan cannot harm God, he can harm those with whom God is
identified. And as is clearly apparent with Hamas' attack on Israel,
not only does satan want to kill Jews, he wants to torture,
humiliate and degrade them. All the things satan wants to do to God
but cannot, he directs instead to the Jews. This is the hidden
reason for the war: the satanic hatred of God which is expressed as
hatred towards the Jews.
The hatred has been
there since the Garden of Eden (Gen 3.15), was renewed at the birth
of the Messiah (Rev 12.13) and satan's proxy war against God will
be waged against both Jews and those obedient to God (Rev 12.17)
until Messiah comes and destroys both the Anti-Christ (2 Thess 2.8)
first,
and much later Satan himself (Rev 20.10). Until satan is thrown in
the lake a fire, he is free to prosecute his proxy war against God
via attacks on God's people. (Except for the thousand year reign of
Messiah on earth during which he is
locked up by God - Rev 20.1-3)
What to Expect
Given satan's on-going proxy war
against God via the Jews, what can we expect concerning the ongoing
conflict?
1. There will be no peace between
the
followers of satan (Islam, Hamas, etc.) and Israel. This is true
both because it is satanically inspired; and also because satan has hardened the
hearts of those he's deceived to not even consider peace, which is
reflected in the famous three "Nos" issued by the Arab states
surrounding Israel after the 1967 Arab League conference (after they
had lost in humiliating fashion the Six Day war) in which they declared:
No peace with Israel
No Recognition of Israel
No Negotiations with Israel [4]
2. Even if Israel achieves her
military objective and kills every Hamas operator, that will not
bring peace because Israel is surround by Arab nations with a satan
inspired hatred of Israel. Satan will continue to inspire hatred of
the Jews to prosecute his proxy war against God until God locks him
up for the millennial rule of Christ (Rev 20.2-3, and then ultimately casts satan into the lake of fire. (Zec
14.4, Rev 20.10)
3. Don't expect the hatred
to remain directed only at Israel. Israel's war is not just
Israel's: it's satan's proxy war
against God. Therefore anyone identified with God is a target of this war. That includes you, Christian; and you, America which despite current lies
told about her, was founded as a Christian Nation.[5]
Islamists know this even if some Americans deny it. America and
her Christians may not have been hit yet in this latest iteration
yet, but with Biden's open border and millions of illegal aliens pouring across
(in the illegal attempt to have eternal stolen elections), among the
millions of illegals are no
doubt Hamas combatants and other haters of God, it is
merely a matter of time before similar
attacks appear in America.
4. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39
foretell a massive war against Israel, led by an enemy to the north
- with all the nations surrounding her (that would be the Arab nations that
hate her) and no one to help her. At that time God
himself, the God who identifies with Israel, will deliver Israel, destroying Israel's enemies. (Rev
19.19-20.10) God tells
the enemies of Israel - those pursuing the proxy war against him via
Israel:
4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your
troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all
kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals.
...
7 "'I will make known my holy
name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name
be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the
Holy One in Israel.
8 It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the
Sovereign LORD. This is the day I have spoken of.
(Eze 39. 4, 7-8)
What You should
Do
1. Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem
Scripture exhorts
us: "Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure."
(Psa 122:6)
2. Stand for the
rights of Israel - both to live, and to live in the land God gave
them. Correct those telling lies about "occupation."
3. For those who
have cheered the murderous Hamas terrorists: repent, confess and turn
to the Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth. If you do not, I give you the same advice Gamaliel gave
to the Sanhedrin when they were persecuting the apostles of the
Messiah. Merely
substitute "Israel" for "these men":
38 Therefore,
in the present case I advise you: Leave [these men] alone! Let them go!
For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men;
you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
Acts 5.38-39
Speaking to the haters of Israel, if it isn't apparent to you yet,
you have not been able to, and you will not be able to destroy the
nation of Israel. These should be signs to you: the
re-establishment of the Jewish nation after 2,000 years, in
fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 and the miraculous win in
the wars Israel fought in 1947 and 1967. All were made possible
because the God who is identified with Israel, against whom you are
fighting made them happen. All are acts of God. If you
do not cease your fight against Israel, you will find you have been
fighting in a proxy war
against God. And for unbelievers doing so, as the writer of the book of
Hebrews says:
"It is a
dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
(Heb 10:31)
But you can
prevent that. Turn to Messiah Yeshua - Jesus the Christ, and pray for the
peace of Jerusalem.
Duane Caldwell |
October 30, 2023
Recommending Resources
Why Isn't There a Palestinian State?, PragerU, David
Brog, Mar 27, 2017
https://www.prageru.com/video/why-isnt-there-a-palestinian-state
The Middle East Problem, PragerU, Dennis Prager, Apr 28,
2014,
https://www.prageru.com/video/the-middle-east-problem
Israel at War: Truth Behind the Headlines,
Logos Research Associates - Dr Randall Price hosted by Dr John
Sanford, Oct 25, 2023,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQ0Pbs1GBg
The 3 Big Lies About Israel And Hamas
The Ben Shapiro Show, Episode 1835, Oct 24, 2023
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1835-the-3-big-lies-about-israel-and-hamas3
Notes
1.
Two wars won: in 1947 the
war that proceeded the founding of the modern state of Israel, and
the "Six Day War" in 1967.
For an overview of modern Israeli history showing how Israel is the
legitimate "owner" (in quotes since it is God who owns everything)
of the land Israel and the above referenced wars, see the PragerU
video, "Why Is There No Palestinian State", David Brog, 2017,
https://www.prageru.com/video/why-isnt-there-a-palestinian-state
Back
2. Five offers rejected by Hamas to split up the
land:
-
Offer Number One — 1937. The Peel Partition Plan. The British
offered to divide Palestine into a Jewish State (20 percent) and
an Arab State (70 percent) with 10 percent or so to be retained
by Britain. The Zionists approved partition but asked for a
larger percentage. The Arabs of Palestine and beyond completely
rejected the idea of partition.
-
Offer Number Two — 1947. The United Nations Partition Plan. The
UN offered to divide Palestine 50/50 into a Jewish State and an
Arab State. The Jews said yes. The Arabs rejected partition and
launched a war to destroy the Jewish state.
-
Offer Number Three — 1967. Israel won the Six-Day War and
conquered the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria). Shortly
thereafter, the Israeli cabinet split between those who wanted
to return the “West Bank” to Jordan and those who wanted to give
it to the Palestinians. In September, the Arab League issued its
three no’s: “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no
negotiations with it.” That ended the debate over the West Bank.
-
Offer Number Four — 2000. At Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat all of Gaza, Arab East
Jerusalem and approximately 94 percent of the West Bank with
some land swaps from Israel. Arafat said no. Shortly thereafter,
the bloody second intifada was launched and over a thousand
Israelis were killed in terror attacks.
-
Offer Number Five — 2008. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
offered Mahmoud Abbas all of Arab East Jerusalem and
approximately 96 percent of the West Bank with land swaps from
Israel proper equal to the remaining 4 percent. Gaza had already
been given to the Palestinians in 2005. Abbas asked for time to
think about the offer. He never got back to Olmert.
Jim Garlow, "Understanding
Israel’s War, Part 7: Why Not Just Split the Land?" The Stream, May
22, 2021,
https://stream.org/understanding-israels-war-part-7-why-not-just-split-the-land/
On rejecting 5 offers, see also the PragerU video "Why is there No
Palestinian State
https://www.prageru.com/video/why-isnt-there-a-palestinian-state
Back
3. "The Palestinian Authority
does not want some land. They want all the land. With the Jews gone.
You cannot negotiate with people who want you dead."
Garlow - Understanding Israel's War, Part 7
Back
4. Overview of the 3 No's:
PragerU video "Why is there No
Palestinian State", David Brog, PragerU.com, Mar 27, 2017
https://www.prageru.com/video/why-isnt-there-a-palestinian-state
at 3:15
Back
5. America was founded as a
Christian nation. For evidence see:
David Barton, The Myth of Separation, Aledo, Texas:
Wallbuilder Press, 1991
Back
