The Signs of the Times (29): Palestine

“He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the promise He made, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’”
Psalm 105:7-11 (NIV)

The name ‘Palestine’ does not appear in the Bible. In the Bible the Promised Land is called ‘Canaan’ or ‘Israel’. The name ‘Palestine’ was given to this area by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the year 135 AD. He hated the Jews so much that he decided to no longer call his Roman Province ‘Israel’, but ‘Palestine’ – deliberately named after Israel’s archenemies: the Philistines. And to Jerusalem he gave the name: ‘Aelia Capitolina’.

Whoever follows the developments in the Middle East, will not have missed that in November of 2012 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution by a large majority (139 in favour – 9 against – 35 abstentions – but he who abstains from vote, silently agrees) in which ‘the Palestinians’ were granted the status of a Palestinian State that may attend the UN General Assembly as an observer. It appears to be a victory for human rights, but at its core it means a reward for hatred and terror – and it sacrifices the right of the Jewish people to live in peace and safety. The nations who voted in favour, as well as the nations who abstained from voting are responsible for this. And the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who assaults – directly or indirectly – His firstborn son Israel. (Matthew 25:31-34, 41)

The nations of this world seem not to have the faintest idea of the depth, the root and the heart of this deeply spiritual conflict. They seem to not realize that the leaders of ‘the Palestinians’ and their Islamic allies are simply out to destroy the Jewish State of Israel. These leaders and their allies do not acknowledge the legitimacy of the Jewish State of Israel. And they are also not interested in a two-state solution.

In the end they have a different agenda: a Jew-free, entirely Arab Muslim state of Palestine, on the whole territory of present-day Israel, including the entire city of Jerusalem. The currently proposed ‘Palestinian State’ on the West Bank of the Jordan, Gaza and East-Jerusalem, is only the first step of their strategy. They are taking things little by little, but in the end they want it all. But if you believe the Bible, then you know that they themselves will one day become the greatest victim of this endeavour.

Christians should be praying for the restorations of the Jewish Nation, for the reestablishment of David’s fallen tent (Acts 15:16-17), for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), and for the coming of the Prince of Peace to Jerusalem and His kingdom of peace and righteousness (Luke 1:33).

Christians should also be praying for Egypt, Syria and all Arabic neighbouring countries, so that God’s promises of salvation will also be fulfilled to them. (Isaiah 19:23-25).

Christians should be praying for their churches and governments, so that the blindness will disappear, and Christians and the governments of the nations will start to bless Israel instead of cursing with devout words.