COMMENTARY by Ray Bentley
WHAT ABOUT THE PALESTINIANS?

Peace in the Middle East will only be realized when certain conditions are met. 

Itƒ_Ts no secret that I love Israel, her people, and the heritage they bring to the Christian faith.  I am an ardent supporter of Israel and have actively pursued efforts to build a relationship with the Jewish people and to support their causes.  I was not in favor of Israel giving up the Gaza strip recently, and said so.

I received a very sincere note from a reader afterward who has lived in the Middle East and asked:

ƒ_oWhat about the Palestinians?   Are we supposed to not strive for some peace in the Middle East as Christians?  Or just let Israel take more land and leave more refugees without a homeland.  I think it is wise for Bush to propose some sort of road map for the Middle East and for Israel and the Palestinians to agree on the Gaza Strip...we, as Christians, should pray that the turnover of Gaza be a peaceful time and there won't be any blood shed on either side.ƒ__

After thanking her for her letter, I responded with what I believe is the Biblical explanation, which, as a Christian pastor, is the foundation for my opinion.

We have some dear Christian Arab brothers who have a church in Nazareth, considered a Palestinian territory.  Right now, the majority of Nazarenes are Arabs, about 35-40% of whom are Christians and the rest Muslims.1  We are helping our friends to share the Gospel there, in Jesusƒ_T own hometown, where they have recreated ƒ_oNazareth Village,ƒ__ bringing to life a farm and Galilean village, as it was 2,000 years ago.  Many Jewish as well as Muslim children (over 800) have visited and heard about Jesus and His love for them.  I say all this to tell you that Christians have great sympathy and love for the Palestinian people.

As for peace in the Middle East, that will only come when certain conditions are met. 

The land of Israel is a special place. God has chosen it for Himself. He calls it ƒ_oMy land.ƒ__ For God, it is the center of the earth (Ezekiel 38:1-12).  He formed a covenant with this land and its people, which we recognize as the Abrahamic Covenant, found in Genesis 12:1-3:

ƒ_oNow the Lord had said to Abram:

"Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The first step of Abramƒ_Ts walk of faith was to leave the physical, geographical location where he lived and go to the land that God had chosen for him and his descendants. It was only by going to the land that Abram would receive the promises of God (Genesis 15:7 NIV). He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

Later we read in Leviticus 25:23, ƒ_o'The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Meƒ__ (NKJV).

The reason that God will not allow the land to be shared was explained by Isaiah:  "This is what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Who else can tell you what is going to happen in the days ahead? Let them tell you if they can and thus prove their power. Let them do as I have done since ancient times. Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Have I not proclaimed from ages past what my purposes are for you? You are my witnesses--is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock--not one!" (Isaiah 44:6-8 NLT).

Was this giving of the land for only ancient times? Again, we find the answer in the Abrahamic Covenant:  "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:8 NKJV).

I asked our friends in Nazareth how they feel about the land in which they live and the conflict constantly surrounding them.  They replied that it would be a lot easier to just accept ƒ_oreplacement theology.ƒ__  That is, the belief that when Jesus came to earth the first time, Godƒ_Ts covenant with Israel ended, and the Christian Church replaced Israel as Godƒ_Ts instrument for blessing and redeeming the world.

But these Arab believers told me that they just cannot do that and be true to what the Bible says.  At the same time, they are reaching out to Messianic Jews in the area, building a bridge of friendship and fellowship, founded on their faith in Jesus.  One of their daughters came to them and said she wanted to be baptized ƒ_"but by a Messianic Rabbi as well as one of their own ministers. This created quite a debate within the Christian Arab community.  The elders decided to pray about it, which they did, together, and soon realized this young womanƒ_Ts request was from the Lord.  They cautiously approached a Messianic Rabbi, and both congregations came together at the river for a joint baptism.  In Messiah Jesus, they were united as brothers and sisters, and God began a deep healing in their lives.

The Conditions for Peace

I know that we all are praying for the peace of Jerusalem, but that peace will only be realized when the world finally recognizes the Abrahamic Covenant.  The withdrawal from Gaza is in disobedience to Godƒ_Ts Covenant with Abraham. Therefore, the result will be greater violence, and not peace.  Obadiah 1:10,15 predicted exactly what would happen: ƒ_oBecause of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever...The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own headƒ__ (NIV).

This passage in Obadiah was not meant just for ancient times.  The reference to the ƒ_oday of the LORDƒ__ refers to the future, our time, waiting for the Lordƒ_Ts return.

God says that Israel is ƒ_oMy Land,ƒ__ and He chose to give it to the people of Israel. He says that He will destroy every nation that fights against that. The Bible tells us that at the end of the age the nations will defy God, or at least try:  ƒ_oIn those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my landƒ__ (Joel 3:1-2 NIV).

I believe this age will end with a battle for Jerusalem. That is when Messiah Jesus will show up: ƒ_oThen the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving southƒ_ÝThis is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalemƒ_Ý Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rainƒ__ (Zechariah 14:3-4,12,16-17, NIV).

To deny the LORD His inheritance in Israel is to reject Him as the sovereign Lord of all the earth:  ƒ_oWhen the Most High gave the [Gentiles] nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, He set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritanceƒ__ (Deuteronomy 32:8-9, NIV).

What an exciting time we are living in!  God is answering the prayers of His people who prayed for thousands of years, ƒ_oYour kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heavenƒ__ (Matthew 6:10 NKJV).

May we all continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because only then, will there be peace on earth.

Pastor Ray Bentley

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareth

As always, we welcome your comments:  media@maranathachapel.org