"He will raise a flag among the nations for Israel to rally around. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12, NLT)

This coming week Israel celebrates her 70^th anniversary. To help you as you meditate on the incredible miracle that God has done in restoring his covenant people to their ancient Land, here is a roundup of celebratory articles, videos and music.

Articles and Photography Projects

• Stunning ‘then and now’ photos of Jerusalem: here
  
• A timeline of key moments in Israel’s modern history: here
  
• The Zionist Federation and Christian Friends of Israel catalogue 70 of Israel’s most celebrated achievements in its 70 years: here
  
• Israel Rising: A new photojournalism book comparing early 20^th Century photos of Israel with modern shots from the same angle, showing how much the country has been transformed. Find out more here.
  
• Article looking at the spiritual restoration of Israel and the growth of Messianic congregations: here
  
• Online exhibition of photographs spanning 1948-2018: here
  
• Peace in the Land: First Fruits of Zion look at what it will take to bring real and lasting peace to Israel: here
  

Videos

• Rabbi Jonathan Sacks presents Israel’s restoration in 90 seconds: here
  
• Archive footage of Israel’s rebirth in 1948 (c. 4 mins): here
  
• Mass scratch choirs in Israel perform moving songs for Israel’s 70^th, brought together by Koolulam: here, and one featuring Holocaust survivors here.
  
• Popular Israeli band The Maccabeats perform Megillat Ha'atzmaut – a song drawing lyrics from Israel’s Proclamation of Independence (c. 5 mins): here
  
• Israel Unveiled: a series of half-hour teaching videos with Messianic Jew Amir Tsarfati, on location in Israel and featuring beautiful shots of the Land: here
  
• An overview of Israel’s restoration from the Mizrachi World Movement (international Jewish Zionist organisation) (c. 7 mins): here
  
• The Jewish Agency for Israel reflects on 70 years of Aliyah: here
  
• A catalogue of media reports and documentary snippets showing Israel’s achievements (c. 11 minutes): here
  
• Highlights from the Bnei Akiva UK's Yom Ha'atzmaut service (c. 7 mins): here
  

The behind-the-scenes intercession that helped change history.

The year is 1879. A boy is born, the sixth of 11 children, to a mining family in the village of Brynammon in South Wales. This was Rees Howells who, from this humble background, was to become one of those privileged people whom the Lord raised up in a personal way and to whom was given great responsibility.

It is a story that would not have been generally known but for the determination of Norman Grubb, a friend from World Evangelisation Crusade (WEC), to record it in the book Rees Howells Intercessor.

There are risks involved in making a hidden work public. Just as Gideon’s ephod became an object of idolatry in the days of the Judges, after the mighty victory of God over the Midianites, so we must not look too much to the man and not enough to God. Yet, in this year of the celebration of 70 years of Israel being reborn, perhaps the greatest sign of the times, it is good to revisit the testimony of prayer that accompanied the work of God to bring this miracle about.

Learning Humility

Rees Howells was a humble man, broken by the Lord for his own purposes. He faced simple challenges in his early days - challenges as simple as breaking convention and not wearing a cap on an outdoor walk, through to bringing tramps into his home, so that Rees could be a God-pleaser and not a man-pleaser.

Later his experiences on the mission fields and during the time of 1904 Welsh revival showed him the mighty working of God. He learned how to live by faith in all things.

As we celebrate 70 years of Israel re-born, it is good to revisit the testimony of prayer that accompanied the work of God to bring this about.

All this gradually prepared him to establish a small Bible college in Swansea in the days leading up to the Second World War, when the Lord provided all he needed despite the great financial recession of the times. It was a work of God and it would be a close walk with God through the troubled times of the coming war and thereafter.

The Bible College of Wales. See Photo Credits.The College was a training ground for young missionaries and also a base for intercessory prayer, where a small staff held regular meetings as a second war with Germany seemed to be approaching. It is not widely known that Rees Howells made a mistake of judgment at the time. He believed that God would not let the dictators wage war.

God allowed him to believe this and even speak ‘prophetically’ through a book that he published denouncing the dictators and proclaiming what turned out to be a false prophecy. I mention this so we can retain a good balance, seeing what then followed as being more of God than of man. Rees Howells must have gone through those war years even more broken and humbled, after this mistake of judgment.

The War Years

When war did break out, every campaign of the Allies was followed in prayer and victories first proclaimed through prophetic intercessory prayer were then realised in the physical victories. Norman Grubb’s book majors on those war years and the intercessory prayers that arose in a unique way throughout the war. It is worth reading again at this time.

I am glad to have had the privilege of joining the ministry of the Bible College of Wales in its later years, when Rees Howells’ son was the Director. A remnant of the intercessory team of the war years still survived, especially Dr Kingsley Priddy, who had been a right-hand man to Rees Howells and who became a father in prayer to me. I had the privilege of personal discussions to supplement what can be found in Norman Grubbs’ book.

Rees Howells was a humble man, broken by the Lord for his own purposes.

Especial and relevant insights relate to the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. Samuel Howells told me how his father once came out of his prayer room and, ashen faced, announced that God had asked him to take responsibility in prayer for the Jews in the death camps. While the war was raging, and Britain was fighting for its own survival, few people at the time understood that satan through Hitler had a central objective of destroying the Jews.

Rees Howells knew how deep this call to prayer would take him, but he said to his son, in faltering voice, that he had accepted the commission. So began the intercessory ministry that was indeed a major part of the war – the spiritual war also raging at the time.

These are hard things to understand and we know how the Holocaust (HaShoah, as it is known to Jews) has impacted the Jewish world, not just during the war years but right through to our day. This event has challenged both Jewish and Christian theology.

Interceding for Israel

The prayers continued after the Second World War was over, and as the news that the Jews might regain their homeland became known. Kingsley Priddy told me how the college was brought to prayer at the time when the United Nations were voting for the partition of Palestine. They saw, in vision, angels surrounding the UN building and they proclaimed victory in faith even before the vote was taken, which despite Britain’s abstention was passed so that Israel would once more be reborn as a nation in their own land.

It is important to mention the path of prayer to this event, which we now, both Christians and Jews, celebrate 70 years later. God calls us into partnership in prayer, not that we should exalt ourselves but that we might know, prophetically, that this was his work. It is not as a result of a political manoeuvre that Israel is back in the Land: it was an act of God.

God calls us into partnership in prayer, not that we should exalt ourselves but that we might know, prophetically, that this was his work.

For the Jews it was at tremendous cost, and we are still trying to understand this. For those who prayed it was a deeply tiring work. Samuel Howells pointed out to me that his father was a robust man but that he died relatively young - his life being foreshortened through those years of intense intercessory prayer.

Our Calling

The Jewish world should know that it was a task given to Christians to pray for the prophetic fulfilment of their return to the Land, and for Christians to know their ongoing responsibility in prayer. God is still working out his prophetic purposes, which will result finally in the return of our Jewish Messiah Yeshua HaMashiach.

God is preparing the way for the Jews’ return to him - the return to the Land being a significant but not final step in this process. He is calling for a refinement of all his people according to Paul’s metaphor of the One New Man.

The day for intercessory prayer - our prophetic partnership with God - continues today. The call is as deep as it always was and the cost is also to be weighed in obeying the call, but call there is. Let us listen and obey as did those who went before us.

British delegation repents over shameful episode

A dark shadow of imminent war hangs over Israel’s 70^th anniversary celebrations, just as it had done at the nation’s re-birth in 1948.

President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran hastened the prospect of the rogue state taking out its frustration on Israel for striking its military installations in Syria.

In the latest incident (on Tuesday night), at least nine Iranian soldiers are reported to have been killed.¹ And in the early hours of Thursday, the IDF launched an unprecedented massive air strike destroying Iranian and Syrian targets in response to a barrage of rockets fired from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Britain’s Shameful Past

Also coinciding with what should have been a joyful birthday is an event recalling a very sad – indeed shameful – episode in Britain’s history.

At a special ceremony organised by Love Never Fails (an alliance of Christian groups supporting the Jewish state) and held today in Atlit, near the port of Haifa, Israelis spoke of how they suffered at the time and UK representatives responded with expressions of sorrow for our failures both then and now.

Granted a League of Nations mandate to prepare a safe homeland for Jews, we instead severely restricted immigration just when it was needed most during the Nazi genocide.

A dark shadow of imminent war hangs over Israel’s 70^th celebrations, just as it had done at the nation’s re-birth in 1948.

Atlit detention camp, Israel.And in the immediate aftermath of World War II, we shattered the hopes of traumatised survivors by turning their ships away or by herding them into detention camps. Some were even sent back to Germany where millions of their fellow Jews had been slaughtered.

Thousands of Jewish refugees were held in the Atlit Camp, interred behind barbed wire complete with watchtowers – and this in their own land, promised by Britain in 1917.

Declaration of Sorrow

As part of a prepared declaration of sorrow, the UK delegation told their Jewish friends: “We grieve that [Britain’s policies] led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews who could have escaped Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’ if the gates to their ancient homeland had been fully open.”

And they added: “We are deeply sorry that our nation caused indescribable distress to untold numbers of your people and their surviving families, and that as a nation we dared to stand against the purpose of Almighty God to restore you to Eretz [the land of] Israel.”

A particularly shocking incident – on 18 July 1947 – involved an attack by British forces on a ship carrying 4,515 Holocaust survivors, spraying fuel and throwing smoke bombs in order to deter the immigrants from landing.

In the aftermath of World War II, Britain shattered the hopes of traumatised survivors by turning their ships away or herding them into detention camps.

I have touched on this and many other aspects of Britain’s role with Israel in my new book, A Nation Reborn (Christian Publications International, 2018).

As Italian author Edda Fogarollo put it: “Quite apart from the suffering experienced by these exiles during the Nazi atrocities, they also had to face the humiliation of having hoped in vain for freedom as their dream turned into a nightmare. After seizing the ship, the British re-routed it back to Europe – to the former concentration camp of Poppendorf, near Hamburg, of all places!”²

Called to Comfort and Bless

One of our great callings as Gentile Christians is to bring comfort to God’s chosen people, who have experienced so much suffering at the hands of those who hate them, just as Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was despised and rejected of men.

Like him, they were led like lambs to the slaughter during the Holocaust – and we too have blood on our hands, having played our part in causing them to suffer such terrible grief and horror. For that we must repent.

Yet out of the ashes – a valley of dry bones – rose a new nation reflecting something of the resurrection power of Christ. Surviving a series of wars against overwhelming odds to emerge as a world leader in hi-tech innovation and much else besides has been nothing short of miraculous. They are even first on the scene of major disasters to help other nations in distress while their doctors treat the wounded among their enemies.

And they have been so keen to live at peace with their neighbours that they have given up land to which they were legally entitled. But that hasn’t proved enough for Iran and its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, who have vowed to wipe Israel off the map.

However, God has not called us to join the UN-sponsored chorus of disapproval, but to “Comfort, comfort my people…” and tell them that “her sin has been paid for…” (Isa 40:1f).

Out of the ashes – a valley of dry bones – rose a new nation reflecting something of the resurrection power of Christ.

Not only must we bless and support them, but we are especially charged to tell them that their sins have been paid for – in other words, that the Lord Jesus, whom we Christians serve, also died for them. We have the awesome privilege of sharing the good news that our beloved Christ is their Messiah, who came to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Furious Battle

But a furious battle for truth rages on as belligerent rioters further inflame tensions on the Gaza border in the mistaken belief that they have been robbed of their land and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is forced to counter Iranian propaganda about their nuclear programme.

Citing intelligence reports, he said Iran had lied about never having pursued nuclear weapons and had continued to preserve and expand its knowledge of the same even after signing the 2015 deal with global powers designed to curb Iranian capabilities.³

The Bible clearly speaks of such deceit, thus: “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies” (Ps 5:9).

All who desire to follow the truth – specifically manifested in Jesus Christ (John 14:6) – must surely see where the path leads.

References

1 Several Iranian soldiers killed in Israeli strike in Syria. World Israel News, 9 May 2018.

2 Towards the Establishment of the State of Israel, Christians for Israel.

3 JNN, 1 May 2018, quoting Reuters.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Why Still Care About Israel?’ by Sandra Teplinsky (Chosen, 2013).

Anti-Semitism threatens to spoil big birthday party

Just as news was coming through of failed talks between Jewish leaders and Britain’s Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn, I was watching a TV presenter telling the harrowing story of anti-Semitic butchery in the land of his great-grandparents.

Following yet another debate on the subject in Parliament, during which Jewish Labour MPs received standing ovations after giving testimony to the flak they have had to endure, Mr Corbyn met with representatives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.

But they were not happy with the result. In a joint statement, they said he had refused to agree to any of their demands, which included banning MPs from appearing with members under investigation by the party on the issue.

Empty Words

Members of the Board of Deputies feed back to the press after Corbyn's meeting with Jewish leaders. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/PA ImagesMr Corbyn consistently acts and speaks as though he is the innocent party in all this, committing himself to strong statements of support for the Jewish community without being able to back it up with action.

That is surely because his hard-left agenda has attracted a swathe of followers who are, by definition, natural allies of those who hate Israel which, ironically, also includes far-right extremists and terror groups committed to the Jewish state’s destruction – an unholy alliance, if ever there was one.

Quite a tricky corner from which to extricate himself, really, barring an epiphany of sorts. And we can certainly pray for that.

Television presenter Simon Schama, meanwhile, used some grisly historical facts to illustrate the depravity of anti-Semites who, in the Russian pogrom of 1905, mercilessly decapitated Jewish people and tore their children apart limb from limb.

In the penultimate episode of The Story of the Jews on BBC4, he traced the history of his people in that part of the world; how they were forced to live in rural communities so that they were unable to compete with Gentile city businessmen. But they made the most of life and worked for the benefit of each other while always living in fear of assault – just for being Jewish.

Mr Corbyn consistently acts and speaks as though he is the innocent party, saying he supports the Jewish community but not backing it up with action.

Somewhere…

Fortunately, many were able to escape to America which, with Zion not yet an option, became their New World paradise.

Some 2,500,000 Jews from Eastern Europe sailed to New York from the 1880s to 1920s and, in a substantial way, helped to build modern America – even shaping the emerging film industry in Hollywood and writing ‘the Great American Songbook’. In the latter case, the lyrics often reflected their own longing for peace and safety. In the hit Broadway musical West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein (the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia) and fellow Jew Stephen Sondheim would compose: “There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us, peace and quiet and open air, wait for us somewhere…”

Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) reflected the same sentiment: “Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high; there’s a land that I’ve heard of, once in a lullaby…Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

Yet just as Yip Harburg collected his Oscar for the song in 1940, the Nazi reign of terror was about to be unleashed in Europe with demonic fury.

Action, Not Appeasement

If we claim to be a civilised society, then words from Mr Corbyn are not enough. Action is required. I’m sure he doesn’t want to find himself backing the wrong side in a Middle East conflict that might erupt at any moment.

For just as Jerusalem reverberates to the sound of singing and dancing in celebration of 70 years as a nation, threats to Israel’s existence are as belligerent as ever. They are surrounded by implacable enemies – specifically Hezbollah to the north and Hamas to the south – with sponsors Iran vowing to wipe the Jewish state off the map.

If we claim to be a civilised society, then words from Mr Corbyn are not enough. Action is required.

More worryingly, the Ayatollahs are infuriated by Israeli attacks on military targets in Syria designed to deter any further incursion of Iranian influence in the region.

Adding to the toxic mix is the involvement of Russia. So it could all blow up in our faces. Therefore, cool heads are called for – but not appeasers backing down at every threat of a dictator. That is why President Trump is such a breath of fresh air, insisting that the nuclear deal agreed by his predecessor must not be extended as it will only further encourage Iran to commit genocide against Israel.

Tearing Up the Rule Book

He has also torn up the ‘rule book’ of Middle East diplomacy by ceasing to refer to Judea and Samaria as ‘occupied’ territories, infuriating the Palestinians in the process. As with the reality of recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the President is simply going a step further by bringing down the curtain on the fantasy world of Palestinian claims to the land.

The mountains of Samaria represent the heart of Israel; here is a view of ancient Shechem (now known as Nablus), home of Jacob's Well and Joseph's Tomb. Picture: Charles GardnerThey flatly refused the offer (of these territories) as part of the UN’s Partition Plan in 1947, Jordan then illegally annexed it during the 1948 War of Independence, and Israel took it back in 1967.

The mountains of Judea and Samaria represent the heart of Israel. Far from inflaming the situation, President Trump’s recognition of this disputed territory as belonging to Israel paves the way for practical thinking in the real world. Here is a President who will not buckle under pressure, but does want to see real peace. No amount of compromise over these past 70 years has ultimately done the trick.

Let’s pray for the peace of Jerusalem – and that Israelis will be able to celebrate their 70^th birthday in the perfect safety and unbridled joy that has so long eluded them.

Paul Luckraft reviews two books on Israel's restoration.

Over the next few weeks we will be reviewing a number of classic books on the subject of Israel and her restoration, ahead of the 70^th anniversary celebrations in May.

This week, Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Does God Play Favourites?’ by Jim Gerrish and ‘Your People Shall Be My People’ by Don Finto. Please see the base of page for ordering information.

Does God Play Favourites? (Gerrish, 353pp, Cornerstone, 2000)

Despite being nearly 20 years old now, this book is a real treasure trove. It has a wide scope and is packed with useful information on every aspect of God’s unique relationship with Israel.

The author contends that the miraculous work of God in restoring the nation of Israel is something that Christians today have to consider if they are to gain any understanding of the purposes of God as outlined in Scripture. He draws on many years of experience and biblical study to present a significant account of why Israel is special. He accepts that spiritually Israel is only partially restored but she has risen from the ashes just as the ancient prophets foretold.

The opening chapters take us through many scriptures to explain how and why this has happened.

Encyclopaedic in Scope and Depth

Later chapters cover the rise of Islam and its impact upon Israel and the Church, the story of how the nation of Israel was reborn, the Jewishness of Jesus and how the Church moved away from its Jewish roots during its early centuries.

The sickness of anti-Semitism is tackled in another chapter, as are the intriguing questions, ‘Is the Messiah restoring Israel?’, ‘Is God a Zionist?’ and ‘Is the Devil angry over Jerusalem?’. The author is clear that “The continual madness and insanity in the Middle East attests to the apparent rage of the devil concerning Israel” (p306). He adds that “No doubt, Satan has found politics a very successful tool in his age-old effort to deprive the children of Israel of their heritage” (p307).

Despite being nearly 20 years old now, this book is a real treasure trove.

The author also considers many of the contemporary aspects which surround Israel in today’s world, namely the refugee problem, the UN and its many resolutions against Israel, and the role of the media.

Each chapter is well thought through and informative - almost encyclopaedic in scope and depth. Everything you could want to know is covered more than adequately. There are also study questions at the end of every chapter, together with excellent endnotes. The book ends with an extensive historical timeline and a full bibliography.

Highly commended.

Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church Will Come Together in the Last Days (Finto, 204pp, Regal, 2001/2016)

This book, updated an expanded in 2016, remains a useful contribution to the literature on how Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church should co-exist now and how, in the words of the subtitle, they will come together in the last days.

The author admits that what he is writing is not always new but he is hopeful that his perspective will add something to those who are already knowledgeable in this area, as well as provide a fresh revelation to others. To this end he achieves his purpose.

The title is taken from the book of Ruth (1:16). The author contends that the Gentile Church should look to her as a role model in terms of commitment to God’s ancient people and a desire to become part of the ‘one new man’ of which Paul speaks (Eph 2:13).

A Remarkable Generation

Part of the fascination of the book is the way the author shows how God has been at work in the past 70 years since Israel became a nation again. He quotes statistics to show that half of those who have ever come to faith in Christ have done so since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 (p43). 

He also sees 1967 (the year when Jerusalem came under Jewish control again) as “the year that brought a change in the heavenlies” (p139). From this time there began to be a noticeable increase of Jewish believers in Jesus. He claims that “since the first century, there has never been a generation that has seen so many Jewish people in so many parts of the world coming to believe in Jesus” (p127).

But as well as proclaiming this good news, the author also makes us aware that “sometime in the future the whole world will take a stand against Israel” (p173). The spiritual battle will intensify. Taking a stand on their behalf is something we need to be preparing for. Here the example of Ruth comes to the fore again.

The book is an easy read and worth trying to pick up second-hand. The overall approach is positive and encouraging. There are good endnotes to each chapter plus an appendix of recommended further reading.

Please click on the following links to purchase the above books:

Does God Play Favourites? (Amazon, second-hand)

Your People Shall Be My People (Amazon, paperback and Kindle)

Here’s hoping and praying the Prince’s visit will usher in a new era of support

No British royal has ever yet made an official visit to Israel. But now that ‘exile’ is about to end, appropriately enough, after 70 years – the period spent in Babylon by the Jews of old.

Prince William, the Queen’s grandson and second in line to the throne, will arrive in the country shortly after the celebrations of the Jewish state’s 70^th anniversary, which is expected to coincide with the controversial US Embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The historic visit will also take in Jordan and the Palestinian territories.

Foreign Office Appeasement

The long exile from the modern Jewish state by British royalty is perhaps complex, but seems to reflect Foreign Office policy, which generally amounts to appeasement of the surrounding Arab nations.

Last year a rumoured visit by Prince Charles, heir to the throne, was reportedly cancelled by the Royal Visits Committee on the grounds that it would “upset Arab nations in the region who regularly host UK royals”.¹

The royal family has historically always rejected Israeli invitations for official state visits, although individual members have visited the country in a personal capacity.²

The long exile from Israel by British royalty reflects Foreign Office policy, which generally amounts to Arab appeasement.

Although the Queen has travelled the world more than most, she has never set foot in Israel, the land which gave birth to the Christian faith she so devoutly follows. Prince Philip’s only trip was in 1994 to attend a ceremony commemorating his mother, Princess Alice, who is buried on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives.

Prince Charles has visited twice to pay respects at state funerals as well as fulfilling a longstanding wish to visit his grandmother’s grave, but these were not considered official tours.³

Royal Righteousness

Princess Alice of Battenburg.

It will be the most high-profile and politically sensitive trip yet for the 35-year-old Duke of Cambridge, and I suspect he too will want to visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, recognised by Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum as ‘righteous among the nations’ for saving a Jewish family during the war.

As Princess of Greece, she hid Jewish widow Rachel Cohen and two of her five children in her home. Rachel’s husband had in 1913 helped King George I of Greece, in return for which the king offered him any service he could perform, should he ever need it.

When the Nazi threat emerged, his son recalled this promise and appealed to the Princess, who duly honoured her father’s pledge.

No doubt it was effectively out of her hands for the Queen to visit the Jewish state this year, but she has done even better than that by remaining a loyal, consistent and outstanding ambassador for the Jewish Messiah, whom she worships with undying devotion.

That said, now that the exile of official British royal visits to the Holy Land is finally over, I pray that our political, diplomatic and spiritual relationship with Israel will reach new heights of understanding and support, and thus bring blessing back on our own beleaguered land, plagued with infighting over Brexit along with threats to our freedom from the hard left and extreme right.

British Betrayal

We have betrayed Israel in her hour of need for long enough. A hundred years ago we were granted the great privilege of restoring Jews to their ancient land through an international treaty (at San Remo in 1920) that recognised their right to such territory.

Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, is counted as ‘righteous among the nations’ and buried on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives.

But in the face of Arab opposition, boosted by riots and massacres, we backed down and thus failed to fully carry out our noble calling. To this day we have kept appeasing those who made the most noise and threats, so that we have even allowed ourselves to be taken in by United Nations-backed Palestinian propaganda downplaying Jewish links to Jerusalem, and the Promised Land as a whole.

So, shamefully, we refused to follow President Trump’s lead in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – it’s been part of Jewish history for 3,500 years while the Palestinians were not even drawn together as a people until recent decades.

In fact, there was a time not long ago when Arabs refused to be known as Palestinians. When 30,000 Jews, along with a few hundred Arabs, volunteered to serve with the British forces during World War II, they were permitted to wear a ‘Palestine’ shoulder patch. But the Arabs wouldn’t wear it: “We are not Palestinians; we are Arabs,” they responded.⁴

Biblical Significance?

The celebrations marking 70 years since Israel’s re-birth on 14 May 1948 are particularly significant as 70 is a number holding great importance in the Bible, of which the exile in Babylon was just one example.
On the other hand, it also has some experts worried as, despite its long history in the land, Israel has only been a united, fully sovereign state (not occupied by foreign armies, for example) on three occasions, lasting an average of 70 years so far!⁵

But the fact that the big birthday will coincide with the US Embassy move to Jerusalem, followed by an official visit from British royalty, is both intriguing and encouraging.

I realise that we now live in a secular humanist environment, but politicians and diplomats would do well to consider the Bible’s recording of God’s word to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…” (Gen 12:3; Num 24:9).

Even more alarming is the stern warning from Isaiah: “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined” (Isa 60:12).

The responsibility for Britain’s fortune or failure will inevitably have much to do with how we treat Israel.

There was a time not long ago when Arabs refused to be known as Palestinians.

Britain at the Crossroads!

We stand at the crossroads with a great opportunity to bless the Jews – to work with them towards a peaceful future in the Middle East or to work against them in appeasement of their enemies as we have done for much of the last century.

Which road will we take? Will we step out in faith – honouring the God of Israel – or succumb to fear of the repercussions?

References

1 Daily Mail, 2 March 2018.

2 Ibid.

3 Torch magazine, Christians United for Israel – UK, Dec 2016-Feb 2017.

4 Whose Land? by Dov Chaikin, Israel Today, January 2018.

5 See ‘How long will Israel’s third kingdom survive?’ Israel Today, December 2017.