David Sudlow examines God's prophetic timeline for Israel.

Understanding God’s prophetic timeline for Israel is key to understanding his plans and purposes for the entire world, especially as the return of Jesus Messiah draws near. But Scripture often communicates this timeline to us using language and imagery that is mysterious.

In this article, David Sudlow, former Director of Christians for Israel (USA), offers his perspective on two such chapters - Ezekiel 38 and 39 – in relation to the current world situation.

His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Prophecy Today Editorial Team, but we believe it is important to open a debate on this subject – so why not discuss David’s article and contribute your own ideas by posting below?

Almost 70 years ago, on 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that called for the creation of a Jewish state. Since then, there has been a converging of events bringing new relevance to many Old and New Testament prophecies.

God is faithful to all His covenant promises to Israel, the Church and his Creation. Great days are ahead for the fulfilling of the Gospel of the Kingdom. As we see God’s great covenant promises coming to pass for His firstborn, Israel; we are assured that our redemption is certain - the Lord’s coming is very near:

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thess 5:2-3)

The fulfilment of any prophecy, however, is dependent upon God’s timing, in his step-by-step master plan of creation and redemption. It is truly a progressive vision. This was true of my heritage as a 5^th-generation Christian Zionist. In the 19^th Century, my forefathers prayed for and then recognised the beginning of the re-gathering of the Jewish people to their historic land of Israel. Today, we see God bringing his prophetic word to a new maturity and we are called afresh to stand for God’s promises for Israel.

But for what are we watching and waiting? What is next on God’s timeline for Israel – and how does that relate to the current world situation?

Stages of Fulfilment

Just as they have been through history, the Jewish people are again at the epicentre of controversy and increasingly are becoming the scapegoat for the world’s woes. Also within this epicentre are Christians, with over 900,000 killed in the last ten years¹ in an increase in persecution which points to the Great Tribulation.

It is evident from the scriptures and recent history that the restoration of the Jews to their own land is to happen in successive stages. We have witnessed the first stage taking place before the second coming of Christ, with a partial restoration: Jews have returned in great numbers to the Land, but not knowing Jesus and facing the evil hatred of their enemies.

The next stage will be total, by the mighty hand of God, and will take place in the final act of Christ’s second coming. Then will Israel be converted unto Him and “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced” and believe that Jesus is the Lord (Zech 12:10).

As we see God’s great covenant promises coming to pass for His firstborn, Israel; we are assured that our redemption is certain.

Gog and Magog War

Through the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord foretold with remarkable clarity what we have seen this century in the re-birth of the Israeli state. From the 36^th chapter of Ezekiel to the end of the book is one great prophecy concerning the restoration of the Jewish nation.

It is in the middle of this prophecy that we see ‘Gog’ coming up against the Jews whilst they are already living in their land. In Ezekiel 36:2, we see the boast of Israel’s enemies: “the high places [that is Jerusalem and the land of Israel] are ours in possession”. Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies a confederacy of nations coming against Israel, in what has become known as the ‘Gog and Magog War’.

But who is Gog, and what is his goal and the goal of those in league with him?

Many ‘end times’ theologians agree – and I would concur - that Russia will be the leading source of the Gog confederacy, while ‘Magog’ refers to the lands from which they come. Using their historic names, Ezekiel clearly describes Russia, Iran, Turkey and others aligned with them in this anti-Israel alliance: “Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah of the North quarters, Persia, Ethiopia and Libya, and many peoples with them” (Ezek 38:5).

Please don’t misinterpret the current crisis in the Middle East as mere political moves. The ‘Gog and Magog War’ appears to be in the birth throes of fulfilment, right before our eyes.

It is evident from the scriptures and recent history that the restoration of the Jews to their own land is to happen in successive stages.

Final Victory

We also know from Ezekiel that Gog will come up against Jerusalem and be defeated by the righteous judgment of God: “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I AM the LORD” (Ezek 38:23).

But this prediction concerning Gog has more to it than just the judgment of God on the armies Russia will bring against Israel.

This war for Jerusalem contains within it a description of the final destruction which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will execute upon the last enemy that comes against Israel in their own land: the final Antichrist, who will be leader of a confederacy of all nations. He will not only be head of the lands depicted as ‘Magog’, but also be in control of all the area which was previously occupied by the four great monarchies foretold by Daniel (Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome) (see also Joel 3:1-2; Rev 19:17-21).

The US and Europe

Will the USA and Europe be part of this soon ‘Gog and Magog’ war? The United Nations and the European Union are already complicit by their actions against Israel, so it is not hard to contemplate their potential involvement. Their leading role in the recent UN 2334 vote (led by the US) is all the proof one needs.

The word of the LORD is sure and modern Israel is proof that he will stand with his covenant people against all odds. Since their War of Independence, every time their enemies have attacked them with the goal of destroying them, Israel has received more of their biblical land inheritance. Our God will get all the glory in this war and Israel will be miraculously saved - like they were in 1948, 1967, 1973 and have been ever since.

Will the USA and Europe be part of this soon ‘Gog and Magog’ war?

Israel and Donald Trump

Where does President Trump come into this? Most conservative American Christians supporting Israel voted for Trump. For us, he was the best choice for America, compared to a continuation of Barack Obama’s policies if Hillary Clinton was elected. Many of us are thankful for the outcome of the election and believe God heard our prayers of repentance. We believe that in Trump, America and Israel have been given a reprieve from the diabolical anti-Christian and anti-Israel policies enacted by Barack Obama.

Yet many Christians, including myself, have good reason to be cautious and are not letting down our guard.

Donald Trump is a man of great human pride and he does not represent a revival. Those who are wondering about where Israel may end up with a President Trump peace plan should take heed. His ‘America first’ and prosperity message are a big part of his popular appeal. In turn, he has gathered around him many Christians, some of whom hold to Dominion Theology ideas which teach deceptive interpretations of Scripture.

The main error of Dominionism affects how one views Christ’s Second Coming (and therefore all the scriptures previously mentioned concerning Israel). It promotes the old idea that the Church will take control of the nations and then Jesus will be able to return.

Will President Trump successfully move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and will God allow Trump’s policies in the Middle East to put off the Gog and Magog War to a later time?

The word of the LORD is sure and modern Israel is proof that he will stand with his covenant people against all odds.

Mix that with Trump’s deal-making expertise and we may end up with a modified plan for a two-state solution. Trump really believes he can bring a lasting peace. He has appointed Jared Kushner to be a senior cabinet advisor with the job of brokering a new peace agreement; Kushner is married to Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, who went through a vigorous conversion in 2009 in order to marry Mr Kushner, an Orthodox Jew. They observe Shabbat, keep Kosher and worship at an Orthodox synagogue in New York City. President Trump said to Kushner, “If you can’t produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can.”²

We can reply that a lasting peace will not come until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, reigns from Jerusalem.

Need for True Repentance

The prosperity and safety message of the Trump presidency and the national stirrings within the nations of Europe are not enough to deter God’s righteous judgments. There has only ever been one message that brings genuine revival and that is our turning back to Christ in true repentance.

The truth is, the anti-Christ crowd is re-grouping and will march again with a vengeance in the near future. Meanwhile, we the Church are not facing the real issues of our departure from God. It is obvious that many in the Western Church are more ready to welcome Christ’s greatest imposter than our Saviour Jesus. We have left the Lord and His principles and are asleep to our real situation – we are the epitome of the Laodicean church.

Prayers for the Peace of Jerusalem

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming “as a thief in the night” and great judgments are on the horizon for all those who ignore God’s promises for Israel and the Gospel of the Kingdom.

The promise of peace and safety can lull us to sleep unless we stay spiritually alert. During this time of reprieve, it is important that we redeem the time in prayer and dedication for God’s work. While we pray with the spirit, we have to pray with the understanding also, and our attitude and behaviour must make God’s answer possible.

It is sure that the enemies of Israel and the Church are not going to be silent. The United Nations’ anti-Semites are always looking for their next attack. Israel knows this full well; it is never the question of IF there will be another attack or war, but WHEN. We as the Lord’s watchmen must keep vigilant with the same alertness.

In view of all this, how then should we pray?

Prayer Points for the Peace of Jerusalem:

• To speak the truth in love as we speak up for Israel and the hope within us.
  
• To stand firmly for the Jewish people and their returning to Israel.
  
• For the Lord to confuse world leaders who ignore God’s promises for Israel.
  
• For Christians and Jews to see the folly of a two-state solution for peace.
  
• For the Lord’s grace and protection for Palestinian Christians.
  
• For God’s mercy on today’s Laodicean church that we may find true repentance.
  
• For God the Father to send His Son, Jesus Christ.
  

OUR REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR. In the blessed hope - for the peace of Jerusalem.

References

1 Smith, S. Over 900,000 Christians Martyred for Their Faith in Last 10 Years: Report. Christian Post, 16 January 2017.

2 Tibon, A. Trump to Kushner: If You Can't Produce Middle East Peace, Nobody Can. Haaretz, 20 January 2017.

About the author: David Sudlow and his wife Nita are married for 29 years and live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where they have been raising their ten children. His formative years were in Philadelphia where he worked as a carpenter. In 1995 he was instrumental in the formation of Christians for Israel in the USA and Canada and served as Director and Editor. He has worked with a number of ministries as a layman and traveled in 25 countries. David worships with his family in the Reformed Episcopal Church.

David Bivin considers Jesus’s background in the first of a two-part study.

It is rather surprising to discover how many Christians are not aware that Jesus is Jewish. In Israel, for example, there are entire communities of people – Christian, non-Jewish people - who do not believe that Jesus is Jewish.

A friend of mine was attending an Ulpan (a Hebrew language school) in Jerusalem. At one point in a conversation with a young Christian woman from Bethlehem who was also learning Hebrew, my friend said: “Well, you know Jesus was Jewish after all,” to which the woman replied, “He wasn't Jewish.” So my friend countered, “Well, go and ask your priest and see what he says.” She did not ask her priest, but went home and asked her parents. Her father said “Yes, she's right. He was Jewish.” But her mother said “No, he wasn't Jewish,” so it turned out to be a tie!

We might be very surprised to learn how many Christians have never really grasped the fact that Jesus was Jewish, not only in Israel but in Europe, Britain and in the United States. Christians still have difficulty in believing that Jesus was Jewish. So perhaps we have to say a few words about Jesus's Jewishness, even if it means stating the obvious.

It is rather surprising to discover how many Christians are not aware that Jesus is Jewish.  

Jesus’s Family

It is not hard to find evidence in the New Testament for Jesus's Jewishness. For example, his genealogy is clearly Jewish. In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, his lineage is traced back to the patriarchs in typical Jewish fashion.

Jesus's family was also completely Jewish. Joseph, the name of his earthly, supposed father, was the second most common name of the period for Jewish men, and his mother's name, Mary, was the most popular name for Jewish women.

Inscriptions dating from the 1^st Century indicate that the name Yeshua, Jesus, was itself the fifth most common Jewish man's name after Simeon, Joseph, Judah and John.

All of his known relatives were Jewish, namely Elizabeth (a relative of Mary's), her husband Zechariah the priest, and their son John the Baptist, as well, of course, as Jesus' own brothers, James, Joseph, Simeon and Judah (Matt 13:55).

Torah-Observant Parents

The gospels document the fact that Jesus and his family were observant Jews. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and, as is still the Jewish custom for male children, at his circumcision ceremony he was formally given his name (Luke 2:21).

His parents also performed two other Jewish ceremonies in Jerusalem during that time. The first of them was the pidyon ha-ben (the redemption of the first born), specified in Numbers 18:15-16 - which Joseph symbolically performed on Jesus' thirty-first day, by giving five silver coins to a priest.

The name Yeshua, Jesus, was the fifth most common Jewish man's name of its day.

The second took place on the forty-first day after Jesus's birth, when Mary performed the ceremony for her purification by bringing two offerings to the temple (Lev 12:8). The offering by Mary of two birds rather than a lamb would indicate that they were not a wealthy family (Luke 2:24).

Jesus’s parents, we are told, went up to Jerusalem every year to observe the Feast of Passover (Luke 2:41). This devotion is exemplary and unusual, because most people living outside Jerusalem (as they did) made a pilgrimage to the Temple only a few times in their lives, and some only once. Making such a pilgrimage was a major expense for people who had to pay for the cost of the journey, for the stay in Jerusalem, and for the sacrifices offered in the Temple during the festival.

Although the biblical commandment of Deuteronomy 16:16 states, “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose; at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles”, it was not interpreted literally by the rabbis of Jesus's time. Pilgrimage was encouraged by them but not made mandatory.

The fact that Jesus's parents went all the way to Jerusalem every year shows how obedient they were to the Torah of Moses. The evidence in the gospels indicates that Jesus was no less observant than his parents and that he went up regularly to Jerusalem for the Feasts (John 7:10, 12:12). It was while he was in Jerusalem for Passover that he was arrested.

Jesus's parents went all the way to Jerusalem every year, showing their obedience to the Torah of Moses.

Jesus the Rabbi

How did Jesus appear to the people of his time? How differently did they see him from the many other teachers (rabbis) who went around Judea and Galilee with their bands of disciples?
By the time Jesus began his public ministry he had received not only the thorough religious training typical of the average Jewish man of his day, but had probably spent years studying with one of the outstanding rabbis in the Galilee.

We cannot at this point detail that preparation, of which we know a great deal from rabbinic sources, but we know that Jesus, who did not begin his ministry until a rather mature age, appeared on the scene as a respected teacher or rabbi.

To understand the significance of the title 'rabbi', as applied to Jesus, one must first grasp the significance of a rabbi of the 1^st Century and how he functioned in that society.

The term ‘rabbi’ is derived from the Hebrew word rav which in biblical Hebrew means 'great.' Originally it was not used as a title or as a form of address. By Jesus's time, however, it was used to refer to the master of a slave or the master of a disciple, thus 'rabbi' literally meant 'my master' and was a term of respect.

It was not a formal title, but was used to address a teacher and Jesus was recognised as such by his contemporaries, as many passages in the New Testament illustrate: “Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, rabbi,’ he said” (Luke 7:40). And, “A lawyer asked him a question to test him: ‘Rabbi, which Is the greatest commandment in the Torah?’” (Matt 22:35-36). Also, “A rich man asked him, ‘Rabbi, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?’" (Luke 16:16).

We should note the diversity of those who addressed Jesus as 'rabbi': a Torah expert, a rich man, and a Pharisee. Other scriptures illustrate that the Sadducees and ordinary people were part of a broad cross-section of people in Jesus's day who saw him as a rabbi.

Many scriptures illustrate that a broad cross-section of people in Jesus's day saw him as a rabbi.

Teaching Style

From the gospel accounts, Jesus clearly appears as a typical 1^st Century rabbi. He travelled around from place to place in an itinerant ministry, depending for food and shelter upon the hospitality of the people.

He did much of his teaching outdoors, but he also taught in homes and in village synagogues. He even taught in the Temple in Jerusalem, and was accompanied by a band of disciples who followed him around as he travelled.

Perhaps the most convincing proof that Jesus was a practising rabbi was his style of teaching. He used the same methods of instruction that characterised the rabbis of his day, such as the use of parables to convey teaching. The sort of parables that Jesus used were extremely common among the rabbis of 1^st Century Israel and over 4,000 of them have survived in rabbinic literature.

It is significant, perhaps, that among the thousands of parables to be found in rabbinic literature, not one is written in Aramaic; all are in Hebrew. Even when, a few hundred years later (500 to 600 AD), the main texts are written in Aramaic, the parable is always given in Hebrew.

Jesus’s Observation of the Law

There can be no doubt that Jesus observed the written law of Moses in its entirety. The New Testament clearly states that, having been born under the law, he committed no sin (Heb 4:15). Jesus was never charged with breaking any part of the written law, although his disciples were occasionally accused of disobeying aspects of the oral law.

Only one such accusation was brought against Jesus, and this was, of course, that he broke the Sabbath by healing the sick. In fact, Sabbath healings were permitted under official rabbinic ruling, so the only way we can understand this protest is to see it as the response of a narrow-minded ruler of a local synagogue.

There can be no doubt that Jesus observed the written law of Moses in its entirety.

Perhaps at this point we need to understand that in Jesus' day the Pharisees (with whom Jesus had more in common in belief and teaching than the Sadducees) believed in two 'versions' of the law.

First, they believed in the written law (the Torah, the five books of Moses), but they also believed in a second law (called the oral law), which they said had also been given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai and handed down through the generations by word of mouth. So perhaps a more pertinent question to ask is to what extent Jesus observed the practices of the oral law.

On Baptism

There may seem, at first glance, to be a shortage of hard evidence in the New Testament concerning Jesus' religious observance. But one must remember that the New Testament was written by Jews, for Jews. The normal Jewish religious practices were so well-known to the writers and to the readers that it would have been considered superfluous, perhaps ridiculous, to explain in detail how particular commandments were carried out.

That is why, for example, we have such a dearth of information in the scriptures about the practice of Jewish baptism. This was not conducted as we Christians do it today, but as the Jews still do it.

The earliest representation of Christian baptism in the catacombs in Rome shows John the Baptist standing fully clothed on the bank extending an arm to Jesus, who is undressed, coming up out of the water. John is helping him up the bank. So the one who was baptised or 'immersed' was not dipped under the water by some officiating minister, but rather walked down into the water alone, gave his testimony and dipped himself, just as it is still done today in every Jewish mikveh (ritual immersion bath).

The person officiating was there only to give his or her stamp of kashrut (official approval), to make certain that the hair of ladies, for instance, was completely immersed.

On Using God’s Name

Another example of Jesus's obedience to Scripture is his adherence to the rabbinic prohibition against using the unutterable name of God. The original understanding of the third commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God” (Ex 20:7), was probably that one should be careful not to break one's vows when one has sworn in God's name. However, the rabbis eventually came to interpret this commandment to include using the Lord's name frivolously or lightly. To avoid the risk of employing the divine name irreverently, the rabbis ruled that one should not utter it at all.

Jesus seemingly adhered to the rabbinic prohibition against using the unutterable name of God.

The divine name, written as the yod hay vav hay (YHVH) and called the ‘tetragrammaton’, could be pronounced only in the Temple, in the daily priestly blessing, and in the confession of the high priest on the Day of Atonement. When reading or reciting Scripture, one was not to pronounce the unutterable name but rather had to substitute with Adonai (Lord). In time, this substitute name of Adonai itself came to have such a sacred aura that it was used only in Scripture reading and prayer.

When it was necessary to refer to God in everyday speech, one sought other substitutes or euphemisms such as ha-Makom (the Place); ha-Kadosh (the Holy); ha-Gavohah (the High); ha-Lashon (the Tongue); ha-Gevurah (the Power); Shamayim (Heaven); ha-Shem (the Name). Even the less distinctive Elohim (God), which could refer to the God of Israel or to false gods, was avoided in conversation.

So serious was the prohibition against pronouncing the tetragrammaton that the rabbis included among those that have no share in the world to come, “He who pronounces the divine name as it is spelled.” The avoidance of the tetragrammaton began quite early, although there was no hesitation in pronouncing the sacred name in the Old Testament period. In the time of David, everyone went around saying YHVH (however they pronounced it), but already by the 3^rd Century BC, Adonai was being substituted for the yod hay vav hay (YHVH).

Jesus frequently used euphemisms for God, and his audiences would have been shocked if he had not. The most common word for God used by Jesus was 'Heaven'. This occurs, for example, in the phrase 'Kingdom of Heaven', the term Jesus used to describe his community of disciples, or his movement.

Jesus frequently used euphemisms for God, and his audiences would have been shocked if he had not.

To those in the Temple who questioned his authority, Jesus asked: “John's baptism - was it from heaven, or from men?” (Luke 20:4). In other words, was John's baptism of God or of men? In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus had the prodigal say to his father, “I have sinned against heaven” (Luke 15:21). As for making oaths, Jesus commanded his disciples not to swear at all, not even using substitutes for God's name such as Shamayim (Heaven).

One other euphemism for God's name used by Jesus was ha-Gevurah (the Power). When interrogated by the High Priest, Jesus was asked for an admission that he was the Messiah. His answer was a classic example of rabbinic sophistication: “From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” (Luke 22:69). This proclamation hints at two different Messianic passages, Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

To be continued in Part II, next week.

There was a serious flaw in Luther’s understanding of the Bible.

From reports of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May, it seems that the UK government doesn’t really believe Iran is a threat to world peace or, for that matter, that God’s chosen people are worth supporting to the hilt.

In defying a call for fresh sanctions against Iran, Mrs May indicated her continued commitment to the nuclear deal which Mr Netanyahu believes to be highly dangerous, saying: “Iran seeks to annihilate Israel, it seeks to conquer the Middle East, it threatens Europe, it threatens the West, it threatens the world.”¹

I am reminded of the indelible link between Bible-believing Christians and comfort for Israel (Isaiah 40) – and where this is lacking, it is through ignorance.

The Goods and Evils of the Reformation

In a year that we are celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, sparked off by Martin Luther, we should be thankful that it opened the way to an understanding of the Bible that had a hugely civilising effect on the West, the heart of his rediscovery being that salvation in Christ comes through faith alone, not by good deeds.

Sadly, however, there was a major flaw in Luther’s understanding in that he failed to grasp that God had not forsaken the Jews despite their overall rejection of Christ. And it is widely reckoned that his anti-Semitic statements sowed the seeds of the Holocaust. Indeed, Anglican clergyman Simon Ponsonby has said that Nazism was a legacy of Luther, who had called for the urgent expulsion of Jewish people from Germany in his last sermon.²

The Reformation had a hugely civilising effect on the West - but sadly Luther may also have sowed the seeds of the Holocaust with his anti-Semitic statements.

A Different Luther

But a 20^th Century hero named after him, Martin Luther King Jr, had a very different view which certainly does not chime with current political correctness.

When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism!

Those with a different agenda try to re-write history by claiming, for example, that this quote is a hoax. But it comes through unscathed on closer examination.³

“Peace for Israel means security,” said King, “and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can almost be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”⁴

Returning to a Biblical Agenda

Judging by the strong Christian content of his inaugural speech along with the make-up of his cabinet including several Bible-believing Christians as well as Jews, I am most encouraged by the new US President Donald Trump.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas. And we are much nearer to being on the right track in world affairs when its ethos and principles begin to dictate policy once more – as it did 100 years ago when the (mostly) evangelical Christian members of David Lloyd George’s War Cabinet understood the importance of a re-born Israel. That led to the Balfour Declaration, promising that the British Government would do all in its power to facilitate the re-creation of a Jewish state in the Holy Land.

That it happened was clearly part of God’s plan, and the Bible’s agenda, but now the world condemns Israel for stealing land from the Palestinians. Yet, in addressing Israel’s restoration, a recurring theme of the Bible, the prophet Amos writes: “I will bring my people Israel back from exile… and will plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted…” (Amos 9.14f).

I’m told that, earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took the trouble to show Mr Netanyahu the very desk at which Balfour wrote and signed the declaration.

That both Balfour and Trump have come under ferocious fire is because they have challenged the fashionable so-called ‘anti-fascists’ of the anti-God brigade.

On important matters of politics, as in society as a whole, the Bible trumps all other agendas.

Challenging Anti-Semitism

Canon Andrew White, the 'Bishop of Baghdad'.

Canon Andrew White – the clerical equivalent of Trump when it comes to plain-speaking – put it perfectly when he said that “the world is anti-Semitic because it is anti-God. This land (Israel) is God’s land…”.⁵

Also known as the Vicar of Baghdad, the Anglican clergyman has stood up to brutal terrorists while negotiating the release of hostages and has become the voice of reconciliation amidst the hatred and bitterness of Middle East conflict.

In an interview with this month’s issue of the Israel Today magazine, he added: “The conflict exists because Israel’s opponents are fundamentally anti-Jewish. One cannot merely say that they are only opposed to Israel; after all, Israel represents the essence of Judaism. No Judaism, no Israel. No Judaism, no God!”

Speaking of his experience in Baghdad, where he built up a church of over 6,000, he said: “At first the Iraqi Christians were against Israel, as were the Muslims. I was shocked by this and decided to enlighten them…about the Jewish roots of their faith.”

And it was as a result of this that they developed a love for Israel.

Canon Andrew White has spoken our recently about the need to love Israel.

A New Reformation

Hatred of Israel is due in large part to biblical illiteracy. So it is surely time for a new reformation which sees the word of God restored to its rightful place as the sure foundation for all who claim to be followers of Jesus.

It is revealing that among Christian denominations that have taken issue with Israel are the Presbyterians and Methodists, who are in serious decline both spiritually and numerically.

Israel also needs to restore their relationship with God, as they did in Jehoshaphat’s day. But Christians are called to help with this process by praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6) and by sharing the gospel with them both in word and deed (Rom 1:16).

Notes

1 Cowburn, A. Theresa May urged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back fresh Iran sanctions. The Independent, 7 February 2017.

2 Peace in Jerusalem (p157), quoting Simon Ponsonby addressing the CMJ (Church’s Ministry among Jewish people) Conference at Swanwick, England, in 2013.

3 See Kramer, M, quoted in Yes, MLK really did say the quote that anti-Zionism is anti-semitism... 21 January 2013, Elder of Ziyon.

4 Schachtel, J. The forgotten MLK: An ally of the Jews and Israel. Conservative Review, 16 January 2017.

5 Schneider, A. INTERVIEW: Canon Andrew White on Christians in the Middle East. Israel Today, 3 January 2017.

Balfour Declaration motivated by Cabinet’s Christian faith.

A political document blamed by many for today’s Middle East crisis was motivated by the evangelical Christian faith of a uniquely international, cross-party, British war cabinet.

This was the claim of Jerusalem-based Canadian Rev Dr David Schmidt in a London lecture last week marking the centenary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration.¹

This refers to a letter to Britain’s Jewish leaders, signed by Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour, promising that the Government would do all in its power to facilitate a return to their ancient land of God’s chosen people who had been scattered throughout the globe for some 1,800 years.

They weren’t at the time in a position to do so, for the region then known as Palestine was under Turkish Muslim control, but the situation changed within weeks following the capture of Jerusalem by British and Allied forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby.

Balfour: God’s Plan and Israel’s Destiny

So it was that a brief 130-word letter became the basis for British rule of the territory, subsequently confirmed by the League of Nations (the UN’s predecessor) until such time as the Jews were ready for independence. But Britain later reneged on its agreement in a bid to appease Arab opposition. However, it did not stop the eventual creation of a Jewish state in 1948.

As a Bible-believing academic, Dr Schmidt is convinced that, far from being an embarrassing relic of the British Empire responsible for the current regional conflict, as many claim, the Balfour Declaration was part of God’s plan and Israel’s destiny, as foretold by the Old Testament prophets. “I believe what is written in the Bible regarding the Jewish people and prophecy; that the Jews would be exiled and scattered throughout the world, and in the last days return to the land in unbelief.”²

Such a time would be marked by an increase in travel and knowledge (Dan 12:4), among other phenomena, but specifically by fierce opposition of the nations to an independent state of Israel (Zech 14:2, Ps 2:1-6).

Dr Schmidt is convinced that, far from being an embarrassing colonial relic, the Balfour Declaration was part of God’s plan and Israel’s destiny.

Force of Christian Zionism

Various theories have been put forward for the motivation of David Lloyd George’s ten-strong War Cabinet of 1917 – such as empire expansion, remorse over Jewish persecution and even gratitude for the war efforts of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, a top biochemist who had developed an important chemical ingredient for gunpowder.

But Dr Schmidt is convinced that Christian Zionism was at its heart, defining Zionism as the belief that Jews remain God’s chosen people and that they have a right to live in the land of Israel.

Though from different social backgrounds and representing all contemporary political parties, these magnificent ten were, for the most part, non-Conformist evangelical Christians – there were no Anglicans – who were familiar with the Old Testament and aware of biblical prophecy. Ironically, the only Jewish member strongly opposed the policy. Many Jews at the time saw it as being herded into a ‘ghetto’. But their opposition gradually faded as the Zionist movement gained momentum.

Lloyd George was the main figure behind the declaration, said Dr Schmidt. Though “ethically challenged” – he had a mistress, for one thing – the Welsh-born Liberal Prime Minister was raised on the Bible and retained a sentimental attachment to biblical values while not always living up to its high ideals.

Balfour too was steeped in the Bible from his Scottish Presbyterian childhood, believing that Christian civilisation owed an immeasurable debt to Judaism. He was motivated by what he called “the desire to give the Jews their rightful place in the world” and even gave theological lectures at Cambridge University.

He was highly accomplished, having already served as Prime Minister, and declared on his deathbed that aiding Jewish restoration was possibly the most worthwhile thing he had done. And he asked that the inscription on his tombstone should read, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” quoting the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7.

Balfour was steeped in the Bible from his Scottish Presbyterian childhood.

Lloyd George’s War Cabinet

Also in the cabinet was Jan Christian Smuts, a Boer general in the South African War. Raised in the Reform Church, his early life was filled with Bible teaching and he predicted that, in generations to come, a great Jewish state would arise once more. In fact, Smuts argued for the biblical restoration of Israel all his life. He was the only Cabinet member who lived to see the re-born state when, as South African Prime Minister, he was the first to recognise the new country after the United States.

Edward Carson, a fiery criminal lawyer from Ulster, opposed Lloyd George on many other issues, but not this one.

Andrew Bonar Law, a Canadian raised by a Presbyterian minister, became Prime Minister in 1922, but died of cancer soon afterwards.

Labour politician Arthur Henderson was converted to Christ through the famed evangelist Gypsy Smith and was also a wholehearted supporter of the Balfour Declaration, as was fellow Labour member George Barnes, who loved the Jewish people.

Support also came from Alfred Milner (brought up in Germany) but George Nathaniel Curzon raised early objections. As a former Viceroy of India, he understood how the Muslims could rise up in opposition and believed the Jews would struggle to live in such “a desolate place”.

Edwin Montague, meanwhile, was opposed both to the declaration and to Zionism in general despite being a Jew himself, because it would force a nationality on people who had nothing in common, and become a Jewish ghetto.

Lloyd George’s ten-strong war cabinet were, for the most part, non-Conformist evangelical Christians.

Failure of Appeasement

In answer to questions, Dr Schmidt suggested that the failure of British foreign policy was not in supporting the Jews with their Zionist cause but, in having done so, trying to appease the Arabs as well so that in the end they pleased no-one.

The composition of the cabinet was also ironic, I believe, in that none of the many Christians among them were Anglicans, and yet it had been the Church’s Ministry among the Jewish people (CMJ), an Anglican society, who had done much to influence politicians about Jewish restoration since its founding in 1809 by William Wilberforce and others. In fact, the London meeting last week was sponsored by CMJ on behalf of the Balfour 100 (Christian) Committee.

Dr Schmidt holds a PhD in Middle Eastern political history focusing on the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate, and has lived in Israel with his wife Susan since 1989.

Notes

1 Held at the City Temple, Holborn, on 25 January 2017. Hosted by CMJ UK.

2 He made the point that the early Jewish Zionists were not religious – “they were proud of the fact that they did not go to synagogue; they were in a sense Jewish atheists…” But now, he says: “Every year in Israel people are more spiritual and observant,” fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones coming to life.

The story of a remarkable Christian soldier who risked his life for Jewish men.

72 years after the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army on 27 January 1945, Britain and other nations are acknowledging Holocaust Memorial Day at a time when anti-Semitism is once more on the rise.

Israel itself, which has since risen from the ashes of that dreadful scourge that wiped out six million European Jews, is under dire threat from enemies on all sides while attacks on synagogues and other Jewish centres are still being carried out in the ‘civilised’ West. Only this last weekend in north-west London, a swastika-daubed brick was hurled through a Jewish family’s window while others were pelted with eggs.¹

The fragile borders to which the United Nations expect Israel to agree (just nine miles wide in places) have for good reason been described by politicians as ‘Auschwitz lines’, because they leave the Jewish state highly vulnerable to attack from neighbouring states who have repeatedly threatened to wipe them off the map.

It was also in January 1945 that one of the most heroic accounts of the war took place. But the incredible story has only just surfaced because the hero concerned never spoke about it.

The truth was finally unearthed by his granddaughter when asked to focus on a family member as part of a college assignment. Her widowed grandmother gave her the diary kept by her husband during his time in a prisoner-of-war camp which revealed the astonishing fact that, by standing up to the German commandant, Master Sgt Roddie Edmonds, of Knoxville, Tennessee, had saved the lives of 200 American Jews.

Israel is under dire threat from enemies on all sides, whilst Jews in the ‘civilised’ West are increasingly under attack.

‘We Are All Jews Here’

As the highest-ranking officer there, Edmonds was made responsible for the camp’s 1,292 American GIs, 200 of whom were Jewish. Then one day the Germans ordered all Jewish POWs to report outside their barracks the following morning. Knowing what awaited them – being moved to a slave labour camp at the very least – he decided to resist the directive, ordering all his men to fall out the following morning.

The commandant, Major Siegmann, duly ordered Edmonds to identify the Jewish soldiers, to which the sergeant responded: “We are all Jews here.”

Holding his pistol to Edmonds’ head, the commandant repeated the order. But the sergeant – a devout Christian – refused.

“According to the Geneva Convention, we only have to give our name, rank and serial number. If you shoot me, you will have to shoot all of us, and after the war you will be tried for war crimes,” Edmonds had said, according to one of the men saved that day.

Edmonds’ pastor son Chris regards all of them as heroes as they could easily have identified the Jews among them to save their skin. But they all stood together.

Neutrality Not an Option

Late last year, Roddie Edmonds was posthumously awarded the Yehi Or (‘Let there be light’) Award by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. He has also been honoured by Jerusalem’s Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’.²

But as Jews were herded into cattle trucks for transporting to death camps, there weren’t many Roddies about who dared to speak up and stand up on their behalf. These days, where controversial issues are concerned, leaders still prefer to keep their heads below the proverbial parapet while remaining ‘impartial’. But there is a time when we must take sides. We must choose between life and death, between God and evil. If we claim to be Christian, we have no option.

“Neutrality is only an illusion,” writes Robert Stearns. “Those who are not for God are against Him. (Matthew 12.30a) The German public’s unfortunate legacy during World War II lies not in what they did in response to their despotic leader and his horrendous practices, but in what they did not do.”³

These days, where controversial issues are concerned, it seems easier to remain ‘impartial’. But there is a time when we must take sides.

Righteous Among the Nations

This did not apply, however, to Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie, young Christians who led the White Rose leaflet campaign of resistance - for which they paid with their lives. Prophetically, they asked the question: “Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes…reach the light of day?”⁴

Garden of the Righteous, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.

Stearns also points out that, when the Nazis invaded European nations, many monarchs vacated their thrones and fled. But King Christian X stayed in Denmark as he defied the bullies. And thanks to his example, most Danish Jews survived the war.⁵

Princess Alice, the Queen’s mother-in-law, has also been recognised by Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for saving a Jewish family during the war, and is buried on the Mount of Olives.

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. Prince Charles last year fulfilled a longstanding wish to visit his grandmother’s grave.⁶

It’s interesting in this respect that Prince Charles has compared the dangers facing minority faith groups across the world today with the “dark days of the 1930s”.⁷

Are we courageous enough to tell the entire world that we are followers of Jesus and, as such, willing to do all we can to stand up to evil?

I Am One of Them…

The Queen herself is a wonderful example of someone who is prepared to make an uncompromising stand for faith and truth, declaring in her latest Christmas message to the nation: “Jesus Christ lived in obscurity for much of his life and was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong. Millions now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light of their lives. I am one of them…”

Are we, like the Queen, courageous enough to tell the entire world that we are followers of Jesus and, as such, will do all we can to stand up to the evil that lurks in every dark corner of our land?

Roddie Edmonds was prepared to die for 200 Jewish men. Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. But the greatest sacrifice of all was when Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), “though he had done no wrong”, laid down his life for both Jews and Gentiles on a stake outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, after being “led like a lamb to the slaughter” during the Passover feast (Isa 53:7). He bought our pardon; he paid the price.

Notes

1 Jerusalem News Network, 24 January 2017, quoting Algemeiner.

2 Gateway News (South Africa), 1 December 2016, originally published by The Times of Israel.

3 The Cry of Mordecai by Robert Stearns (Destiny Image).

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

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

7 Saltshakers, 24 December 2016, quoting Premier.org.uk.

What an incredible week this has been in international politics!

The week began with 70 nations gathering in Paris, with the intention of trying to force Israel into a two-state solution that would effectively commit national suicide. This was followed by world business leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland, trying to assess the health and direction of the world economy.

On the same day that Davos started came the statement from Prime Minister Theresa May outlining British Government plans for Brexit which have long-term implications for Europe and the rest of the world. Today, the eyes of the world are upon Washington as the people of the USA install the most unlikely President in the history of the United States – Donald J Trump.

The pace of change worldwide has been increasing exponentially over the past 40 years. Today it is almost bewildering for all those who try to follow world events and to understand what is happening.

At the beginning of this year, political and economic commentators were looking back over 2016, trying to assess how accurate their forecasts for the year had been. Most of them admitted honestly that they had been taken by surprise on almost all major world events.

Christians who have been recognising for some years that God is shaking the nations can trace the hand of God in all this. The Psalmist got it right when he declared that God scoffs at the nations when they try to throw off all restraint and conspire in vain against his purposes (Ps 2). Paul touched on a deep truth when he said that “God made foolish the wisdom of this world…For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom” (1 Cor 1:20, 25).

Last year, most political and economic commentators were taken by surprise on almost all major word events.

The Nature and Purposes of God

So, how do we understand what’s going on in the world today? If we’re going to get a clear view of what is happening, we have to start by getting a biblical perspective of the nature and purposes of God.

This may sound boring to those who simply want to forecast the future. But without this broader perspective we have no yardstick of truth and no focal point for an investigation.

We need to know the God of Creation, who holds the nations in his hands. Despite having given human beings freedom of will, God nevertheless still guides the affairs of the nations to fulfil his overall purpose of bringing his Gospel of salvation to all people.

We have only to look at the incredible destruction of the city of Aleppo in Syria to see what human beings can do when all restraint is removed and there is no regard or value for anything, including human life. This is a picture in miniature of the direction the nations of the world, armed with the most incredible weapons of mass destruction, are taking towards collective global self-destruction. And this is the reason why God intervenes in world affairs - to steer the nations in a different direction.

Watching and Praying

Christians in the Western world have slowly been waking up over the past few decades to the reality of the world situation and the dangers that confront us. They have been stunned by the level of violence in the Middle East and the horrific acts of terrorism in Europe and elsewhere carried out by militant Muslims in the name of their god Allah. They feel helpless as the North Koreans strive to produce their first nuclear bomb and the Chinese establish military bases on unoccupied islands in the South China Sea.

An increasing number of Christians are taking seriously the command of Jesus to watch and pray. The significant rise in the number of home-based small groups around Britain is evidence of this. This prophetic, awakened Church is increasingly resembling that of New Testament times; not only for meetings in the home but also for emphasis upon prayer and Bible study.

If we’re going to understand what is happening, we have to start with a biblical perspective of the nature and purposes of God.

Prayer Makes a Difference!

In Britain, we are seeing more Christians involved in corporate prayer for national and international issues than we have seen since the days of the Second World War. I was at a conference last Saturday when the whole company agreed to stop and pray about the meeting of world leaders that was taking place in Paris. It was not on the agenda, but we spent a whole hour praying about the event and the issue of Israel and the Palestinians. I’m sure we were not alone and that prayer greatly influenced the outcome; bringing confusion among the delegates and resulting in no resolution that could harm Israel.

The business leaders’ meeting in Davos was also said to be a non-event, with delegates being more interested in what was happening in London, where Theresa May was speaking.

The Prime Minister’s speech certainly was very warmly received by much of the British media; especially her promises that Britain will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (or injustice, as many see it!), no longer subject to the free movement of labour so that we can control immigration and no longer under the control of European customs regulations so that we can develop international trade. Especially welcome was her statement that Britain would not accept a ‘bad deal’ - and that both Houses of Parliament will have a vote on the final agreement.

Of course, none of this has gone down very well in the European Union, which was to be expected. But during the next two years we may expect to see further major shaking of the EU and upheaval that will affect the negotiations with Britain. In threatening to make life difficult for post-EU Britain, European leaders are failing to factor in the activity of God.

In Britain, we are seeing more Christians involved in corporate prayer for national and international issues than we have seen since the Second World War.

Today: Focus on the USA

Anti-Trump demonstrators in Washington, today.

World leaders and Europhiles in Britain have all been surprised that their pre-Referendum forecasts of doom and economic disaster have not been fulfilled. But Christians know that prayer played a large part in Brexit and therefore we may expect to see God’s blessing – especially if believers continue to pray actively for the nation.

Today, the focus for prayer should be upon the USA – urgently asking the Lord to guide the new President and members of his Administration, that they will be given wisdom far above the normal human level to exercise Godly leadership as they navigate a confusing world and the rapid changes that are sweeping across the nations today.

Those who are fearful that Trump’s ungodly and erratic past could carry over into his presidency need to remember that with God nothing is impossible; as Jeremiah rightly declared:

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jer 32:17)

Author: Dr Clifford Hill

References: Second image: Jose Luis Magana/AP/Press Association Images.

A call to prayer.

In two days' time, on Sunday 15 January, representatives from 70 nations will gather in Paris for a conference aimed at resurrecting the Israel/Palestine peace process.

Last week we commented on the passing of anti-Israel UNSC Resolution 2334 and John Kerry's speech setting out parameters for a 'two-state solution' (both December 2016). The next stage in Obama's swansong would appear to be a last-minute attempt to force through some kind of international agreement along these lines, using this Paris summit.

We do not yet know the form this agreement might take - whether further pressure on Israel to declare their West Bank settlements illegal, or even a global 'roadmap' for establishing a Palestinian state.¹ Its outcome may quickly be overturned when President-Elect Trump assumes office next Friday (20 January) – nevertheless, its clear follow-on from Resolution 2334 and its rushed placement just before Trump's inauguration are causing concern amongst Israelis and friends of Israel.

The Nations Gather

70 nations will be present at the summit (though some news outlets have reported that the eventual number might be 72 or 77), which has been instigated by the French and will be chaired by French President Francois Hollande.

This is prompting some biblical speculation. One Rabbinic commentator has noted that in Torah terms, '70 nations' signifies all nations – prompting connections to be made to Bible prophecies about all the nations of the world gathering against Israel during the end times.²

70 Nations Deciding the Fate of One

What is certain is that this is no gathering for the sake of peace – however it might be billed. We do not see similar conferences happening to solve the Syrian civil war, or to combat the spread of ISIS, for instance. Israel is being singled out in yet another international attempt to carve up her God-given land and further undermine support for her very existence – as Charles Gardner eloquently expounds in his article this week .

Though Israeli PM Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas have been invited to attend the conference's conclusion, Netanyahu has refused this invitation on principle, stating: "This conference is a fraud, a Palestinian scam under French auspices, whose goal is to lead to the adoption of additional anti-Israeli positions".³ Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called the summit "a modern-day Dreyfus trial".⁴

70 nations will be present at the summit, prompting some biblical speculation.

The present American embassy in Israel, Tel Aviv. See Photo Credits.American Betrayal

Earlier this week, Washington confirmed that John Kerry will be in attendance, as part of his last foreign trip as Secretary of State.⁵ Relations between Israel and the US have been at an all-time low since UNSC Resolution 2334 was passed last month. Obama's clear involvement in this surfaced soon after, in what many are calling a deep betrayal of the long-standing friendship between the US and Israel.

These diplomatic tensions are being worsened by the current outcry against Donald Trump both within and outside of the USA, as he has so far refused to rescind his promise to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Indeed, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, the day before the Paris conference, as part of a campaign to stop Trump's 'explosive' plan.⁶

Israel's Last Chance?

All this is coming at a particularly vulnerable time for Israelis, who are still recovering from the terror attack last week in Jerusalem, when a lorry was driven deliberately into a group of IDF soldiers.

Israeli officials have predicted that the chain of international events currently unfolding will undermine Netanyahu's leadership and incite further Palestinian violence, whilst removing all hope of a 'two-state solution'.

As if to confirm this, a top adviser to the Palestinian President has told The Jerusalem Post that the Paris conference is Israel's 'last chance' to accept such a 'solution'.⁷ In a veiled threat, he implied that if Israel does not bow to the pressure being loaded upon them by the world, they will be solely responsible for the breakdown of the peace process and any violence that might ensue.

This will be no gathering for the sake of peace - no matter how it might be billed.

Unfolding Rapidly

Events are moving quickly. The week ahead looks set to be momentous – with the Sunday summit feeding into a further convening of the UN on Israel/Palestine matters on Tuesday 17 January.

The World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, where global leaders meet annually to discuss the world's future in both open and closed meetings, also begins on Tuesday, whilst Trump's inauguration is set for Friday 20 January.

There is certainly no time like the present for Christians to turn to the word of God for guidance, hope and encouragement in prayer! But what are we to expect – and how are we to pray?

Watch and Pray – But How?

We know that in general terms, those who seek to harm Israel do so at their peril – for they risk bringing Divine retribution upon themselves. This is an eternal principle set out in Scripture (e.g. Gen 12:3), the grim reality of which has been confirmed time and again through history.

The Bible is also very clear that at the end of days there will be a special, global revolt against Israel (e.g. Zech 12-14, Rev 16, Jer 25), with many nations assembling together to attack Jerusalem. This will be part of the Lord's judgment - and part of an inevitable chain of events foretold in Scripture that lead directly to the return of Jesus Messiah.

Joel 3:1-2 specifies that these nations will historically have had a hand in scattering Jews into exile and dividing up the Lord's land. However, the siege will be directed against Zion (Jerusalem), implying that the City at the centre of it all will remain under (or eventually be restored to) Israeli control: "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves" (Zech 12:2-3).

The eternal principle set out in Scripture is that those who seek to harm Israel do so at their peril.

Though the nations conspire together, however, the timings of this final onslaught are completely in the hands of the Lord God. Psalm 2 is a wonderful psalm for regaining this heavenly perspective ("Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?...The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them...").

As Christians watching keenly the events currently happening on the world stage, we must pray that the Lord will accomplish his purposes fully at this time, using the instability and the great evil abroad in the world to bring as many into the Kingdom as possible. We should pray blessing on the people of Israel – and seek to support them in more tangible ways. And we might pray that Britain will work for Israel's best interests in all our diplomatic endeavours, instead of paying lip service to her one day and betraying her the next.

A Final Warning – and a Hope

Finally, we can all take heed of the warning in Zephaniah 2, given to those nations that would come against Israel. This is the very same chapter that prophesies the emptying of Gaza and the final destruction of Canaan, the land of the Philistines (from whence we get our modern terms 'Palestine' and 'Palestinian'). The warning is this:

Gather yourselves together...Before the decree is issued, before the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all you meek of the Earth who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.

References

1 A draft closing statement for the conference was leaked by Haaretz earlier this week. Full text available here.

2 Berkowitz, Biblical Origins of the 70-Nation Anti-Israel Paris Conference. Breaking Israel News, 5 January 2017.

3 Ravid, B. Netanyahu: Paris Peace Conference Is Rigged by Palestinians Under French Auspices. Haaretz, 12 January 2017.

4 Ynet News, Associated Press. Abbas hopes Paris summit ends settlements. 27 December 2016.

5 AFP, Kerry to attend Mideast peace conference in Paris. Times of Israel, 11 January 2017.

6 Lazaroff, T. Abbas to meet Pope Francis in advance of Paris parley. The Jerusalem Post, 11 January 2017.

7 Rasgon, A. Palestinians put hope in Paris conference as possible 'last chance' for two-states. The Jerusalem Post, 3 January 2017.

No peace in Paris: Middle East conference more likely to be a powder keg.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a problem that is going to disappear with a wave of a magic wand from the world's politicians. It's an age-old dilemma that has spiritual roots and a spiritual solution.

Representatives of 70 nations will descend on Paris on Sunday for a global conference to promote a "two-state solution" as the way to lasting peace in the Middle East. It's a 'peace' they plan to impose on Israel, who will not even be there!

And the fear among Jews is that whatever is agreed in France will be used as the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that would permanently divide Israel and create an Islamic Palestinian state.

Denying Reality

But the nations are merely engaging in another distraction – a denial of reality – that does not begin to address the issue. Just three weeks ago the UN passed a resolution declaring that Israel is illegally 'occupying' much of the land to which it is historically, and biblically, entitled – including the Temple Mount, Western Wall and the Old City itself (every inch of east Jerusalem, in fact), which have been part of Judaism for thousands of years. And Britain, to its shame, voted for this!

In re-writing history and making a mockery of justice and fairness, the United Nations has become a sick joke as it brazenly continues to back the Palestinian narrative that would drive Israel into the sea. Their spokesmen have been quoted over and over again saying that they only want such a state as a launch pad for ridding the region of Jews altogether.¹

The nations are merely engaging in another distraction - a denial of reality.

Roots in Anti-Semitism

The response to the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem which killed four Israeli Defence Force soldiers² says it all. Arab Palestinians took to the streets and social media to celebrate and, in Gaza, the ruling Hamas terrorist group praised the attack as a "natural response to the Israeli occupier's crimes". People in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority-controlled 'West Bank' were seen festively handing out sweets to mark the occasion.

According to the PA, the murder of Israeli youths is sanctioned by Islam! The official PA daily said the killer "died as a Shahid" (that is, a martyr for Allah). And the Authority will now reward the terrorist's wife with a lifetime monthly allowance of £627 ($760 or 2,900 shekels). And this in a territory led by Mahmoud Abbas – a so-called 'moderate'.

No, the problem is not the settlements, or Jewish communities, built on disputed land claimed by the Palestinians. The root of this enduring conflict is anti-Semitism, currently in the shape of Islamic fundamentalism. Actually, Israel is entitled under international law to Judea and Samaria (currently known as the West Bank), courtesy of the San Remo Conference of 1922 in the aftermath of World War I.

In fact, it was around this time that a 'two-state solution' was first tried when, with the stroke of a pen, the British Government handed over a major portion of the territory originally earmarked for Israel to the Arabs – the country now known as Jordan. So why is there a need for further division?

The root of this enduring conflict is anti-Semitism, currently in the shape of Islamic fundamentalism.

The Trump Card...

The Paris Conference, like the recent UN resolution, could well make things worse for Israel and render peace even less likely by encouraging terror groups to believe they have the backing of world powers.

This would be a profound tragedy, however, especially for the nations involved. There will undoubtedly be further battles for Israel, but in the end they hold the 'trump' card – and I am not referring to the incoming US President.

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will return to his beloved Land – and the nations who scattered his people and divided up his Land will be put on trial. But the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem will be restored (see Joel 3:1f).

Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and will be king over the whole earth (Zech 14:1-9).

Come, Lord Jesus!

Notes

1 For this and other information in this article, I am indebted to David Soakell's 12 January 2017 newsletter, Watching Over Zion, produced weekly for Christian Friends of Israel (CFI), as well as to official PA TV, 8 January 2017.

2 This included three young women aged 20-22, one of whom, Yael Yekutiel, was a Facebook friend of my CFI colleague David Soakell, who described the 20-year-old officer as "full of light and life" who "seemed to love everyone and everyone loved her." David himself narrowly missed being a victim of a suicide bomb back in 2002.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Signs: The Significance of Biblical Prophecy' by Neil Mackereth (2015).

This is an accessible introduction to what the Bible has to say about the climax of history and the end of the age. The author explains that, having been asked to run an 'end times' course in his local church, he then felt called to turn the material into a book.

As a retired Brigadier with a background in communications and administration, he admits he is no academic and that at the start he realised just how little he knew. But as his research grew and he gained a new awareness of what the Bible says about the amazing signs God has given, he became more and more absorbed and determined to enthuse others too.

He explains his aim in writing the book (his first) is "to examine a number of signs of our times as well as biblical prophecies...[and] let you – the reader - conclude whether or not prophecy is being fulfilled in our day" (p9).

Structure and Approach

The book is in five parts. The introductory section provides guidelines and ground rules to help establish a level of objectivity, and includes consideration of the pitfalls and challenges to an impartial approach to the topic. There follows an overview of the histories of Israel and Babylon, and an assessment of where we are on the timeline of biblical prophecy.

The final sections focus on more specific aspects of end times prophecy and the significance of current events in relation to these prophecies, together with a consideration of what is yet to happen.

Neil's research into the end times gave him a new awareness of what the Bible says and a determination to enthuse others about the topic.

Overall the book is well-written with an easy style that encourages you to read on. The structure of the book is clear and well-organised. The 22 relatively short chapters each begin in a way that draws you in, either via an interesting fact, a challenging question or a humorous observation. The author's background in communication perhaps helps here!

A key feature of the earlier parts of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth. There is a clear rejection of Replacement Theology and a sense of Israel's destiny – which accounts for its miraculous survival. He provides a measured consideration of the blossoming fig tree, both in terms of the birth of the state in 1948 and the increasing growth in Messianic Jewish believers in Israel and Judaism worldwide. His handling of this 'sign' gives confidence in his ability to tackle these topics generally.

As in the Days of Noah...

In the third section, the author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling, which he generally does well. It is rather surprising, therefore, that his view of Satan is unconventional. He rejects the common view that Satan is a fallen senior angel whose pride caused him to rebel against God, commenting that "As far as I am aware there is no Scriptural foundation for this theory." What he does believe about the person and origins of the enemy remains unclear. Instead the chapter diverts to a discussion of the Temple Mount.

Much better is the following chapter on 'The Days of Noah', which contains an excellent critique of modern society and its obsession with political correctness. His phrase "the pervasion of perversion" (p121) is both telling and memorable.

In the fourth section we move from a wider reflection to a narrower focus on what he calls the "centre line for examining End Times prophetic scriptures" (p125), namely Matthew 24. He promises us a narrative summary of this chapter but this is too brief to be called a summary. Rather, it is merely an outline before we move on to sample a few more prophecies and relate them to current affairs. In other words, what are the signs of our times?

A key feature of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth.

Within this section the author provides a useful recap of certain key themes, such as the anti-Christ, the one world order, the centrality of Jerusalem and the possibility of a re-built Temple. There are, as would be expected, several pages devoted to the Book of Revelation, where he stresses that the objective of the book is an unveiling of Jesus rather than of events or a timetable. This is a useful reminder that the most important prophecy of all is that Jesus will return. The Lamb has won, and will reign on earth as King!

Where Next?

Part five asks the question 'What next?' What do recent trends suggest about our immediate future? These are thoughtfully examined without trying to confirm any particular theory or theology. Rather it is a case of 'let's look and see what we can see.'

The Middle East is a key focus of attention, as is the theme of false teachers and prophets. In one chapter we are led to consider "the rise and spread of radical and very militant versions of Islamic ideology" (p186) and ask to what extent this is apocalyptic. This topic is handled very well and is up-to-date enough to include ISIS and its prophetic significance. Is ISIS a sign of our times - and where might it lead? The gentle conclusion is "Only time will tell" (p192).

The author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling.

The book closes with two useful appendices. The first is a glossary of end time terminology; the second provides some background notes on Islam (mainly on the difference between Sunni and Shi'a).

Overall this is a book well worth investing in, and reading again and again as a refresher on this important topic.

Signs (208 pages) is self-published and available from CFI for £9, or from Amazon.

2016 was a turbulent and difficult year by most accounts. How can believers position themselves wisely as we move into 2017?

The New Year 2017 started very much as the old year 2016 ended, with the battle for Brexit growing in intensity. The resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers shook the Whitehall political establishment – or so it was reported. But did he jump or was he pushed? Clearly Sir Ivan could not have led Britain's negotiations to leave the EU successfully when he had a clear preference to remain within the European Union.

Sir Tim Barrow, the new British ambassador to the EU. See Photo Credits.In biblical terms, the principle that can be applied to such negotiations was clearly stated by Jesus, "Whoever is not with me is against me" (Matt 12:30). In this instant, it would certainly not have been in Britain's interest to have negotiations led by a man whose heart was not in the task of achieving a successful outcome.

Theresa May moved swiftly to replace him with another career civil servant who has publicly committed himself to Brexit. Sir Tim Barrow was British Ambassador to Russia from 2011 to 2015 and while in Moscow he established his reputation as a keen negotiator who will give support and advice to our politicians in the coming months of talks in Brussels.

Greater Problems to Come

The Brexit battle is by no means over and may be expected to grow even more intense as the date for triggering Article 50 approaches. But there are much greater problems on the horizon for the coming year, with the turmoil in the Middle East increasing by the day and the threat of terrorism right across Europe a constant anxiety.

The good news is that the threat of terrorist attacks in Europe initiated by ISIS may be diminishing now that the border between Syria and Turkey has been closed, due to Turkey's reaction to ongoing ISIS' atrocities against soft civilian targets (such as the New Year attack upon a nightclub in Istanbul).

The Brexit battle is by no means over and may grow more intense as the date for triggering Article 50 approaches.

These attacks have hardened Turkish public opinion and strengthened the military determination to close the long border with Syria. The effect of this is to deny ISIS direct access to the West and reduce its capacity to recruit and to infiltrate its fighters into Europe. But European nations must face the threat of terrorism for some while yet, as unknown numbers of terrorists may have already come in through flows of refugees, in addition to 'home-grown' militants radicalised on European soil.

Trump Incoming

The great unknown in all this, of course, is what the Trump Administration will do in the Middle East. The policy of the Obama Administration has been disastrous. They clearly backed the wrong side in arming the so-called 'moderate' Muslim rebels in the Syrian civil war. This allowed Russia to intervene on behalf of President Assad which has turned the war in his favour. But a negotiated peace is not in sight. The rebels will never agree to Assad remaining in power and he will never agree to their demands.

A further complication is the involvement of the Kurds, who have proved to be a useful ally in fighting ISIS in Syria, but they will never be acceptable in Arab areas due to centuries-old hostility.

Obama's policy has been primarily aimed at destroying ISIS. This led to US acceptance of Russian military intervention and the reversal of its opposition to Assad who is backed by Iran – an implacable enemy of the West whose stated aim is the destruction of Israel.

Will Trump continue this policy, particularly in view of his friendly attitude towards Putin? But Trump has also declared unswerving support for Israel. If he carries through his declared aim of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv up to Jerusalem, 'the eternal capital of Israel', this could well cause the whole Israeli-Palestinian dispute to explode.

If Trump carries through his declared aim to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the whole Israeli-Palestinian dispute could explode.

UN Resolution 2334US Secretary of State John Kerry, who delivered a blistering speech against Israel in the aftermath of the recent UN vote.

The vote last month in the United Nations Security Council condemning Israel's policy of settlements in disputed territory has highlighted the Arab-Israeli conflict. Obama's refusal to exercise the USA's veto allowed the almost unanimous vote against Israel (see the article by Charles Gardner elsewhere in this issue). The USA's decision was defended in a critical speech by John Kerry a few days later.

Sadly, Britain also voted in condemnation of Israel, once again breaking all the promises we made in the 1920s when we agreed that the whole land from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea would be a Jewish homeland. Winston Churchill was the Colonial Secretary at the time and he stated explicitly that the Arab part of Palestine would be East of the River Jordan in what is now known as 'Jordan' and the west would be Israel. This was officially and formally approved by the League of Nations on 22 July 1921 – the original 'two-state solution'!

There were only 600,000 Arabs living east of the Jordan at that time and they would be peacefully absorbed into Israel, as they are today in northern Israeli towns such as Nazareth where they have Israeli citizenship and vote for Arab MPs in the Israeli Parliament. Churchill stated on 30 March 1921:

It is manifestly right that the scattered Jews should have a national centre and a national home to be reunited, and where else but in Palestine with which for 3,000 years they have been intimately and profoundly associated? We think it will be good for the world, good for the Jews, good for the British Empire, but also good for the Arabs who dwell in Palestine and we intend it to be so; they shall share in the benefits and progress of Zionism.¹

Sadly, Britain also voted in condemnation of Israel in the UN vote at the end of December.

Zechariah 12 on the Horizon?

If Donald Trump carries out his promises to Israel and the USA becomes the first nation to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel established by King David some 3,000 years ago, and the vast injustice that has denied Jews the right to their own land for the past 2,000 years – it may embolden Israel to annex the whole land in accordance with the League of Nations' declaration.

This would no doubt bring strong protests from the Arab nations with the support of all the anti-Semitic nations of the West. This would look very much like the kind of scenario envisaged in Zechariah 12, when all the nations gather against Israel. Jesus himself warned that "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains" (Matt 24:7-8). Jesus also said that "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). Are we approaching that time?

The Prayers of Believers Are Vital

Jesus told his disciples "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7) but he also told them to watch and pray - and in particular to discern the signs of the times, so that no-one is caught by surprise.

Despite this warning, 2017 is likely to bring many surprises, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe, as the great shaking of the nations spreads across the face of the earth (in particular opening up cracks in the European Union). But Britain is likely to find the exit from the EU to be easier than expected and, provided the right decisions are made by our politicians, we may expect to see God's blessing upon the nation and the economy faring better than expected.

Jesus told his disciples to watch and pray – and to discern the signs of the times.

Much is dependent upon the prayers of believers – genuine, heartfelt, persistent intercession is the only thing that will truly protect and change the nation in the turbulent days that lie ahead. Will Christians study the word of God and understand the times, so that they know how to pray? And will they commit their time to faithful prayer? The future of the nation depends upon our response.

References

1 Quoted in Fromkin, D, A Peace to End All Peace. Phoenix Press, London, 2003, p519.