Tracing the hand of God in the re-gathering of the Jews to Eretz Israel.

On 31 October 2017 we celebrated the centenary of the writing of the Declaration by Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour “in regard to the establishment of a national home in Palestine for the Jewish people”, which started the process by which the State of Israel was created on 14 May 1948.

The Declaration was a letter of “sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet” for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. It was sent to the leader of the Jewish community in Britain, Lord Walter Rothschild, assuring him of the British Government's “best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective”, and was published on 2 November 1917.

This seminal event, in conjunction with the epic Battle of Beersheba (also on 31 October), heralded the end of the 400-year Ottoman occupation of the Land of Israel.

God’s Mo’ed

In God's calendar this date was a mo'ed: a set or appointed time in his promise to gather his ancient, scattered people back to the Land that he promised by covenant to give them (Gen 13:15, 15:18). There are many mo'edim in the scriptures (e.g. Gal 4:4; Rev 9:15).

1917 was both a confirmation of God’s faithfulness to his covenant and a footprint of the promised return of Messiah Yeshua.

The aggressive response to the celebration of its centenary, with many insisting that Britain 'apologise' for the Balfour Declaration, indicates God's hand at work.

In God’s calendar, 31 October 1917 was a ‘mo’ed’: an appointed time in his promise to gather his ancient, scattered people back to the Land.

In the Tanakh, the biblical mandate for Jewish presence in and return to the Land of Israel is clear (e.g. Gen 13:15, 15:18; Psa 132:13-14; Jer 32:37-38; Hos 2:23; Rom 9:26). God clearly states that Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel, is his choice for himself and his people.

But the prophesied return could not have happened without many people and situations being aligned. The letter sent to Baron Rothschild was but the latest step in a series of unlikely events that only the God of Israel could have arranged.

Figures of Faith

Many people in history anticipated the return of the Jewish people to Israel, believing God's promise to re-gather them from exile among the nations. These included:

• William Tyndale (1494-1536), a skilled linguist who translated the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek texts, allowing people to read and understand God's future plan for Israel’s return in their own language. An English Bible was placed in every parish.
  
• Henry Grattan Guinness, c. 1910. See Photo Credits.John Owen (1616-83), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, who wrote that Jews “shall return to their own land; they shall enjoy it for a quiet and everlasting possession, their adversaries being destroyed; they shall also be filled with the light and knowledge of the will and worship of God…and perhaps, shall be entrusted with great empire and rule in the world.”¹
  
• George Whitefield (1714-70) and John (1703-1791) and Charles Wesley (1707-88) established in all church denominations belief in God's promise to re-gather the Jewish people, and helped embed biblical authority in British society.
  
• Bishop Ryle (1816-1900), who taught that more than ten of the 16 prophets of the Tanakh expressly predicted a final gathering of the Jewish people in their own Land. He said “I ask you, then, to settle it firmly in your mind that when God says a thing shall be done - we ought to believe it”.²
  
• Henry Gratton Guinness (1835-1910), through studies of Daniel and of astronomy, considered that 1917 would be a very significant year for Israel, to do with their restoration. When General Edmund Allenby was depressed by lack of advance in ousting the Turks from what was called Palestine, a friend encouraged him with the words, “You may make all the mistakes in tactics or strategy, but nothing can prevent you from being in Jerusalem by the 31^st December”,³ citing Guinness’s prediction as proof. A letter published in the Daily Mail in January 1917 reminded readers that Guinness had said that this year is “one of the most important, perhaps the most momentous, of these terminal years of crisis.”⁴
  

Add to these the names of earlier supporters of a return of Jews to their Land: Cromwell, Rutherford, Gill (born 17^th Century), Rippon, Wilberforce, Simeon (18^th Century), Shaftesbury, Booth, Spurgeon, Hechler, Herzl, Moody (19^th Century), as well as Balfour, Allenby and Rothschild, and we can see how God prepared the ground for the restoration of his people.

The prophesied return could not have happened without many people and situations being aligned.

19^th Century: Preparing the Ground

In 1809, the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews (now CMJ, the Church's Ministry among Jewish People) was founded. Its purpose was to declare the Messiahship of Yeshua, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile (Rom 1:16), to teach the Church about its Jewish roots and to encourage the physical restoration of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. This work made the Jews jealous, and helped develop infrastructure such as schools and hospitals for their future return.

Christchurch, Jerusalem. See Photo Credits.In 1839-41 the British Consulate in Jerusalem, as a reward for helping the Turks repel Egyptian advances, was given orders for the first time to protect the interests of Jews, and in February 1840 permitted to build both a guesthouse and a chapel in the Old City (Christchurch).

In 1841 the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Michael Solomon Alexander, was appointed. And in 1849, George Gowler (Governor of Australia) returned to Britain and accompanied Sir Moses Montefiore to Israel to encourage investment in settlements for the returning Jewish people – all part of God's arrangements for the next century.

We must also remember the amazing and timely work of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the Lithuanian who went to Israel in 1881 and almost single-handedly restored the Hebrew language, following a vision of open heaven and a voice saying, “The renaissance of Israel on its ancestral soil”.⁵ His life’s work produced a working language that has helped to fulfil his vision to hold the Jewish people together and “conduct the business of life”.⁶ 30,000 followed his hearse when he died in 1922.

Britain's unbelief in God's work and timing was shown by the comment in the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannia that “The dream of some Zionists, that Hebrew - a would-be Hebrew, that is to say - will again become a living, popular language in Palestine, has still less prospect of realization than their vision of a restored Jewish empire in the Holy Land”.⁷ How dull of hearing can our nation be!

Zionism and Chaim Weizmann

But there is more! The rise in Jewish Zionism in Europe; the pogroms and persecution in Russia in the 1880s; the publication of Der Judenstadt in 1896 by Theodore Herzl following the framed Dreyfus trial in Paris; Herzl's encouragement by William Hechler, an Anglican minister who was convinced of Jewish restoration to Israel; these and more led to Herzl's prophecy of a Jewish state within 50 years following the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.

World War I, when God began a shaking of the nations that continues today, also produced situations that God used for his purpose and timing. The British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked on the eve of WWI that "The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time". The political and social changes in Europe at that time altered situations irrevocably for whole nations, as well as for individuals.

World War I, when God began a shaking of the nations that continues today, also produced situations that God used for his purpose and timing.

One such individual was a chemist from Eastern Europe named Chaim Weizmann, who first met Arthur Balfour in 1905 while working in Manchester on the production of acetone for cordite needed for ammunition. He was an avid Zionist, and on 31 October 1917 (note the date) became President of the British Zionist Federation, working with Balfour to pen the Declaration.

God gave Weizmann favour with both the British and the American governments through 1915-1917 and he lobbied successfully to promote Jewish immigration to Israel in the face of British Mandate resistance. He became the first President of the new State of Israel.

Perfect Conditions

Despite all these historic arrangements, only in 1917 were conditions right for Balfour's declaration of intent and the British Government's agreement to act for its fulfilment.

Conditions were not right in 1916, because the PM (Asquith) was not a Zionist, or in 1918, when the War Cabinet had been disbanded and the (post-war) atmosphere was totally different. The miracle of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 was a mo'ed.

The British War Cabinet that God assembled in December 1916 at the collapse of the Asquith administration was interesting and unusual, being very cosmopolitan and composed mostly of Christians who supported a Jewish restoration to Israel. Each member, whether British or not, had a background and career that predisposed him to favour Balfour’s declaration, as Charles Gardner has outlined in this article.

Only the Lord could have arranged such a diverse group together for this mo'ed, at such a crucially important time.

From Intention to International Law

The Balfour Declaration in 1917 was a statement of intent only. But it was clearly central to God's purposes, and was later ratified in international law.

San Remo Conference delegates, 1920. See Photo Credits.After WWI, the break-up of the Ottoman Empire led to the formation of mandates in the Middle East: areas not yet ready for sovereignty but given to Britain and France to prepare for independent statehood. The League of Nations agreed unanimously to this at the San Remo Conference in Italy in 1920.⁸

France was given the Mandate for Lebanon, Syria, and Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Britain was given an extended Mandate for what was still called 'Palestine', which was not ready for statehood (many Jewish people had not yet returned, owing to Britain restricting immigration,⁹ and there was already Arab resistance).

Several other important outcomes of the San Remo Conference were:

1. 'Palestine' was now a legal entity. All previous agreements (e.g. the Sykes-Pikot Plan) were ended.
   
2. The Balfour Declaration was recognised and incorporated into international law.
   
3. Sovereignty over 'Palestine' was invested in the Jewish people. They became the beneficiary because of their historical connection to the Land of Israel.
   

The legality of the State of Israel thus stems from the 1920 San Remo Agreement (which is still valid international law), NOT the UN Partition vote on 29 November 1947.^10,11 But without the Balfour Declaration, the San Remo Conference would not have taken place.

Despite all these historic arrangements, only in 1917 were conditions right for Balfour's declaration of intent and the British Government's agreement to act for its fulfilment.

Onwards to Fulfilment

The journey from the San Remo Conference in 1920 to the re-creation of the State of Israel in 1948 is the subject of another article, but suffice to say that it was a spiritual battle every step of the way, as anti-Jewish forces (including within British politics and the military) sought to prevent the return of the Jewish people to their Land and to destroy the nascent state, both before and immediately after its creation.

All this time, God continued his preparation for the fulfilment of his mo'ed, for the re-gathering of his covenant people to Eretz Israel. Through the people and events of the day, even including those who resisted his purposes, we can see the orchestration of everything to serve his will and fulfil his word.

The birth of Israel in May 1948 was truly a miracle from the hand of the God of Israel, and in perfect accord with his timing.

• Isaiah 66:8: “Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day, or a nation be brought forth in a moment?” We know the answer to these questions: it is Yes! For God answers his own questions and keeps his promises.
  
• Isaiah 55:10: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish…so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
  

Amen and amen! Our response should continue to be as David’s was in 1 Chronicles 17:23: 'Lord, do as you have said.'

References

1 An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Second Edition, Volume 1, published in Edinburgh in 1812, pp443-455.

2 Are You Ready for the End of Time? Available online.

3 Guinness, M, 2005. The Genius of Guinness. Ambassador.

4 Ibid.

5 E.g. see here and here.

6 St. John, R, 1952. The Life Story of Ben-Yehuda: Tongue of the Prophets. Balfour Books, 2013.

7 Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, Semitic Languages.

8 This was also confirmed by the Allied Supreme Council in April 1921 and accepted wholesale when the UN was formed in 1945.

9 The British military administration became more pro-Arab and anti-Jewish between 1920 and 1948, reneging on their Mandate responsibilities by severely limiting Jewish immigration during this time.

10 The legal right of Jewish people to the Land of Israel was further confirmed and ratified by the League of Nations in July 1922.

11 This proposed that part of the Land (west of the River Jordan) should be for the Jewish people, and part (east of the River Jordan – the area we now call Jordan, which in 1920 was part of 'Palestine') should be for the Arabs, although the Arabs immediately rejected this plan. No Jews were permitted to settle east of the river Jordan, though Arabs were allowed to settle west of it.

October 31^st – time to recapture territory from the enemy!

As we have celebrated the significance this week of 31 October, which marks 500 years since the Reformation began, we would do well to be reminded of other important anniversaries which add to the significance of this day.

Nearly 2,000 years earlier on the same day, according to Jewish tradition, the Prophet Ezra called for national repentance as he read the Book of the Law to Jerusalem’s citizens. It was 445 BC and they had sinned grievously against God.

Fast forward to 31 October 1917, to another hugely important event largely ignored by the many Protestants marking the day, 400 years earlier, when Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenburg, challenging the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.

For it is now 100 years since Britain’s War Cabinet agreed the Balfour Declaration (though the letter itself is dated 2 November 1917), promising to make every effort to repatriate Jews in their ancient land. It just happened to coincide with the Battle of Beersheba when 800 bayonet-wielding ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand) soldiers pulled off a surprise, and astonishing, victory over Turkish forces which paved the way for the capture of Jerusalem and all of Palestine, ending 400 years of rule under the Islamic Ottoman Empire.

I have written elsewhere of how the ANZAC horsemen rode a death-defying gauntlet of shrapnel, high explosives and machine-gun fire in a bid to prevent the intended destruction of local wells, and this too is an incredibly important centenary because it opened the way for Jewish restoration and the implementation of the Balfour Declaration – along with the fulfilment of Bible prophecy relating to the return of Jews from every corner of the globe.

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

If, like Ezra, we support the Book of the Law, we will stand with the people of Israel who gave it to us!

Reformation Needed

Luther faced two major challenges – a corrupt Church, and the real possibility of a Turkish Muslim invasion via central Europe – in the face of which he recognised the importance of the Book of the Law (the Bible) and the need for national repentance.¹

Many disagreed with Luther. Some German pastors even suggested welcoming Islam, seeing it as less oppressive than their situation under the Church.²

Today’s Church faces the same challenges and more, with secular humanism seriously eroding society’s Judeo-Christian foundations, leaving the Book of the Law despised and Christianity increasingly abhorred.

Dark Distractions

Part of this erosion has included the substitution of a Christian festival – Hallowe’en – for a celebration of the occult, which has taken the shine off the spiritual triumphs we have experienced on this special day.

Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening) was originally dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs and all the faithful departed. But it is widely thought to have pagan roots and is now associated with ghoulish practices. One view is that it originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts, in which case it is hardly surprising that it has morphed into an obsession with ghostly goings-on, playing pranks and divination games.³

If the Church of the Middle Ages had focused less on the dead and more on the resurrection, we may have been spared this nonsense. In any event, it is clearly a devilish ploy to substitute the light of truth with the darkness of witchcraft.

A City Set on a Hill

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:14f), in aiding restoration of the Book of the Law, following in the footsteps of Ezra, Luther and others. It is time to take back spiritual territory lost to 21^st Century paganism, just as the ANZAC horsemen bravely charged across the Negev desert to capture vital wells that would save the Allied forces from dehydration and defeat. We too are called to run a gauntlet of spiritual bullets in order to recapture the wells of salvation from an enemy intent on silting them up with lies and propaganda.

Modern-day Zionists should be seeking the restoration of the Book of the Law – not only to Israel, but to our land as well, where we have endured a long famine of hearing the word of the Lord.

We are living in dark times, and it is the duty of those who follow Christ to be a light “on a hill”, not hidden under a bushel.

We must pray and work towards the day when the Jews are able to fulfil their calling to be a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6). True, they have already become a powerful nation since their re-birth 70 years ago, but have not yet fully returned to the Book of the Law. They are back in the Land, but not yet fully with the Lord.

That will come, and Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage them to acknowledge that Jesus, whom they had believed was the God of the Gentiles, is actually their own Messiah too. In fact, he came for them first (John 1:11f; Rom 1:16) and has promised that, if they fully obey him, they would be his “treasured possession” (Gen 19:5).

The Times of the Gentiles

In this respect, it’s interesting that the patriarch Joseph was taken into Egypt after being rejected by his brothers. After Jesus was largely rejected by the Jewish people (though a significant number accepted him, of course, or the Church would never have come into existence), the message about him was taken to the nations, and the Gentile world elevated him to a prominent role in their affairs. Isaiah had prophesied that the Gentiles would put their hope in him (Isa 42:4; see also Matt 12:21).

As far as the UK and the USA are concerned, it would be true to say that from the 17^th through 19^th centuries the Gospel of Christ and the Bible itself was the most influential teaching they possessed, affecting virtually every institution and producing great wealth and power in the process. At the same time a host of passionate preachers went out to the far corners of the world spreading this Gospel to heathen nations.

Jesus had in some respects become Lord of the Gentile world, a situation that would, in time, make Israel “envious”, according to the Apostle Paul, an orthodox Jewish rabbi who led the mission to the Gentiles (Rom 11:11).

But just as Joseph never forgot his brothers, and longed for reunion with them, so Jesus – actually descended from Judah and described in the Bible as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) – reaches out in love to his long-lost brothers in the flesh, for whom things got worse before they got better. Now, over the past two centuries (even in the midst of multiple pogroms and the Holocaust itself), he has been revealing himself afresh to his people.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 will be fulfilled. But in the meantime we must, by our friendship, support and prayer, encourage Israel to acknowledge that Jesus is their Messiah.

Jewish Restoration to Messiah Jesus

Though sadly Jesus is still seen largely as God of the Gentiles, Jewish eyes have gradually been opened. It is believed, for example, that there were as many as 100,000 Jewish followers of Jesus at the outbreak of World War II in 1939.⁴

Tragically, many of them would have perished in Hitler’s gas chambers. But out of the ashes of the Holocaust, we not only have a re-born nation of Israel, but a growing number of so-called Messianic fellowships bringing Jesus back to where he belongs.

Just as Joseph was a sign of what was to come 400 years later, with deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lamb, so the voice of the prophets recorded in the Jewish Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament) fell silent for 400 years until the revelation of Jesus in the New Testament. Joseph provided his brothers with grain amidst the famine. And now Jesus is “the bread of life” – the manna from heaven – as he “fills the hungry with good things” (John 6:35; Luke 1:53).

There will come a time when, back in the land of promise and delivered from bondage in a hostile world, all Israel will recognise Yeshua, their Messiah (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26). What a day that will be – life from the dead as he who was despised and rejected of men is revealed to his brothers alive…and as Lord of all!

Notes

1 BarnabasAid editorial, September/October 2017, published by Barnabas Fund, an aid agency for the persecuted church.

2 Ibid.

3 E.g. see here.

4 Restoring Israel by Kelvin Crombie, published by Nicolayson’s Ltd, Christ Church, Jerusalem, p156.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Whose Land? Pt 1: Foundations’ (DVD, Title Deed Media, 2017).

This is the first of a two-part documentary looking at the legitimacy of Israel under international law. A wide range of highly qualified historians and international lawyers provide much of the information while presenter Colonel Richard Kemp anchors the whole presentation in a clear and skilful manner.

The aim of the production is simple: to tell the truth. With so much misinformation being spread around, either through fake history or deliberate misrepresentation of the current legal situation, simply telling the truth is the best weapon to counter the propaganda war being waged against Israel today.

How Lies Become Truth

In the dramatic opening we are shown several examples from the Palestinian media, proclaiming their rights to the land and their desire to destroy the Jews, who are portrayed as evil occupiers and usurpers.

Most striking is the clear indoctrination of children as part of this cause. The tactic is that if a lie is repeated often enough it will be believed without question and become a standard part of the education of the next generation. This belief that the Jewish people have no right to the land and are illegal occupiers is not only widespread throughout the Muslim world but, more alarmingly, is also finding a foothold in the West.

So what is the truth? The documentary starts by countering the claim that the Jews were never in the land in the first place, and that there was no Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This is easily done, as many sources confirm a Jewish presence in the land from antiquity.

Simply telling the truth is the best weapon to counter the propaganda war being waged against Israel today.

It then goes on to demonstrate that a Palestinian claim to any part of the land has no historical validity, and phrases such as ‘occupied Palestinian territory’ and ‘illegal occupation’ have no basis at all. They are all part of a bogus set-up. Verifiable history is the key to meeting such claims, and this is well-presented in sufficient detail without becoming bogged down or over-repetitive.

Charting Historical Progression

The 12 chapters vary in length from 3 to 13 minutes but it is possible to view it all in one sitting, as the film runs continuously through without annoying breaks for the chapter divisions (though it is well worth having the DVD case to hand to see the chapter titles).

The film takes us through the Ottoman Empire and its rule over Palestine, and then charts the historical progress from Turkish rule through to the Balfour Declaration. Some overlap would be expected with other DVDs and similar material on this topic - and inevitably there are some similarities - but there is much here that is new and more detailed. The whole emphasis is distinct: that of exploring the role of international law, hence chapters on the Paris peace conference, the League of Nations, the San Remo conference, and, of course, much on the British Mandate itself.

Special mention is made of the role of Churchill, which provides fascinating details into the political scene in Britain at that time. There is a chapter devoted to the 1939 White Paper and its tragic consequences, and another on the formation of the United Nations as it took over from the League of Nations, and the new charter that came into being as a result.

Britain’s betrayal of their Mandate responsibilities is documented clearly but always through the main lens of international law and how it should have been implemented.

The whole emphasis of this DVD is distinct: that of exploring the position of Israel within international law.

Being Clear About the Facts

The whole film is very informative, with new things to learn for everyone. It will also provide a vital revelation for those who rely on the usual media outlets.

We all need to be clear in our understanding of what is often a deliberately confused situation. With the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel coming up next May we need to be prepared: to know what is binding in international law to this day and how to counter false views. This DVD is an excellent resource to that end and is highly commended.

The DVD also contains two previews, one of six minutes and another of ten minutes. It is not clear why two are necessary, but the longer one seems to contain things which will come up in Part 2 and so acts as a trailer for the whole. Included in the second DVD will be the wars against which Israel has had to defend itself since independence and the campaign to denounce and delegitimise the Jewish State. Part 2 (to be released in 2018) is eagerly awaited!

‘Whose Land? Part 1: Foundations’ (94 minutes, produced and directed by Hugh Kitson) is available from the publishers for £15 + P&P. Click here to visit the official website.

100 years ago, an epic cavalry charge opened the way for Jerusalem’s liberation.

The liberation of Jerusalem by Allied forces 100 years ago was undoubtedly one of the great moments of history that should be remembered not only as a military success, but also as a stupendous spiritual victory.

The man in charge, General Edmund Allenby, is said to have carried with him a message from British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who “wanted Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the British nation”.

The PM’s War Cabinet was in the meantime working on plans for Jewish restoration to their ancient land, but felt that any public announcement of sympathy towards Zionism should be coupled with a military breakthrough.

The Last Great Cavalry Charge in History

And at 4:30pm on 31 October 1917, about 800 bayonet-wielding ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand) horsemen set off in three columns at a canter across a 5km plain to Beersheba on an epic cavalry charge that, in author Kelvin Crombie’s words, would change the course of world history, triggering a chain of events that would lead to the creation of modern Israel.

The Aussie soldiers were evidently riding a death-defying gauntlet of shrapnel, high explosives and machine-gun fire from some 4,000 entrenched Ottoman troops, and their rapid advance prevented the intended complete destruction of local wells, which would have been disastrous for over 50,000 troops and their animals.¹

The epic cavalry charge of the ANZACs would change the course of world history. 

British-led forces had already been repelled twice in their efforts to break through a Turkish/German line of defence stretching from Gaza to Beersheba, the Israeli city now known as capital of the Negev desert region.

Photo thought to show the charge of the Australian Light Horse Brigade, 1917. See Photo Credits.But the Turks were taken by surprise as they did not suspect that anyone would be so foolish as to attack the fortress from the desert. Unfortunately for them, as one wag has put it, nobody has ever accused the Aussies of being in their right minds – enthusiastically charging out on what has been dubbed ‘the last great cavalry charge in history’ even after riding 60 miles through the white-hot, searing sands of an unforgiving Judean desert.

The Australians suffered just 31 troopers killed and 36 wounded as they captured 750 Turks, nine artillery pieces, three machine guns, and tons of other munitions and supplies. Even more importantly, they seized 17 of the 19 wells intact, recovering 90,000 gallons of fresh, drinkable water from the town, enabling the Army to stave off death by dehydration.²

Paving the Way for Balfour Declaration’s Fulfilment

It was surely significant that the Balfour Declaration, through which the British Government promised to do all in its power to establish a national home for the Jews, was signed on the very same day, and subsequently conveyed to Britain’s Jewish leaders. The Battle of Beersheba thus paved the way for the fulfilment of this pledge, and within just six weeks Allenby’s forces ended 400 years of Ottoman rule in the region.

A park dedicated to the Australian soldiers was opened in 2008. It was a $3 million project funded by the philanthropic Pratt Foundation, whose chief executive Sam Lipski told journalists at a ceremony there five years ago that the history of Zionism and the Middle East could have been very different had the ANZACS not defeated the Turks at Beersheba.³

Yet for many young Aussies, the annual pilgrimage to Gallipoli in Turkey – the site of a tragic military defeat in 1915 that cost some 8,000 Australian lives – has become a rite of passage, whereas the stunning military victory at Beersheba remains relatively unknown.

It is surely significant that the Balfour Declaration was signed on the very same day. 

The Liberation of Jerusalem

General Allenby enters Jerusalem unmounted, in reverence of Jesus, 1917. See Photo Credits.The Royal Flying Corps also played a vital role in the liberation of Jerusalem by dropping pamphlets calling upon the Turks to surrender, an event evidently foretold by Isaiah some 2,700 years earlier: “Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it” (Isa 31:5). As it happens, this passage was also the required reading in all Anglican (Church of England) churches that week.

As a result, Jerusalem surrendered without a shot being fired, perhaps also helped by the similarity of Allenby’s signature to the Arabic (Al-Nebbi) for the prophet Mohammed. Victory in Jerusalem coincided with the Hanukkah festival recalling Jewish liberation from Greek-Syrian tyranny in the second century before Christ.

On 11 December Allenby declared British military rule from the ancient steps of the Tower of David, right opposite Christ Church, headquarters of the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ) who had done so much to convince political and church leaders of Israel’s destiny under God. He arrived at the Old City on horseback, but dismounted at Jaffa Gate before entering the holy enclave on foot, declaring: “It does not behoove me, a Christian, to enter the City of my Messiah mounted.”

The Role of Evangelical Christians

Without in any way minimising the contribution of the ANZAC troops towards Israel’s re-birth, the ground had been well prepared over the previous century by British evangelical Christians such as William Wilberforce, Lord Shaftesbury, Charles Spurgeon and Bishop JC Ryle, who believed that Jewish redemption is a fundamental aspect of biblical truth, and prayed to that end.

They in turn influenced the movers and shakers of the age, backed up (through divine providence) by the rise of Jewish Zionism under Theodor Herzl. The result was the Balfour Declaration.

The ground had been well prepared over the previous century by British evangelical Christians who believed that Jewish redemption is a fundamental aspect of biblical truth, and prayed to that end. 

An interesting footnote is that most of Lloyd George’s 1917 War Cabinet were evangelical Christians – ironically, the only member strongly opposed to the policy, Edwin Montague, was Jewish. Balfour, the Foreign Secretary, had already served as Prime Minister and declared on his deathbed that aiding Jewish restoration was possibly the most worthwhile thing he had done. Also in the cabinet was South Africa’s Jan Christiaan Smuts, who had long predicted that a great Jewish state would arise once more.⁴

Notes

1 Crombie, K, 1998. Anzacs, Empires and Israel’s Restoration: 1798-1948. Vocational Education & Training Publications.

2 Dan Goldberg, Haaretz newspaper, 30 October 2012, though some facts are gleaned from an anonymous blogger.

3 Ibid.

4 Gardner, C. The Magnificent Ten. Prophecy Today UK, 3 February 2017.

Paul Luckraft reviews two DVDs ahead of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this coming week.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (Hatikvah Films, 2017)

To coincide with the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, Hatikvah Film Trust have issued a shorter version of The Forsaken Promise (originally 4 hours along across two discs, first published 2007). This is an excellent resource for those who have no or little knowledge of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration, when Britain repeatedly reneged on its commitment to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine and failed to administer the region as the Mandate required.

The new disc can more readily be used in group discussions or even given away to those who want to discover how events played out in the vital period from 1917 to 1948, when the current state of Israel came into existence.

The DVD has eleven sections which means it can be used selectively if time does not permit a full showing, or paused at suitable moments to allow group discussion. The opening seven minutes set the scene well and would be a good way of opening up such a discussion. After that we start to see how things went wrong as Britain failed to live up to her promises. The presentation covers events from the San Remo meeting of 1920 to the British withdrawal in 1948, including the Hebron Massacre (1929), the White Paper of 1939 and the appalling incident of the Exodus ship (1947). Some of the scenes are quite disturbing and would need to be handled sensitively in a group context.

The DVD ends with an interview with Derek Prince in Israel, whose forthright words leave us in no doubt about the seriousness of Britain’s actions and attitudes during this vital period in our history and that of the Jews.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (44 minutes) is available from AO Vision for £5. The original edition is still available from the publishers for £15.

The Destiny of Britain (Hatikvah Films, 2007)

Also available from Hatikvah is The Destiny of Britain, a prequel to The Forsaken Promise. This has not been reduced in length and remains in a two-disc format, with the main presentation (on Disc 1) being in two parts totalling 107 minutes. Disc 2 features several extended interviews with participants in the main presentation - a chance to hear at greater length what these experts had to say before it was edited down for Disc 1.

Presented by Kelvin Crombie, this is story of how Britain’s Christian heritage and her geo-political objectives in the Middle East combined in the period leading up the Balfour Declaration.

Britain played a key role in the restoration of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and this DVD acts as a positive counterfoil to the more shameful episodes that followed the Declaration. Here we learn about how God placed many strong Christians in positions of influence in order to bring his purposes to fulfilment.

Knowing our history is central to understanding our present and likely future. This DVD provides key information to that end.

The Destiny of Britain: Decisions that Shaped an Empire (107 minutes) is available from Hatikvah Films for £10.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘31st October, Destiny’s Date?’ (DVD, 2017, Heritage Resources).

This year sees two major anniversaries centred upon the date of 31 October: the centenary of the Balfour Declaration and the 500^th anniversary of the start of the Reformation, when Luther presented his 95 theses to challenge the practices of the dominant Roman Catholic Church.

The value of this new DVD, presented by Kelvin Crombie, is that it links these events (and two others also on 31 October) and concludes by asking whether this is merely coincidence or whether there is an ultimate destiny behind it all.

The Significance of Beersheba

The DVD is set out in 12 chapters of varying lengths (between six and 18 minutes) and starts with a minute-long trailer (which is also the opening of chapter 1). In some ways the presentation is a slow burner with a lot of preparatory material, starting with the importance of Beersheba in Abraham’s time. For the later significance of this same geographical place we have to wait until chapter 10 - but it is well worth waiting for.

The climax of the DVD is very powerful as the drama unfolds. The mounted attack on Beersheba under General Allenby, and the War Cabinet’s deliberations on what would later be known as the ‘Balfour Declaration’ are skilfully interlinked to produce a tension that is suddenly relieved: God has been in charge all along. His purposes will not be thwarted.

As the drama unfolds, events are skilfully interlinked and the tension is ultimately relieved: God has been in charge all along and his purposes will not be thwarted.

Slices of History

Each chapter is based upon a slice of history and we are kept well informed of where we are on the timeline. The first two chapters cover the period from the time of Abraham right up to the 15^th Century, picking out necessary background material. Chapter 3 (1453-1798) is the longest at 18 minutes and looks at the dynamics of change brought about by the Ottoman Empire and the Reformation.

Chapters 4 and 5 start with Napoleon’s invasion of the Holy Land (1799) and his call to the Jews to return, and conclude with the second of the four ‘31 October’ events: the arrival of Kaiser Wilhelm II into Jerusalem in 1898 to open the new German church there. The significance of this gradually unfolds in the rest of the DVD.

Chapters 6 and 7 cover the alliances being formed in the period before the First World War and the start of the War itself. Chapter 8 explains the military and political ramifications of the Dardenelles campaign and the landings at Gallipoli. Here we see the beginning of the role that Lord Balfour would play in the years to come.

Chapter 9 is an excellent presentation of the events of 1916-17 leading up to the meeting of the British War Cabinet on 31 October to consider the request of Lord Rothschild for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. But simultaneously we are constantly reminded of what is happening ‘on the ground’ there as the future of Palestine is being fought out under General Allenby. Was it coincidence that the date for the assault on Beersheba was also set for 31 October?

Chapter 10 brings both strands to their conclusion: victory at Beersheba and the chance to push on to Jerusalem, and the Declaration of the British Government concerning a Jewish homeland (2 November 1917). Each needed the other - and God ensured that both happened.

Each chapter is based upon a slice of history and we are kept well informed of where we are on the timeline.

How God Shapes History

Throughout the DVD the question is constantly posed: is it possible that the Jews could ever return to the Land as stated by Old Testament prophecies? At times it seemed impossible or at least a distant dream. By the end of the DVD we can see how God shapes history and in particular how he has kept his promises to his ancient people. We are left in no doubt that history from 1917 onwards is also under God’s direction and prophetic hand.

This DVD is highly recommended for personal edification and can also be useful for group study and discussion, though due to its length certain sections may have to be omitted and replaced by a verbal summary.

31 October, Destiny’s Date? (123 minutes) is available from Re-vived for £11.99. Also available from CFI, CMJ and on Amazon. You can also watch the trailer on Youtube.

We review two booklets from Christians for Israel (CFI), ahead of the Balfour centenary.

A Nation Called by God: Britain’s Role in Israel’s Restoration (2017, multiple authors)

This booklet is an extended version of a previous booklet, published by Love Never Fails, which in turn was an expanded version of a recorded message given by Ken Burnett. This final edited and expanded version includes extra material from Burnett’s original sources as well as from additional sources. The result is a more comprehensive picture of the relevant history leading up to the Balfour Declaration as well as more details of developments that occurred in the 20^th Century.

The booklet is set out simply and starts by referring to a little-known work by Franz Kobbler entitled The Vision Was There (published in 1956). The theme is clear from the beginning that God chose Britain as a ‘servant nation’, appointed to shepherd Israel under God’s overall sovereignty of history.

There are sections on the usual people and groups that were instrumental in this cause: the Clapham Sect, Spurgeon, Ryle, CMJ. By the halfway point of the booklet we have reached the Balfour Declaration, described as the culmination of the British movement for the restoration of Israel.

God chose Britain as a ‘servant nation’, appointed to shepherd Israel under God’s overall sovereignty.

The booklet continues by commenting that “Sadly, through our scarred history since 1917, Britain has done far more to obstruct Israel’s restoration than to assist it” (p14). A list of 11 examples of this ‘opposite policy’ occupies three pages (pp18-20) and the booklet ends with what is perhaps its main intention: a call to repentance.

The final word is given to Derek Prince, an adapted transcript of an audio recording of a message he gave in Jerusalem on 1 June 2003, a few months before he died there in September 2003. At the end there is a page of references for further reading which brings this well-produced and timely book to a helpful conclusion.

A Nation Called By God (26 pages) is available from CFI for £2.50.

90 Years On: Legal Aspects of Jewish Rights in the Mandate for Palestine (Roy Thurley, 2010)

This is a short but well-produced and glossy booklet (with colour maps), produced from material presented at the 90^th anniversary conference commemorating the San Remo Agreement. As for its message, it makes a very worthwhile contribution towards a better understanding of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration and the subsequent British Mandate.

Of particular interest are the key points listed concerning the British Mandate for Palestine. For anyone who has not studied the legal aspect of this before, this will be a revelatory discovery.
The conclusion is that the Jewish State draws its legality from the San Remo Agreement of 1920, a fact that counters much of the misinformation spread in recent times, especially that which uses the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 (Resolution 181) as its basis.

This is a worthwhile contribution towards a better understanding of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration.

The only modification to the Mandate for Palestine was the creation of the Emirate of Trans-Jordan in 1946 (now Jordan). Thus the provisions of the Mandate to the land west of the Jordan remain applicable to this day. It soon becomes clear that the expression ‘illegally occupied territory’ is totally inapplicable to Israel’s presence in what has become known as the West Bank as well as other areas that were assigned to Israel under the 1920 San Remo agreement.

The booklet concludes that those who would deny Israel’s right to the territories it recaptured in 1967 should be challenged, and the fallacy of such claims should be countered by the legal case set out in its pages.

90 Years On (10 pages) is available from CFI for £2.50.

British politicians seek ‘way of peace’, but are back in appeasing mode.

British politicians are once again demonstrating the moral confusion that has seen them pass so many laws contradicting the biblical precepts upon which our civilisation was based. The latest example is the suggestion from an influential House of Lords committee that the UK Government recognise a new state of Palestine.

In a report titled The Middle East: Time for New Realism, published on Israel’s Independence Day,¹ the upper house’s International Relations Committee (chaired by former Conservative cabinet minister David Howell) called for the government to “give serious consideration to now recognising Palestine as a state, as the best way to show its determined attachment to the two-state solution”.

And the relevant paragraph was prefixed by the extraordinary statement that “the balance of power in the delivery of peace lies with Israel”.²

Yet the Palestinians have repeatedly made clear their commitment – not to the two-state solution so precious to Western leaders, but to a single-state solution with Israel driven out of the region altogether. PA president Mahmoud Abbas and his rivals in Gaza, Hamas, want all of it; that is why they refuse to recognise the Jewish state!³

The Palestinians have repeatedly made clear their commitment – not to the two-state solution, but to a single-state solution with Israel driven out of the region.

Surely – judging from their oft-repeated comments over the years – it is obvious to anyone with a semblance of elementary education (Lord Howell went to Eton) that these men do not want peace, but rather a jihad (holy war) against the ‘infidel’ seed of Abraham!

The ancient ruins of a synagogue at Capernaum undermine the Palestinian narrative about land.Promises of Peace

The report does not specify where the borders of this new state should be drawn, or even who should run it – Fatah, in charge of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) in the guise of the Palestinian Authority, or Hamas, who run a chaotic Gaza; factions which are constantly at loggerheads with each other. What kind of stable society will that produce?

The report also suggests that Britain work with Iran, despite current US policy, “to ensure the stability of the Iran nuclear deal”, adding: “That would be a way of peace in a region needing stability.”

Oh really! Such potential treachery has echoes of 1938, when Neville Chamberlain returned from Germany promising “peace in our time”. Have we learnt nothing in the past 80 years; that appeasement with dictators doesn’t work, for instance? In the case of the Munich meeting, it only further encouraged Hitler in his madness and hastened the death of some 50 million people!

Palestinian Pressure

Meanwhile the British Government has rightly refused persistent requests by the Palestinians to apologise for the Balfour Declaration which, 100 years ago this November, promised to do all in its power to enable Jews to re-settle their ancient homeland.

Such requests suggest that the Jews should never have been allowed to return to the region, which is in fact exactly what the Palestinians think. But instead of giving the Palestinians short shrift while fully backing Jewish aspirations, we keep kowtowing to international demands for endless peace talks which only ever seem to produce more conflict.

The British Government has rightly refused persistent requests by the Palestinians to apologise for the Balfour Declaration.

Israel withdrew from Gaza under international pressure, for example, in one of these so-called ‘land for peace’ deals. And what was the result? A continuous volley of rocket fire into Israeli territory.

Britain’s Historic Failures

We certainly have no need to apologise for the Balfour Declaration. But we do need to apologise for repeatedly going back on our word in subsequent years, as we betrayed the Jews again and again – firstly, by giving the bulk of the land we originally promised them to the Arabs (now Jordan) and then by persecuting them in various ways during Britain’s Mandate of the territory then known as Palestine, particularly by restricting Jewish immigration (to appease the Arabs) at a time when they could have done with a bolthole from Nazi threats.

Then, shamefully, we abstained in the 1947 UN vote to recognise the new state. And it was around this time (70 years ago this summer) that, quite disgracefully, we turned away Holocaust survivors from the port of Haifa, sending some of them back to Displaced Persons’ Camps in Germany, of all places.

For such treatment we should hang our heads in sorrow and shame. Among the dozens of refugee ships turned back in this way by the Royal Navy was the Exodus, with over 4,500 on board, mostly Holocaust survivors. Boarding the ship in international waters, the British killed three and wounded many more.

We have no need to apologise for the Balfour Declaration - but we do need to apologise for repeatedly going back on our word in subsequent years.

Leading the Way of Repentance

I’m glad to report that, two years ago, such sorrow and shame was expressed on our behalf by a group of some 100 British people, including Col Richard Kemp and Rev Alex Jacob.⁴ They travelled out to Israel for an event at Haifa and Atlit (location of one of the camps) where they asked forgiveness for our action from a similar sized group of Israelis, many of whom had suffered under the Mandate.

We do need to apologise – but not for the Balfour Declaration which, to quote journalist Melanie Phillips, was “the high-water mark of British decency towards the Jewish people. But it’s been downhill all the way…ever since”.⁵

Notes

1 Also on Independence Day, UNESCO (the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) voted – by 23 votes to 22 – to adopt a resolution denying Israeli claims to Jerusalem. Britain voted against it.

2 Recognise Palestine State says Lords. Christian Voice, 2 May 2017.

3 Hamas has unambiguously stated that “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad”. And senior PA official Jibril Rajoub has emphasised that “all of Palestine, from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean), it’s all occupied,” clearly implying that he does not accept Israel’s right to exist under any borders. Taken from Peace in Jerusalem by Charles Gardner, olivepresspublisher.com, pp143-149.

Reports that Hamas intends to remove the call for Israel’s destruction from a new policy document have sceptics suggesting it is merely a ploy to improve relations with Egypt and the Gulf states.

4 Richard Kemp is a retired British Army officer, best-selling author and fervent supporter of Israel. Alex Jacob is CEO of the Church’s Ministry among the Jewish people (CMJ).

5 Phillips, M. As I see it: The British Foreign Office remains true to type. Jerusalem Post, 27 April 2017.

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.