By: Chris Zeelie (Guest writer)
Is this the “Big One”, and what is the appropriate Christian response to a bipolar Israel?
Static at 2 minutes to Midnight for a few years successively, the Doomsday Clock leaped ahead to 90 seconds to Midnight in January 2023. The Doomsday Clock[i] is an exercise conducted by a panel of geo-political and nuclear warfare analysts, whose function is to determine and depict on a clock face, just how close we are to Total Global Annihilation?
How close has the Iran-sponsored Hamas invasion (and Israeli backlash) forced us towards Total Global Annihilation? While nations shake fists at one another (as well as at God), we could be led into thinking that World War III is knocking on the door… Well, is it knocking on the door?
Which side are you on?
- Pro-Palestinian crowds of loonies (even “Gays for Palestine”) in the sometimes hundreds-of-thousands occupy the city centers of former democratically ruled nations: Sydney, London, New York, Paris, to protest Israeli occupation of Gaza and Palestine as a whole.
- Unbridled lunatic retaliation with zero restraint? Does Israel not have an obligation to obliterate Hamas, who on the 7th October this year invaded Israel and mercilessly slaughtered men, women and children in the most horrific acts of savagery in the name of “Allah”? (In excess of 1400 civilian victims were massacred and 260 people taken hostage).
A brief sidebar:
“Wars, and rumors of wars” are some of the signs of the beginning of the End, according to Jesus in Matt 24. Perpetual amassing of Western armed forces staging for war in Poland to counter the Ukraine – Russia War; US Battle groups standing off in the Med (and now the Persian Gulf too); US-Iran Proxy War in Syria and Iraq (where 66 separate attacks on US Military Bases in the last month have gone largely unpunished); the Sea of China is frothing with activity… North Africa, the Sohel is wracked with revolution after another. All this while on our own doorstep, Islamic Jihadists are occupying Northern Mozambique… right on our doorstep. Last week, an inter-denominational Christian prayer meeting held at Sea Point was overrun by hordes of Pro-Palestinian (anti-Jewish) “protesters”.
Return:
The Geopolitical Landscape
Taking sides? With so much media propaganda, one would almost be justified to side with the regular “Muslim-victim” rhetoric, or potentially even the “righteous Jewish” retribution.
World-wide media presents a simplistic solution to the problem: a Two-State-Solution[ii] where Jews and Palestinians can peaceably cohabitate the same small portion of land, roughly the size of the Kruger National Park in its total landmass. Wouldn’t it be nice? [Cue romantic music…]
This has been the status quo post-1948 when the State of Israel was reborn into nationhood. Under British supervision, the colony of Palestine in the Levant was allocated to Jewish, Arab and Palestinian populations. What isn’t popularly known, is that the entire eastern side of the Jordan River was allocated to the Arab Nation of Jordan. Also, the three blocks of the State of Palestine were given to the endemic Palestinian people in the form of Gaza, The West Bank and Golan Heights. This peaceful agreement left the people of Israel with a tiny portion of land, having surrendered the lion’s share of land to their Arabic neighbors. Please note, that contrary to populist media, Palestine is a self-governing nation with a President and Parliament. The invasion on the 7th of October was an act of war from one self-governing country on the civilian population of another self-governing country. Therefore, Apartheid is not a true description of the political landscape at all…
The Religious Landscape
This isn’t about land! Don’t be duped into the rhetoric. There are two very strong motivations at an inevitable collision-course.
The historical Levant (Israel and the Asian Middle East) with Jerusalem at the figurative epicenter is the birthplace of the three major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Jews have their historical Temple, the Christians have Golgotha, and the Muslims claim the ascension of Mohammad to a radius of 5km of one another. Currently the Temple Mount, which includes the Islamic Mosque at the site of Mohammad’s supposed “ascension”, is under the Curation of the Islamic State of Jordan. Herein lies a larger, eschatological problem… For the Jews to rebuild their Third Temple, the site needs to be cleared… (watch this space). And for the “Mahdi” (Islamic Messiah) to come, the Jews need to be purged for him to take his throne in Jerusalem. Jesus will set His feet on the Mount of Olives.
What is actually happening?
The 7th November Hamas “Intifada” (or uprising) indicates another step towards the ultimate goal of fanatical Islam, which is the total eradication of the Jewish Nation (all Jewish people). The Islamic chant from 1960 onwards: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” [iii](Jordan to the Mediterranean), reflects the ultimate anti-Semitic goal of the Quran: no Jews, no Christians, except slaves.
Are we spectators on a Global stage? Christianity is firmly in their sights too!
Infidels, need to be conquered by force until Jews and Christians (People of the Book) alike pay tribute to Allah in the form of 50% tax. For clarity, “The People of the Book” are Christians.
Quran. Verse 9:29 was revealed to address the People of the Book: ‘[fight those People of the Book who do not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day, and do not take as unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have declared as unlawful, and do not profess the Faith of Truth; [fight them] until they pay Jizya with their own hands.
Well now. There may not be a “Two-State Settlement” after all (at least, not in the mind of Hamas). The Jewish response is one of survival: “It’s either us or them”.
What is the appropriate Christian response?
- Understand that this is a Biblical inevitability, whether now or later. Psalm 83 talks of all the surrounding nations who will gather against Jerusalem to destroy her, in the last days. This is partly as a punishment for the rejection of Jesus, as well as a disciplinary grace to call the Jews to repentance and salvation found in Christ alone!
- Pray for the people of Israel to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. (Romans 11:26 “All Israel will be saved…”, if they want to be saved…)
- Pray for the people of Gaza to be saved (2 Peter 3:9 KJV The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.)
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6 May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.)
Should we take sides?
NO! Thanks for asking…
Our Kingdom stands apart from both the Jews and the Gentiles. Both Jews and Gentiles need to be saved from destruction, into the Kingdom of God. An unsaved Jew is just as lost as an unsaved Palestinian, South African, white, black, male, or female person. Lost is lost.
All people need to be reconciled to Jesus, the only Savior… and just in case you are wondering regarding salvation of the Jews: Unless they are born again, they shall not see the Kingdom of God. (reference Jesus’ conversation with the esteemed Jewish Rabbi, Nicodemus in John 3).
So then, are we facing “Impending Doom?”
YES! Thanks for asking…
We are hurtling towards an event horizon called the Second Coming of Christ. This is a day, often called “The Day of the Lord”, which is universally understood by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike, as being the ultimate Day of Reckoning. On this Day, Jesus will set His glorious feet on the planet to wrap up business. He will destroy the earth with fire! There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and the saints of God (us) will rule for eternity on a shiny new, sinless earth (alongside Jesus). Yes! It will indeed be terrible! And it will be a glorious, triumphant, victorious Day of the mercy of God revealed to those who love Him!!!
References
[i] Thebulletin.org “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists” Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, the scientific community keeps a close and watchful eye on the possibility of Total Global Annihilation.
[ii] Wikipedia.org
[iii] ADL.org