Israel's Survival
Saturday 10 Jan 2009
As we watch the current episode of the seemingly never-ending struggle between Israel and its neighbors, the big question must be, how long can Israel survive the international pressure that is mounting slowly but surely in favor of her enemies? Despite being bombarded almost daily by Hamas rockets; having to live in a pressure cooker; surrounded by enemies that are developing nuclear weapons; that have sworn to destroy her; Israel is constantly depicted as the aggressor and the “bad guy” by the international media while her enemies steadily get stronger and stronger. How long can Israel survive this constant pressure?
No one expects that Hamas will defeat Israel in the current conflict; not even Hamas. How many times however can Israel go through this exercise before ultimately, her enemies will have had the time to get the nuclear bomb and use it to wipe them out? The clock certainly does not appear to be ticking in favor of Israel. And is this what Jesus was talking about when He prophesied: “The days shall come upon you, that your enemies shall cast a trench about you, and compass you around, and keep you in on every side, and shall lay you even with the ground, and your children within you; and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another?” (Luke 19: 43-44) Are we destined, in our lifetime, to see the ultimate annihilation of Israel? Are we standing by now watching and waiting for it to happen?
If we say no, then count how many victories the forces of peace have had since the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) collapsed in 1991 for which Russian President Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and not Ronald Reagan. Despite the total failure of the Russian Socialist/Communist model, how many countries in the world have chosen freedom for their people over socialism/communism as a result? How many Islamic countries have come to permit religious freedom? True, hundreds of millions have been given the opportunity for freedom during this time; but very few have taken the opportunity and in the eyes of the world; the forces of evil are the victors.
The Realty
True, Israel inflicts more damage on its enemies when it attacks than her enemies have so far been able to inflict on Israel. If this were not the case, Israel would already not exist; the Jewish people would have long since been driven out of Israel and it would now be a rogue state ruled by either Hamas or Hezbollah; which strangely seems to be what the world wants.
It is true also that the international media feasts on bloodshed; there is no greater truth in the mainstream media than the fact that if “it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead”. In today’s world, this means that because Israel inflicts more damage on it enemies, it gets more bad press, because the bloodshed is always depicted as being awful and those who caused it, as crazed killers. In today’s world, there is no such thing as a just war in the eyes of the so-called “free press”.
These are the facts that Israel now has to live with and deal with, if it wants to survive.
As the world’s peace-keeper, this is also the world that America has to live and deal with because what Israel is going through now is no different to what America (and to a lesser extent) the entire Free World has been dealing with for the past 49 years, since the start of the Vietnam War.
What does it mean?
For freedom loving people, the world over, we cannot afford to ignore these signs. We have to realize that if the world continues going the way it is, then it can only come to one conclusion; and that result will not be peace and happiness as we would all hope. The destruction of Israel and America’s loss of power in the world will not herald the dawn of a new age of Utopian bliss – one only needs to look at the track record of those who are waiting to step into the vacuum (if it is ever created) to know what sort of a world it will be.
Christian Apathy
Some Christians will say: why should we care? Our salvation is assured; we have read the Bible and we win. We have to care and do whatever we can because Jesus told us that this is what is required to earn our salvation.
“Watch,” Jesus said (stay on guard); “for you know not what hour your Lord does come. But know this, that, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore you should also be ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man comes. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over His household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when He comes shall find so working. Verily I say unto you, that He shall make him (that wise servant) ruler over all His goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays His coming; and shall begin to smite His fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24: 42-51)
The Jews deserve it
Others will say that the Jews deserve everything they get, because they rejected Christ. There is no denying that this opinion exists within the Church, but it also must be known that this sort of anti-Semitic intolerance is what brought Adolf Hitler to power and brought down upon us the carnage of World War II.
Whether we like it or not, as the apostle Paul reminds us, “by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12: 13) If we are born again in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3: 28)
Our Role as Peace Keepers
As peace keepers, “these are the things that you shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 8: 17)
Knowing that “the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth,” (Genesis 8: 21) we should therefore be proponents of peace, but at the same time, we must demand that ALL must abide by their agreements (oaths), not only Israel, but also Israel’s enemies; we should not tolerate liars and deceivers at any time, in any place, for any purpose. If we do this, then peace has a chance; Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians; whatever; we have a chance to live together in peace.
