Shalom Dear Partner and Friend of Israel,

During May 2013, whilst taking a tour through Israel which started in the north… and as we journeyed from the north and was approaching Jerusalem there was an ‘air of excitement’ stirring our spirits and everyone on the bus wanted to get a good view of the Holy City. As we ‘ascended’ towards Jerusalem we could see Mount Scopus on the north… with the Mount of Olives on the south and before us to the west we could see the gold Dome of the Rock and the silver dome of the Al-Aksa Mosque glisten before us. Around and behind them was the Old City of Jerusalem with its serrated walls and towers. Everything seemed so peaceful!

Yet we knew deep down in our hearts that this peaceful appearance was deceptive! Beneath the surface lay forces already at work that would someday soon erupt in violence and bloodshed. And, as we stopped to linger on Mount Scopus, savouring the beauty of Jerusalem, Julie and I recall saying these words… “What lies ahead?”

Over the course of many years we had dedicated ourselves to studying the Bible in light of what God says about Israel. We had proved to our satisfaction that the Bible promises and teachings when acted upon by faith are still as valid and vital as when they were first written. We had wholeheartedly embraced the Bible as truth in a total new dimension and in a specific geographical setting. We realised that the events recorded in the Bible took place within an area with emphasis on the Mediterranean… but by far the greatest part took place in a small piece of land only the size of the Kruger National Park in South Africa or the size of New Jersey in the USA.

Geographically, the Bible is set in the land of Israel and historically its theme is the people of Israel. We have to see that geography and history are in fact interwoven!

This piece of land was known as ‘Canaan,’ ‘the land of Israel,’ ‘Palestine’ or the ‘Holy land.’ During the time of the Patriarchs it was known as ‘Canaan.’ After its conquest by the ‘Israelites’ under Moses and Joshua it became the “land of Israel!” This name is still used in the New Testament (Matthew 2:20), even though the area was by then a province of the Roman Empire. The name ‘Palestine’ means ‘land of the Philistines.’ It was used by the Greeks, then by the Romans and other subsequent Gentile rulers… including the British! The title ‘Holy Land’ has been used by Christians from about the fifth century onward. Since the termination of the British Mandate in 1948, the area has been divided up into the two states of, Israel and Jordan.

We need to now look at one of the most controversial issues in our times and it centres on a relatively small area of earth’s surface! At various times in history has been known as Canaan, the land of Israel, the Holy Land and Palestine… part of the area is today occupied by the Modern State of Israel… the remainder is occupied by four Arab nations; Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. These Arab nations in the Middle East have been generally hostile to Israel. They rejected Israel’s claim to the part of the land it currently occupies and even rejected Biblically or any claim to the whole area God designated originally as the Land of Israel. In view of this, we appeal to a higher authority… the Bible! For those who accept the authority of the Bible… the ownership of the land is settled clearly and unambiguously.  In several Scriptures God calls it “My Land.”

Let’s look at an example of which Gentiles nations are planning something in relation to the land and its people which are contrary to the will of God; “You will advance against ‘My people’ (Israel) like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against ‘My Land,’ so that the nations will know me when I show ‘Myself’ holy through you before their eyes.” Ezekiel 38:16

Another passage is found in Joel 3:2; “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgement against them concerning ‘My inheritance,’ ‘My people Israel,’ for they scattered ‘My people’ among the nations and divided ‘My Land.” Three times in theses passages God calls Israel, ‘My people’ and twice He calls their land, ‘My Land!’ He is most absolute about this claim when the integrity of the land of Israel (His Land) is challenged by Gentile nations! As absolute owner of this land, God has by His sovereign choice given it to a specific group of people… that is to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Genesis 17:7-8; Genesis 26:3-4, 11-12.

From the many passages of Scripture we can see God’s plan for the close of this age has emerged with great clarity. Through His prophetic Word, God has declared to all nations that He intends to re-gather Israel in their own land, and restore them to His favour. He has also made it clear that He will intervene in judgement against those nations who oppose Israel or resist God’s purposes for them (Joel 3:1-15). Here we see that the prophet Joel sets forth two sides of opposite aspects of how God will deal with the nations who oppose and oppress Israel and claim jurisdiction over Israel’s land. The place for judgement is called “the Valley of Jehoshaphat.” This is an actual location but also with a symbolic meaning …“the Lord Judges!” Here we can see then that “the valley of the Lord’s judgement” is also “the valley of decision!” What do we understand about “the valley of decision?” It depicts “a valley” that God, through the pressure of world events… will compel the world to enter and once they have entered it… they will not be able to leave until they have made a decision and a decision will be the only way out! The decision required of all nations will be simple…they must either submit to God’s Word or reject it! By submitting they will also be aligning themselves with God’s revealed plan and purposes for Israel. Opposing God’s purposes for Israel will constitute rejection of His Word and will inevitably bring the judgement He forewarns.

This revelation concerning the land of Canaan, or Israel… is summed up in one short verse in Psalm 105:7, “He is the Lord our God; His judgements are in all the earth.” From this introductory statement, the psalmist goes on to proclaim the specific judgements or determinations, of God concerning the land of Canaan in Psalm 105:8–11, “He has remembered His Covenant forever, the Word which He commanded to a thousand generations; the Covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac; and He confirmed it to Jacob for a Law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;  when they were a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.” The psalmist also emphasises two important points… First, He leaves no doubt as to the line of descent through which the promise of the land is given… Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Second, the psalmist uses every conceivable Scriptural term to establish the sacred, unchanging nature of God’s commitment to Abraham and his descendants. He speaks of God’s own ‘Covenant’ and of ‘the Word He commanded,’ and of ‘the oath He swore,’ and ‘an everlasting Covenant!”

Apart from Psalm 105, it is the prophetic passages predicting Israel’s end-time restoration that stress most frequently Israel’s ownership to the land. In other words, the Bible’s emphasis on their right to the land does NOT diminish… but actually increases, with the passage of time. Some prophetic passages that confirm this are; Jeremiah 30:3, Ezekiel 36:17, 24. When Israel originally occupied the land before their first captivity, even though they defiled it, God called it ‘their own land.’ When God promises to bring Israel back to the land at the close of the age… He still calls it, ‘your own land.’ In God’s sight, the ownership of the land has NEVER changed and NEVER will! He gave it to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac by an ‘everlasting Covenant.’

In Amos 9:15, here again God is speaking of Israel’s end-time restoration in ‘their own land.’ Furthermore He promises that they will NEVER again be uprooted and this promise given 3,000 years ago is NOT nullified, affected NOR modified by the growing might of the Arab nations today, NOR by their determination to destroy Israel.

On the contrary, the current multiplication of problems and the violent opposition to Israel shows us WHY God, in His foresight, took such pains to emphasize Israel’s in-alienable right to the land!

WHY does God in His Word speak so frequently, and with such emphasis, about the ownership of this relatively small piece of land? First and foremost we must remember that He is a covenant-keeping God… and He wants the whole world to know this. Another important principle involved is stated by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:8… God has not left it to chance to determine where each nation shall dwell and has appointed a dwelling place for each section of the human race. When God allotted the appointed areas to the nations, what was His starting point? Moses tells us… it was from the land He had allotted to Israel. First, He chose Israel’s inheritance for them… then He allotted the inheritance of the other nations in relationship to that of Israel. The area allotted to Israel was based on the size of population that God intended them ultimately to attain. In the New Testament it is confirmed by the remarkable statement made by the Apostle Paul in his speech to the men of Athens; “From one man He (God) made every nation of men that they should inhabit the earth, and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live,” Acts 17:26.  So we can see then that God has determined not only where the nations shall dwell… but also when they shall dwell there.  It is around God’s dealing with Israel, however, and the inheritance He has appointed for them that His dealings with the nations revolve. Israel is therefore both starting point and centre.

When God declares His love for Israel, He says “because” and does NOT say “WHY.” He tells Israel, “I will do this for you because I love you.” BUT, He Never says why He loves Israel. We as Christians have come to accept this unexplained love of God as bedrock of our faith. We believe God was willing to offer the spotless Lamb of God; Yeshua (Jesus) to die on the cross for our sins… there is nothing in any of us to merit this sacrifice. Yeshua did not die for us because we deserved it… He did it only for one reason because He loved us.

Isaiah 42 ends with a description of Israel’s rebellion against God and of the severe judgement that came upon them as a consequence. However, Isaiah 43 begins with the word ‘”But…” indicating a different way God now intends to deal with Israel… a change from ‘judgement’ to one of ‘mercy.’ In the first verse of Isaiah 43, God uses two different words to describe the way He deals with Israel… to “create” and to “form.” To create describes the initial act of bringing something into being… but to form describes making something the way we desire it to be. First, God “created” Israel but now is in the process of “forming” Israel.

“But now so says Jehovah who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you,” Isaiah 43:1-2. Again, we see the accuracy of biblical prophecy… with the vivid phrases of this verse depicting the history of the Jewish people through a period of almost 2,000 years… they have indeed passed through the rivers and walked through the fire. There is only one explanation of their continual survival as a people… God has been with them!

In Isaiah 43:3–4, God here speaks of re-gathering Israel from all four corners of the earth… clearly this prediction like that in Isaiah 11 was not fulfilled by the return from Babylon. God reveals that His personal sovereign choice is the determining factor in the human history. He says to Israel; “I have put My Name upon you… therefore you shall be Mine. All that I work out in history… I do because I have chosen you!” He has declared that His love for Israel will influence His dealings with other nations. In the last resort, the destiny of nations… like that of individuals… will be determined by their response to God’s sovereign choice. How perfectly Isaiah’s language applies to this re-gathering of Israel from various parts of the world! These verses contain a revelation of tremendous importance… we need to recognize the values God sets on things and people. We as people don’t think this way and God values are different from ours. God permits those He loves to ‘pass through the waters’ and ‘walk through fire’… because the end result is of infinite value in His sight and it cannot be achieved in any other way. God’s ways are not our ways!

In this respect too, history followed the course indicated by prophecy…Until just a short time before Israel was re-born as a nation in 1948, no official name had been chosen for the new state. In fact, choosing a name became something of a crisis. One name that was proposed and almost accepted was “Judea.” (The name “Judea” is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name “Judah,” which originally encompassed the territory of the Israelite tribe of that name and later of the ancient kingdom of Judah - Wikipedia).

At the last moment, however, the choice was made for “Israel.” The choice confirmed the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Historically “Judea” has applied only to the southern kingdom, and would therefore have implied a continuation of the division into two rival nations. “Israel,” on the other hand, is the correct Biblical name for the “total” nation descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The choice of this name signalled the re-uniting of two divided kingdoms. In, Isaiah 11:12-14 is another example of the detailed outworking of prophecy in history; “And He shall lift up a banner for the nations, and shall gather the outcasts of Israel and gather together the scattered ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the foes of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not trouble Ephraim. But they shall fly on the shoulders of the Philistines to the west; they shall spoil the sons of the east together; they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; and the sons of Ammon shall obey them.”

The Biblical words “Philistia” or “Philistine” is the roots from which derived the contemporary words, “Palestine” and Palestinian from which Arabs have adopted the name since very recent. Linguistically, “Jew” or “Jewish” is derived directly from “Judah”, the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. From the time of the Babylonian captivity, however all the Israelites who returned to the land of Israel were called Jews, irrespective of their tribal background! This usage was carried over into the New Testament…Paul, for example, was from the tribe of Benjamin… yet he called himself a Jew (Acts 21:39). Therefore, “Israel” and “Israelite” focus primary on national origin and background… whereas, “Jew” and “Jewish” focus more on religion, culture and later history. Since the birth of Israel in 1948, the word “Israeli” has been added referring to any citizen of the State.

One unique feature of the history of Israel, as recorded in the Bible, is that part of it was written after the events, as normal history is; while the remainder was written in advance of events… as prophecy. Taken together, the historical and prophetic portions of the Bible constitute a complete history of the people of Israel. The prophetic writings are the most intriguing since in many cases they were written centuries before the events they describe. Yet, they still combine a degree of accuracy and vividness that could not have been excelled by any eyewitness.

When we evaluate the Bible as essentially a history of Israel embracing both past and future it will not surprise us so long as we only apply it to the Old Testament because as Christians we come to the New Testament from an unconscious perspective and for some it’s hard to evaluate the facts objectively. It seems most logical to identify the New Testament with Yeshua (Jesus) without a question because apart from Him NO New Testament would have ever been written.

But, when we identify Him with His earthly life, Yeshua, was by every possible standard an Israelite. The New Testament makes it clear. However His at the end of His earthly life in Revelations 5:5, a passage fifty years after His Death and Resurrection… Yeshua is still described as “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse.” This does not refer to some temporary feature of His brief thirty-three years on earth… this is the identity after His Death and Resurrection, throughout eternity.  He is forever identified with the family of David, the Tribe of Judah and the people of Israel.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the ultimate goal of all true believers is… "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God," Hebrews 11:10. In Revelations 21, this city is described for us. On its gates are inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel… on its foundations are the names of the Twelve Apostles. Since every name inscribed in the New Jerusalem is a Jewish name… surely, no anti-Semite would feel comfortable there? Combining Old Testament and New Testament the Bible is essentially a record of Israel written by Israelites… partly in the form of history and partly in the form of prophecy! Clearly God was looking through the centuries to the time when He would re-gather Israel in the land He had appointed for them. He foresaw that, at that time, His people would enter a fuller understanding of all that had been predicted for them in the words of Jeremiah 30:2-3. We need to read this with a sense of awe as we have become eyewitnesses of the events predicted thousands of years ago!

So, what lies ahead? The Word of God spoken many centuries ago through His prophets was and is shaping the ongoing destinies, not only of Israel, but also of the other nations around about. It provides us with the only reliable key to understanding and interpreting the situation that was developing in the Middle East. When we begin to understand that Jewish history was something like a river whose course had been affected by an earthquake. The greater part of its water had descended into a chasm created by the earthquake, where it continued to flow. Because its new course was mostly underground, many people assumed the river had ceased to flow altogether. Even those who knew that the river was still flowing were not aware of the exact course it was taking. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, however the river of Jewish history emerged once more into the open landscape of the world history, producing powerful impact on culture, science and politics. Though the river re-merged as a seemingly insignificant trickle… it quickly gained in volume… until its impact was now being felt throughout the Middle East with its effects reaching world leaders.

Without commenting on the political implications we can acknowledge that this is what is precisely taking place. In Isaiah 43:14; "They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them." Here it says that the Israelites will then turn towards the east and mentions three names; Edom, Moab and Ammon. In our day, these three places are all found within the boundaries of one nation… Jordan. Recently someone made a remark that the Jordan is a strange river… it is the only one in the world that has one bank! At least, the West Bank is the only one ever mentioned in the news! In this Scripture passage God is speaking about the East bank. When God speaks we listen tentatively… without predicting anything, here the Bible seems to indicate that instead of the Palestinians taking over the "West Bank"… Israel could instead be controlling the "East Bank" … Jordan? You say how this could happen if there is not even an indication of this ever taking place? Well… other than the Bible nothing is consistent and if the Lord has this plan in the future… who can stop it?

An ironic and rather sad feature of the worldwide attention of Jerusalem and Israel is that a major part of the church, the body of believers who will live there during the coming thousand-year kingdom, is today largely oblivious to the significance of the ongoing events. The denominational churches see nothing of spiritual importance going on in Israel… Only the true Bible readers are aware of the repercussions of recent events. Besides the media bias, there is a kind of theological bias against Israel going on in churches and seminaries today. Some churches have always been a lost cause so far as biblical study is concerned, and they, of course, are blissfully unaware of the relevance of Israel in prophecy, or of prophecy in general, for that matter.

It is said that Israel attracts violent reactions the same way a lightning rod attracts lightning… and that is in keeping with prophecy… Practically the whole world is unified in its desire to force Israel to bow to this awful "peace process," and this shows the widespread lack of understanding of the times. False peace will be the theme of the coming Tribulation period, and we have obviously entered an era of false peace today!

The fact is, God chose one people, Israel, and has dealt through them since Abraham and will continue that dealing through them in the future. Thus when we read of the building of the Tower of Babel and the godless ways of mankind early on in Genesis, in the same chapter we see Terah and the birth of his son Abram. God’s solution to mankind’s apostasy seems to be the invention of a single people through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). He continued to deal with them through the long period of the Old Testament until the coming of the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) a Jew, who chose twelve Jewish disciples and twelve Jewish apostles. And likewise, He will choose again from among the Jews in order to have testifiers to Christ in the Tribulation period to come, namely the 144,000 in Revelation 7:4.

We must grasp one clear fact about Israel’s restoration… God does not commit Himself to restore Israel because they deserve it! On the contrary! He makes it clear that He does it “for the sake of HIS Holy Name (Ezekiel 36:22-23). Restoration is promised on the basis of God’s mercy and grace. God’s covenant is guarantee to Israel is… “as long as the sun, moon and stars continue in their courses (Jeremiah 31:35-36)… so long WILL Israel exist to be a nation. Through Israel’s restoration, God will unconditionally restore to His own Name the glory that has so long been tarnished by Israel’s misdeeds. In fact, God’s glory is the only final and sufficient purpose for anything He does.

At the same time, God is also committed to the spiritual restoration of the Church, although the church does not deserve restoration any more than Israel does. If we examine the parallel histories of Israel and the Church over the past eighteen centuries, it would be hard to say which has failed God more grievously. In each case, restoration springs from God’s grace and mercy… the end purpose is God’s glory!

Christians have little difficulty seeing that the Jewish people do NOT deserve God’s mercy. They might be surprised however to learn also that the Jewish people for their part see the Church as not deserving God’s mercy. In neither case is it a question of who deserves… but only of God’s sovereign choice and unmerited favour.

For a final summary of God’s promise restoration of Israel, we turn to the prophet Amos. Of all the Hebrew prophets, none was more emphatic than Amos in His denunciation of Israel’s many sins, or severe in his warning of the impending judgements. Indeed, this is the main theme that runs throughout the nine chapters of the Book of Amos. But, in the last few verses of the entire book, there is a dramatic transition from warning of judgments to promises of mercy. Reading through Amos is like passing through a long, stormy night and then at the end catching a brief glimpse of a serene and radiant dawn.

Let’s consider these two closing verses… Amos 9:14-15; “I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow. I will plant my people on the land I gave them, and they will not be pulled up again." The LORD your God has spoken.” Verse 14 contains four successive predictions each of which is being fulfilled before our eyes. First; “I will bring back my exiled people Israel.” Second; “they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.” Upon returning to their land the Jewish people have taken special pleasure in locating the sites of Ancient Cities mentioned in the Bible, and building modern cities there… such as; Arad (Numbers 21:1) Beersheba (Genesis 21:31) Giloh (2 Samuel 15:12) and four cities that belonged originally to the Philistines; Askelon, Ashdod, Gath (1 Samuel 16:17) and Beth Shean (1 Samuel 31:10-12) Third, “they will plant vineyards and drink their wine.” Since the re-gathering of Israel, many vineyards have been planted in various parts of the country. In the time of the Maccabees’ Israel was famous for its wine. The restored industry of vine-culture is once again flourishing. Fourth; “they will make gardens and eat their fruit.” If ever there were a garden loving people, it is the people of modern Israel. Both the cities and the country side abound with newly planted gardens. And, they also export them to many other nations.

In light of the fulfilment of the four predictions contained in Amos 9:14, we can look forward with faith to the fulfilment of God’s final, comprehensive promise to Israel in verse 15… “I will plant Israel in their own land NEVER again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them! Three important points to note in the verse are; First, God calls the land to which He restores Israel…“Their own land.” Second, God promises that their restoration this time will be permanent: “never to be uprooted.” Third, God speaks of the land “I have given them.” The giving of the land of Israel is already settled in the eternal counsels of God!

What does our Lord have to say about Israel’s restoration? The answer is found in the great prophetic discourse that Yeshua (Jesus) gave on the Mount of Olives just before His arrest, trial and death and is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Each writer brings out certain features of the discourse not brought by the others. Luke’s version is the one that relates mostly to Israel’s dispersal and restoration so we will focus here. The latter part of Luke 21:23-25, “…Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles.” This prediction spans at least nineteen centuries. It commences with the capture of Jerusalem by the Roman armies of AD70… and its fulfilment brings us close more too “...the end of the age!” The three verses follow close with the actual “…coming of the Son of Man” that is, the visible return of Yeshua (Jesus) in glory! We sum up briefly the prediction concerning Jerusalem, the Jewish people and their land. After the capture by Rome, Jerusalem was ruled by at least ten Gentile nations in the next eighteen centuries that followed… among these the Byzantine Empire, the Persians, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire and the Jordanians!

In Yeshua’s prediction, however, one “key word” indicates a limit to the period of Gentile domination is the word…“until.” Jerusalem will indeed be trampled on by the Gentiles… but NOT forever… only “until the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled!” This means that the end of the times of the Gentiles WILL BE marked by a specific event…“the government of Jerusalem will once again pass into the hand of the Jewish people!” This is not fully so yet and the “times of the Gentiles” are now drawing to a close – a new era is dawning – an era that will soon be ushering in the “government of God on earth, for Israel and the nations!

We hope that you enjoy and become more informed by our work. We serve an awesome God and we are humbled by this opportunity to bring you this information. With Shalom to you and your family always,

Alf & Julie Saunders

15^th April, 2014

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