- There is probably no group of people for whom evangelical
Christians feel less compassion than the Palestinians. To most evangelicals,
they are suicide bombers who want to drive God's chosen people into the
sea.
-
- Why should Christians care about Palestinians,
much less learn more about their history?
-
- Because failure to do so has the greatest
moral consequences. Most Christians don't understand that, while believing
Jews own the land, God gave Gentiles permission to dwell in the Promised
Land while Israel remains in unbelief. Misunderstanding Scripture, they
support an evil regime in Israel which is not authorized by God and is
not a legitimate, prophesied return.
-
- Finding the truth about strife in the Mideast
requires looking more closely at history and at the book which best explains
it, the Bible. This article will examine the past, present, and prophesied
future of the Palestinian people.
-
- Before Christ
-
- 721 B.C. Since the northern ten tribes
of Israel will not obey God, He exiles and scatters them under the Assyrians.
This fulfills His oft-repeated threat to expel them from the land, allowing
Gentiles to occupy it until Israel obeys. 1 For 44 years, the northern
kingdom is virtually empty. Much of its population has been decimated
by the ruthless Assyrians with only, according to Assyrian records, 27,290
Hebrews deported (probably from the upper classes). 2 Lions multiply.
In 677 B.C. Assyrian king Esarhadon repopulates its cities with Assyrian
immigrants (Cuthaen Semites) who become known as Samaritans. 3 For more
than a century, Samaritans are the dominant racial group in the northern,
and later, southern kingdoms. More than any other peoples, Samaritans
are the founding fathers of the Palestinians.
-
- 586 B.C. -- King Nebuchadnezzar exiles the
southern kingdom of Judah. The land is similarly emptied, although he allows
the poorest of Jews to remain. When Ezra returns from Babylon with a believing
Jewish remnant 70 years later, he finds Samaritans occupying the southern
kingdom. These Samaritans demand to help the Jews rebuild Jerusalem. The
Jews refuse.
-
- The Samaritans become theological competitors
to the Jews. They borrow the Hebrew law and modify it to create a rival
religion, centering on worship at Mt. Gerizim in Samaria. At first, they
mix Mosaic Law with idolatry. But then (like the later Khazars) (See,
<http://www.truthtellers.org/alerts/khazarsandgodsplan.html>The Khazars:
Do They Destroy God's Plan for the Jews?) they convince themselves that
they are children of Abraham, "God's chosen people." They undoubtedly
do contain some Israelite blood, through contact with the few Israelites
among the common people who survived the Assyrians. 4 Yet the on-the-scene
testimony of the Bible is clear. They are the nations which Esarhadon "brought
over and set in the cities of Samaria." 5 Gradually they "abandoned
polytheism for a sort of ultra Mosaism." 6 Samaritans hold to a higher
moral standard than most pagan idolaters of the time, and God allows them
to inhabit Palestine through the time of Jesus 700 years later. They constitute
a persistent ethnic presence in Palestine, "lying in the very midst
of the Jews." 7 Even after the Jews are largely driven from the land
after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Samaritans remain. Their
power and presence in Palestine is finally broken in 529 A.D. when hundreds
of thousands of Samaritans revolt against the Christian-Byzantine Empire.
With tens of thousands slaughtered, the Samaritans fade from history.
In 2007, however, 712 Samaritans still live near Nablus, Israel. 8
-
- In the several centuries before Christ,
Jews attempt to militarily expel Hellenic and Roman forces and influence.
But there is no record of effort to expel the Samaritans. Jews undoubtedly
recognize them as that people with divine sanction to occupy the land,
because Israel failed to obey. Through many precedents, the Old Testament
makes it clear that, if Israel is rebellious, God will authorize surrounding
nations to occupy, oppressing the Hebrews until they repent. He did that
with Assyria, saying: "Oh, Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger . . .I
will send him against a hypocritical nation..."(9) similarly, He
allowed the Cuthaen Assyrians (Samaritans) to occupy the land until Israel
obeyed. This illustrates the flip side of God's threat to empty rebellious
Hebrews from Palestine. He doesn't want Palestine to become a "no
man's land." He wants people tending it, just as long as they are
not a nation of rebellious Jews. However, God never made a land covenant
with non-Jews, as He did with Israel. When Israel finally obeys, there
must be no rival claims to ownership of Palestine.
-
- 7th Century AD -- After Muslims conquer
Palestine, Arab blood (Semitic/Hamitic) dominates Palestine. The Samaritans,
racially exclusive, do not encourage intermarriage with "Gentiles."
Nevertheless, for 1200 years the Samaritans are the first modern Palestinians.
They are authorized by God to dwell in Palestine. This is a right which
succeeding Arabs or any other Gentile nation (as long as it does not become
excessively wicked) also may enjoy.
-
- Palestinians have thus never been interlopers
in Israel. God allowed them to settle there in the 8th century B.C. If
God's law is truly unchanging, they should be allowed to remain until Israel
at last obeys at Christ's second coming. When that happens, no Gentile
can ever take their land from them.
-
- After Christ
-
- 1516 A.D. The Ottoman Turks conquer
Palestine and subject the Palestinians to centuries of feudal oppression.
Palestinian farmers work the lands of their Samaritan/Arab forefathers
as tenant renters.
-
- 1914 With Turkey allied with Germany
against the Western powers in World War I, Palestinians hope that if Turkey
is defeated the Allies might grant them a democratic state. The British
agree that if the Arabs helped help defeat the Turks (with assistance from
Lawrence of Arabia) they can have their nation.
-
- 1917 Turkey is defeated. Yet Britain
breaks its promise. Beginning with the Balfour Declaration, it divides
Palestine between Jews and Arabs. The Palestinians are devastated, disillusioned
with the western powers they trusted and admired.
-
- 1936-1939 Many more Jews flood into
Palestine than agreed. Western Jewish capital purchases extensive Palestinian
land. Angry Palestinians riot over a three-year period, even killing Jews.
Britain agrees to limit Jewish immigration and land purchase.
-
- 1947 The newly formed United Nations
decrees that although the Palestinians outnumber Jews 2 to 1, 56 percent
of Palestine will be put under Jewish rule and 43 percent under Arab in
the upcoming two-state partition of the land. Palestinians are furious.
Who gave an ad hoc world-governing council in San Francisco the right to
impose Jewish rule over more than half of Palestine? No one has ever satisfactorily
answered that question. Palestinians rise in rebellion, determined to save
their dream of an autonomous nation consisting of at least two-thirds of
Palestine, a nation governed by themselves not Jews. Jewish paramilitary
and terrorist groups fight back in favor of the UN decree. Conflict rages
in Palestine through 1947-8.
-
- April 9, 1948 Determined not to share
any of Palestine with the Palestinians, Zionist terrorists slaughter 250
innocent men, women and children in the sleeping Arab village of Deir Yassin.
They widely publicize this atrocity to the Palestinians, threatening a
similar fate if they do not flee; 800,000 flee in terror. Zionists suddenly
possess 80 percent of the property in Palestine as well as sovereignty
over virtually the entire nation.
-
- 1948 to 1973 No longer needing to
purchase property from Palestinians, Israel confiscates much remaining
Palestinian property (largely through illegal settlements or outright theft,
for "security purposes"). Tens of thousands of formerly prosperous
Palestinian land owners and their children languish in Zionist concentration
camps, subject to inhuman conditions. Arab anger and righteous indignation
remain at the boiling point, contributing to the 1967 and 1973 wars of
attempted liberation of Palestine. These fail, resulting in even more Israeli
occupation of Palestine, particularly of Gaza and the West Bank.
-
- 2008 Rapidly expanding illegal Jewish
settlements and construction of a concrete "fence" throughout
Israel quickly devour even more Palestinian territory.
-
- What Prophecy Tells Us
-
- Future Ezekiel 38 and 39 predict the
whole Middle East and world will come under Jewish control. The prophet
sees Israel dwelling at peace with no one able to oppose her. Yet she is
so wicked, polluting the land, that God hides His face from her! 10 At
last, Revelation indicates, the archetypal harlot Israel, having crucified
her first spiritual Husband, Jesus, marries her false husband Antichrist
and rules the nations with him; she ruthlessly persecutes Christians. 11
-
- Yet Antichrist, "The Beast" (also
called Gog), turns on the harlot Israel. He gathers armies from the nations,
including the Arab world. 12 They invade Israel and slaughter most Jews,
attempting to once and for all end the "Jewish problem" through
Jewish extinction. Jews are thrust into their "great tribulation"
or "time of Jacob's trouble." Christ prophesied this to be "the
time of the Gentiles" when Jerusalem is "trodden under foot."
13 Two messengers from God, the "two witnesses," call down plagues.
14 But the Gentiles' general mood is of triumphant rejoicing, "marrying
and giving in marriage." Optimistically, they begin a whole new world
order, enjoying unrestrained wickedness as did the world before the flood.
15
-
- Just before Jewish extinction, Christ returns.
The nations, including the Arabs, unite against Him. 16 The Beast attempts
to destroy Christ as He comes in the skies. Instead Christ rains fire on
all who oppose Him. He destroys them in the battle of Armageddon. 17
-
- A remnant of beleaguered Jews repents and
trusts their true Messiah. For the first time in at least two millennia,
they give God the obedience He has always required. He allows them and
their posterity to inhabit the Promised Land for 1000 years. Surviving
Palestinians and Arab peoples worship Christ, obeying His law under the
threat of quick judgment. 18
-
- This is the last we know about the Palestinians.
At the end of the 1000 years of peace, Satan will be released with his
demons. Many people will choose to rebel against Christ. He will send fire
from heaven to destroy them. 19
-
- Will the Palestinians be among that number,
perhaps still resentful God displaced them from their former homeland and
returned it to its lawful inhabitants, His obedient chosen people?
-
- No one knows.
-
- Why do the Palestinians present a moral
challenge to Christians? Why should evangelicals accept the fact that God
gives first rights of occupation to the Palestinians today, just as He
did their forefathers, the Samaritans?
-
- Because, without that understanding, Christians
will join with those who once received the law of God and now trample it
and who oppress the lawful inhabitants of Palestine.
-
- By giving aid and comfort to such wicked
Zionists, Scripture says we "become partakers of their evil deeds."
20
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-
-
- Endnotes:
-
- 1. Scriptures teaching that God's covenant with Israel
is accessed only by obedience include: Gen. 18:1,9; Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:9-15,
11:13-15, 15:4-5, 19:8-9, 28:1-68, 30:9-20; Josh. 24:19-20; I Sam. 2:30,
12:14-15, 12:20-25; I Chron. 28:9; II Chron 15:2; I Kings 6:12-13, 9:4-9,
11:38; II Kings 21:8; Is. 58:9-14, 65:11-12; Jer. 17:24-25, 18:7-10, 22:4-5,
26:3-6; Zech 3:7. Scriptures teaching God's requirement of obedience for
Jews to occupy or reoccupy Palestine include: Lev. 26, Num. 32:15, Deut.
1:37, 28:21, 25, 37,41, 58-64, 29:28; I Sam. 12:20-25; I Kings 8:46-53;
II Kings 18:11,12, 21:8; II Chron. 7:17-22, 30:9; Neh. 1:8-9; Jer. 4:1-4,
7:5-7, 12:16-17, 13:22, 15:19, 22:4-5, 29:13; Hosea 9:15; Amos 4:1-2; Zech.
7:11-14. Also see,<http://www.truthtellers.org/alerts/almostanyoneoccupypalestine.htm>
Almost Anyone Can Occupy Palestine
- 2. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, "Samaritans,"
pg 209.
- 3. Ezra 4:2, 10
- 4. Wikipedia presents an interesting article, "Samaritan,"
elevating the claim to Israelite ancestry.
- 5. Ezra 4:10
- 6. Smith's Bible Dictionary, Pyramid Books, NY, 1967,
"Samaritans," p. 598.
- 7. Ibid.
- 8. Wikipedia, "Samaritan."
- 9. Isaiah 10:5-6
- 10. Ezekiel 29:22-39
- 11. Rev. 17:1-8
- 12. Ezekiel 38:5
- 13. Luke 21:24
- 14. Rev. 11:6
- 15. Matt. 24:38
- 16. Zech. 14:2
- 17. Rev. 16:16, Rev. 19:19
- 18. Zech. 14:16-18
- 19. Rev. 20:7-9
- 20. II John 1:11
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