From “The
Berean Call” Dec. 2006 Issue
~ By Dave Hunt ~
QUESTION:
Why
does world opinion (UN, EU, Russia, media, etc.) generally go against Israel,
and why is it often so viciously backed by false accusations? Is this of any significance for today, or is
it merely what God foreordained?
RESPONSE:
God did not foreordain anti-Semitism and the hatred
of Israel rampant in the world—and He will severely punish those persons and
nations guilty of it. He foretold this hatred, but He does not cause it. As
John MacArthur says above and as Jesus declared, evil comes from the human
heart: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which
defile a man...” (Mt 15:19,20).
Of
course, Satan does all he can to stir up anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel. As
we explain in Judgment Day (See resources), Satan’s only hope to
escape his final doom is to destroy Israel. He has made the destruction of
Israel and the extermination of all Jews one of the foundations of Islam; he
has persuaded Europe and most of the rest of the world to believe the lies of
the Arabs who claim to be descended from the original “Palestinians” (a people
who never existed); and he is persuading not just the D. James Kennedys, Hank
Hanegraaffs, and R.C. Sprouls but increasing numbers of Christians that the
church has replaced Israel.
Why would Satan be immune from God’s judgment if
Israel were destroyed? The answer is simple. God has made hundreds of promises to preserve the Jews and to bring
them back into their own land, where He will never allow Israel as a nation to
be destroyed (Jer 31:31-40; Ezk 36:22-38, etc.). It is to Israel restored in
the last days that Christ will return to rescue His people at Armageddon and to
reign over them and the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem.
Without Israel, there
could be no Second Coming. God would have been proved a liar by His failure to
fulfill His hundreds of promises to Israel and would have lost the moral ground
for judging and punishing Satan and removing him and his man, Antichrist, from
the earth. Satan would be firmly in
control of the world and its inhabitants for eternity. The Rapture would have
occurred, and the church would be safe in heaven.
With no people of Israel for Christ to return to
and rule over, with no throne of David in Jerusalem upon which He could reign,
the world would be under Satan’s control for eternity. No new heavens and new
earth would be possible.
QUESTION:
Why should Christians care
about the Middle East in general and specifically about Israel?
RESPONSE:
As stated above, this
is the key issue upon which the future of earth and heaven—indeed, the entire
universe—depends. God has tied His name and integrity to Israel. He is called the God of Israel 203 times and the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 12 times.
Depending upon what
happens in the Middle East, God will either be vindicated or discredited. His
name and integrity will either be upheld in perfect purity and power, or He
will be disgraced as a liar who cannot make good upon His promises to His
people Israel. That’s how important the regathering and ultimate blessing of
Israel is!
If the Muslims, UN,
EU, et al., succeed in destroying Israel, the integrity of everything God has
said throughout His Word would be placed in question. If “forever” and “everlasting” don’t really mean forever
in relation to Israel (“all the land...to thee will I give it, and to thy seed
for ever”–Gn 13:15; “I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee...all the
land of Canaan [not ‘Palestine’—there was no such place] for an everlasting
possession”–17:8; “the covenant which he made with
Abraham...Isaac...Jacob...Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, Unto thee
will I give the land of Canaan...”–1 Chr 16:16-18, etc.), then how can we be
sure that the promise of “everlasting life” (Jn 3:16, etc.) means forever?
If Satan were stronger than God and able
to make God a liar by preventing His promises to Israel from being fulfilled,
then how could we ever be secure, even in heaven itself, from Satan’s schemes
and power?
Such is the importance of Israel and what happens in the Middle East. There is
a real battle going on between God and Satan for the eternal destiny of planet
Earth and of all mankind.
Wake
up, pray for God to tear down the Islamic curtain (more
vicious
and impenetrable than the Iron Curtain ever was) so that Muslims can hear and
receive the gospel without fear of being killed for their faith. Firmly oppose
Islam and replacement theology, pray for the salvation of Jews and Muslims
alike, and do all you can to bring the gospel to them and to the whole world.