by David Cunningham
Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C., but lost their independent and sovereign status over 500 years before Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem, when the northern and southern kingdoms were taken into captivity by the Syrians and Babylonians. They regained their sovereignty on May 14, 1948, after the tribulations of Hitler’s campaign to exterminate the Jews in Europe during WWII. Then renewed attempts to exterminate the Jews started immediately, led by the nations of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. In the attacks in 1948, we can see the Hand of God protecting His chosen people. In the initial attack of 1948, the Arabs had 250 million people; Israel, 3 million. The Arabs had 1.5 million square miles of territory; Israel, 7,500 square miles. The attacking Arabs had more men under arms than the entire population of Israel, including every man, woman and child, yet Israel prevailed. What a miracle! Then the Israelis were again victorious in the 1956 conflict at Suez. When Arab nations massed to attack them in the Six Day War of 1967, the Israelis again defeated their enemies. But the Arabs didn’t give up – they initiated war again in the 1973, known as the “Yom Kippur War,” which began with an Egyptian and Syrian attack on Oct. 6, the Hebrew Day of Atonement. Again, Israel was victorious against those who would push them into the sea.
One thing should be evident in the series of conflicts – either the Jews are incredibly lucky, with a string of victories against vastly overwhelming odds, or there is something in the spiritual realm going on. If you flip a coin once, and it lands on edge, you can claim a result happened which was against all reasonable statistical probability. But if you do that four times in a row, maybe it’s time to concede that divine intervention is taking place.
If we admit that it appears that God is protecting Israel, maybe it’s worthwhile looking at the prediction of the re-birth of this nation. In the Bible, in the book of Ezekiel, this Old Testament prophet predicts that Israel will be born again as a nation. In Ezekiel chapter 37, verses 4-6, he says
“Again He said to me, Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the Word of Jehovah. So says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am Jehovah.”
For those who say this doesn’t predict the revival of Israel as a nation, consider the explanation that Exekiel gives in verses 11 and 12 of the same chapter:
“And He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we are cut off by ourselves. Therefore prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and will bring you into the land of Israel.”
This is an astounding prophecy! When Israel was reestablished as a nation in 1948, they had not been a nation for over 2,500 years. Despite being dispersed around the world for two and a half millennia, they kept their identity, and have now been restored as a nation as God promised. To understand the incredible odds against this happening, consider that in all of recorded history there has never been another nation defeated and dispersed around the world, which became a nation again, claiming the land of their original national status.
If we can see the hand of God in Israel, maybe we should take seriously the promise in the Bible where God says to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.”After all, where there is a conflict, and God has stated he will bless those on one side of the conflict, is it hard to choose whether you want to be on God’s side or the other side?
The most difficult thing for us in the United States today is to answer the question, “How do I bless Israel?” After all, we aren’t located in the Middle East, and don’t have the close access to the people there to help them. That’s the reason for our website, WeBlessIsrael.org – so that anyone who is interested in blessing Israel can find some practical ways to do so.
September 18, 2006 at 3:17 am |
September 25, 2006 at 3:55 am |
I was asked to participate in this ministry project by my friend Dave, and I immediately knew it was for me. Especially after I read the material he had created for the proposed website! I went to work right away, and began to design the site, primarily in text format, and built it to rank as well as possible in the search engines. As of this moment it is already in Google under certain queries. That makes me very happy indeed. Now Christians have a website they can go to for blessing Israel. Frank
October 29, 2006 at 4:57 pm |
Are you in agreement with the content of this website? Are you not in agreement? Please speak out either way. We want to dialogue with people about this most important subject. I mean, if you are basically a good person, and you do right in life, isn’t that enough? Why should we all be looking for ways to bless Israel?
have you ever read the scriptures at Genesis 12?
May 17, 2008 at 1:54 pm |
Persecution of the Christians by the Jews. The First Martyr St. Stephen.
The glory and victory of Christianity and its rapid spread gave a rise to fear and envy among the Jewish leaders. They began to pursue the Christians, to arouse the simple Jewish people against them and to accuse them to the Roman authorities. The Jews seized Christians, threw them into prisons, and killed them.
The first one to suffer at the hands of the Jews in Jerusalem was St. Stephen, one of the first deacons. He is called the first martyr since he was the first among all tortured for Christ.
For preaching about the Saviour, the Jews cast him outside the city and began to stone him to death.
During the course of the first three centuries, Christians endured almost constant persecution, first — from the unbelieving Jews and then — from pagans.
The Jews, who did not accept the Saviour promised by God, the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather condemned Him to death with crazed shouts of “Let His blood be upon us and on our children” and who also killed many Christians, were finally punished for all their lawlessness. Jerusalem and the Temple of God were destroyed to their foundations .
Persecution of the Christians was so cruel that it is difficult to describe. The Christians underwent the most terrifying tortures imaginable.
The more they persecuted and tortured the Christians, the more the Christian faith was strengthened.
The apostles suffered much difficulty in their holy work enduring much grief and need. All the apostles, except John the Theologian, met a martyr’s end. The Apostle John the Theologian died in exile at a great old age. The number of Christians grew from year to year, even after the deaths of the apostles, and the Christian faith spread to all the ends of the earth.
The teachings and rules which the apostles conveyed to the Christians by their words and example firmly preserved Christianity.
The Jewish people were scattered all over the world. In their place, inhabitants of other nations settled in Palestine and again built up the ruined cities among which was the city of Jerusalem. The Christian faith began to flourish.
AS A COUNTRY, RECOGNIZING OUR FAITH AS CHRISTIAN, ARE WE TO FORGET WHO ARE ENEMIES WERE, AND SEEM TO STILL BE? WHO HAS RECONCILED ANYTHING. WHY, DO WE RECOGNIZE AN ILLEGAL STATE, THAT WAS DISTROYED FOR GREAT REASON 2000 years ago.
All we hear is the Holocaust, when there is alot more history to be considered. The holocaust certainly was not our responcibility, why do we pay for it.
Due to the coglamorent owned media, editing has become censorship.
Making it imposssible to get the real truth out.
In May, Jewish organizations will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. This is understandable in the context of centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust. Nevertheless, we are Jews who will not be celebrating. Surely it is now time to acknowledge the narrative of the other, the price paid by another people for European anti-Semitism and Hitler’s genocidal policies. As Edward Said emphasized, what the Holocaust is to the Jews, the Nakba is to the Palestinians.
In April 1948, the same month as the infamous massacre at Deir Yassin and the mortar attack on Palestinian civilians in Haifa’s market square, Plan Dalet was put into operation. This authorized the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expulsion of the indigenous population outside the borders of the state. We will not be celebrating.
We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations.
We will celebrate when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East.
January 10, 2009 at 12:00 am |
Elroy-
Yes, we can document wrongdoing by Jews, as well as Gentiles. But when you say “We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land,” I must suggest you distort the truth. If God gave them the land, then it is NOT dispossession of another people from their land. As for being “founded on terrorism,” you seem to ignore the relentless attacks by Hamas, and other terrorist groups, against civilions, women, and children. “Ethnic cleansing”? You’ve been reading too many left-wing anti-semitic websites. Get a grip, and study some real history!
May 28, 2009 at 11:38 am |
Shalom & Salam
Even Allah in Qur2an blessed Israel and gave it the right to fight the muslims imams persecution
Regards
December 14, 2009 at 2:18 pm |
With all the evidence of the good things that happen to those when they bless Israel why don’t more people do so? When God made the promise to bless those if they blessed Israel why not ‘test’ Him and find out for yourself? Saying a prayer to bless Israel is nice but TAKING ACTION will get immediate results! Visit the web sites on this web page and donate to Israel and the Jews and watch your ‘cup’ be filled with blessings!
Blake Henry
Xenia, OH