Long before the Jewish State was declared in 1948, Puritan theologians such as John Owen (1616 - 1683) wrote of the necessity of the Jews being restored to their ancient homeland before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Christian dispensationalist authors of the 1800s also understood and wrote about the Bible's prophecies of a restored Israel.

Zechariah 12:3 says "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." Over in Psalm 105:8-11 there is a clear statement of God's promise to give the Holy land to the children of Israel. The Lord emphasizes the point by saying that it is to be given to the Jews for "a thousand generations."

This brings us to the current crisis in the Middle East. The West Bank is the very heart of the holy land. God gave this land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the ancestors of the Jews. Abraham (Gen. 12:6-7) and Jacob (Gen. 28:11-19) were standing in what is now the West Bank when they received the promises of the land directly from God!!! Isaac received his promise from God in Gerar which is in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip (Gen.26:1-6). Let's consider the following facts:

1. In the 1880s, when Jewish pioneers arrived, they found a barren underpopulated land that had a small remnant of Jewish and Muslim inhabitants.

2. The Jews purchased land, developed it and employed local Muslims and Jews.

3. In the early days the Muslims welcomed the Jews and worked for them. Other Muslims migrated to the area to obtain jobs working for the Jews.

4. The British Mandate (passed by the League of Nations Sept. 29, 1922) specified that the land west of the Jordan was to become a Jewish homeland while the land east of Jordan was to become an Arab Muslim State.

5. The 1947 U.N. partition plan unjustly reduced the Jew's portion of the land west of Jordan allowing Muslim possession of the West Bank.

6. The Arabs repeatedly attacked the Jews from bases in the West Bank and other areas.

7. In 1967, in a defensive war, Israel conquered and occupied the West Bank.

8. Jewish settlers built towns and cities in the West Bank, regarding the West Bank as Jewish land on the basis of the Bible and also on the basis of the historical precedents set in the British Mandate.

9. Muslim terrorists operating from the West Bank continued a terrorist campaign against Jews and even accelerated that campaign while Israel was recently withdrawing.

It is this writer's opinion that to allow a Palestinian State on the West Bank would simply reward terrorism. If we negotiate with terrorists and make concessions to terrorists every terrorist group all over the world will be encouraged to commit more acts of terror to achieve their goals. If you reward terrorism you get more terrorism. What if terrorists get nuclear weapons five years from now and deliver a fierce ultimatum? What if 25 years from now terrorists get a stockpile of hydrogen bombs or antimatter or who knows what and decide to force a change in the foreign policy of the U.S. or Europe or Japan or India or all of the above?!!! Maybe it's a good thing to nip terrorism in the bud.

Terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah have repeatedly stated their intention to annihilate Israel. The West Bank is mountainous and receives a large percentage of Israel's rain. It is Israel's watershed, hence it is a large part of Israel's water supply. We would have every reason to expect that the Palestinians would cut off Israel's water and then cut the Israeli's throats! Without the West Bank Israel would be backed up into a hard to defend plain by the seashore. An Arab conquest of Israel would be a likely scenario and would result in a mass murder of Jews to rival Hitler's holocaust!

The Jews have a right to dwell within secure borders in their ancient homeland from both a biblical and secular (British Mandate, etc.) perspective. They also have a right to defend themselves. The Arabs already have 21 countries which is an abundance of land and oil. Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bible prophecies are being fulfilled in our time.

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

< DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)