Witnesses to God’s will
The repatriation of Israel is a very notable sign to the world that God is in control: He is in control of all world events, but in particular He has controlled the destiny of the peoples of the Middle East – Jews and Arabs – in accordance with His ancient promises. What is happening in the Middle East is part of the outworking of God’s determined purpose, and the present terror and tragedy will culminate, finally, in events which will usher in the kingdom of God and of Christ His Son.
For it is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the particular “seed” of Abraham, the promised Messiah, and through him alone, that there is hope. This is not the place to go into detail about the work of Jesus Christ, and the meaning of his death and resurrection, or the expectation of his coming again soon, to rule as king over God’s universal kingdom – other pamphlets are available which deal with these themes.
For the purposes of this present booklet, we must content ourselves with simply stating what every true follower of Jesus believes: that God has foretold, “in the latter days”, “a time of trouble such as never was” (Daniel 12:1). Before Christ returns to the earth, there will be terrible trouble, particularly in the Middle East. Many of the Old Testament prophets, and New Testament prophetic passages too, foretell the catastrophic events that will precede Christ’s coming, and that will lead, finally, to the setting up of a kingdom of justice and peace. Ezekiel, for example, writes of a coalition of nations that will threaten Israel “in the last days”. “Gog”, their leader, will say:
“I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely … against a people gathered from the nations … who dwell in the midst of the land (at the centre of the earth, RSV).” (Ezekiel 38:11,12)
Zechariah speaks of a “day of the Lord”, a time of war, when the Lord God will finally intervene and send His Son:
“The day of the Lord is coming … For I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken … Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations … And in that day his feet (the Lord Jesus, see Acts 1:11) will stand on the Mount of Olives … And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.” (Zechariah 14:1-9)
Events to come
After 2,000 or more years of man’s misrule, Jesus Christ will re-establish God’s kingdom, first of all on the territory promised to Abraham and his descendants, and ultimately throughout the world. A rebuilt Jerusalem will be its capital, the centre of worship for the whole world, “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7). This is the true Christian hope: this is what the Bible teaches. Most Jews today have no interest in these things; many no longer believe in God, and very few acknowledge Christ; yet the Bible (again both Old and New Testaments) foretells a conversion of at least some of the Jews, who will look on him whom they pierced and mourn (Zechariah 12:10). “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Isaiah 59:20; Romans 11:26). God is looking for those – whether Jew or Gentile – who believe in Jesus Christ His Son; and in the end, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:28,29).
What about Ishmael and the Arabs?
Will God ignore Ishmael? We have referred to the promises made to Ishmael’s descendants: “I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful … I will make of him a great nation” (Genesis 17:20). Much of this has been fulfilled already: the Arabs have been prosperous and become a great multitude, contributing much to world culture. What hope is in store for them in the future?
The position of Arabs in relation to God’s purpose is the same as it is for any other people: if they will acknowledge the God of Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ they will share the joys and blessings of Christ’s kingdom, living alongside the descendants of Isaac and Jacob, helping to rebuild the economy of the area, benefiting from the blossoming of their deserts. Isaiah pictures Arabs and others bringing service and worship into Jerusalem:
“The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord … And they shall call you, The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 60:6-14)
“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria … Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria – a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:23-25)
Harmony and peace will, at last, come to the whole family of Abraham. The Middle East will be gloriously transformed and become the centre of God’s kingdom upon earth.
But the promises extend more widely than to just the nations of the Middle East. God’s purpose is something personal and vital to every one of us, of whatever nationality, if we wish to be part of the divine plan for the future. Jesus is the Saviour of men and women from every race, language and creed on earth – if they truly believe in him. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). No-one will be excluded, who changes his life to be a follower of Jesus Christ. God’s plan is a worldwide plan of salvation: remember the promise that through Abraham “all families of the earth” will be blessed. That includes Gentiles and Jews. The Apostle Paul was a converted and baptized Jew and he wrote to baptized Gentiles:
“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ … And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:27-29)
Our appeal to you
Whose Land? To those involved in the current dispute over Palestine, this is a vexed question about which the two sides feel very intensely. There is anger and frustration among both Israelis and Palestinians today – and little sign of a solution that both will accept.
By looking at what the Bible says, and seeing the enmity of Arabs and Jews in the longer perspective of God’s purpose, we have tried to show that there is an answer to the Palestinian Question, an answer which will be to the benefit of both Jews and Arabs – if they believe in Jesus Christ. In the context of God’s eternal purpose, the ownership of the ‘Land’ today is actually of less importance. What really matters is who will inherit, not just this strip of land, but God’s kingdom to be set up on earth. This is a kingdom for those who “desire a better country” (Hebrews 11:14-16). For them, God has prepared His kingdom – and Christadelphians are convinced it will not be very long before this is established. If you wish to be a part of that kingdom, think about these things now, and take the necessary steps to associate yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bible quotations are mostly from the New King James Version.
