Tag Archives: Christianity

November 19, 2023 · 10:00

Pilgrims

Signing of the Mayflower Compact, November 11, 1620

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. (Psalm 39:12)

On Thanksgiving Day[1] we remember the Pilgrims and the first celebration of Thanksgiving. Sadly, most Americans, including many Christians, cannot explain the significance of the day. For most, the day is a time for gathering together with family and friends to feast on turkey with all the fixings and pass out from tryptophan over a football game. On the following day, everyone swarms the malls and outlet stores to stock up on Black Friday bargains for the next big holiday. For these people, Pilgrims are people with funny clothes, stovepipe hats, big buckles on their shoes, and guns with bell-shaped muzzles. Pilgrims look cute on greeting cards or as seasonal decorations, but what is a pilgrim?

Without rehashing what can easily be found with a quick Google search or repeating what I have written in the past, allow me to give a different perspective on the word “pilgrim.” Dictionary.com defines a pilgrim as (1) a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion, (2) a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place, (3) an original settler in a region, (4) one of the band of Puritans who founded the colony of Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, or (5) a newcomer to a region or place, especially to the western U.S.

Those fitting the fourth definition of the word celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in 1621 after surviving a harsh winter with inadequate shelter where almost half of their company died from exposure to the elements. The Pilgrims came to America to escape religious persecution. These Pilgrims traveled to a foreign place (Definition 2) and were newcomers to the place where they landed (Definition 5). However, it cannot be said that they were the original settlers in the region (Definition 3) because the Patuxet tribe lived on the land before the Pilgrims arrived. Nor can it be said that they came to a sacred place (America) as an act of religious devotion, albeit they desired “the advancement of the Christian faith.”

In October 2017, my wife and I visited the Holy Land as pilgrims (Definition 1). We traveled a very long distance from Dallas, Texas to Israel and visited many sacred places there because of our devotion to the Word of God and our desire to visit the places about which we read in the Bible. Our pilgrimage served to bring God’s Word to life in our minds and to form a stronger bond and love for the land of Israel and especially for the city, Jerusalem, where God has placed His name. June and I were pilgrims!

As Christians, we are all pilgrims. Regardless of where on earth we dwell, we are strangers and sojourners in this world – pilgrims; “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). The Greek word translated “conversation” is politeuma and it means “community” or “citizenship.” Our true citizenship and our allegiance are in heaven; therefore, it is right for us to feel out of place in this world. If not, we might need to take a second look at our passports! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. … And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15, 17).  Knowing that this world is passing away, I am “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:12-13).

As a pilgrim, I yearn with an aching heart for the Lord to return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and make this world right again. Then I will be home, no longer a pilgrim. In the meantime, fellow pilgrims, we can thank Him for all His care and provision as we travel this alien land and for the assurance that our real home is with Him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Notes:

[1]  “A Day to Give Thanks” – https://erniecarrasco.com/2015/11/26/a-day-to-give-thanks/

Comments Off on Pilgrims

Filed under Christianity, Holidays, Random Musings, Thanksgiving

Tagged as , , , ,

November 12, 2023 · 10:00

Three Days

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)

In one of my Bible readings this week, I was reading Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection. Luke records that two disciples (not apostles) were returning to their home in Emmaus.[1] Because they invited Jesus into their home, I assume that they were husband and wife; Luke does not say. Regardless, after Jesus broke bread with them and disappeared from their sight, they finally recognized that it was Jesus who had traveled with them. They immediately returned to Jerusalem and found “the eleven” together. However, according to John’s account, Thomas was not with them.[2] Apparently, Luke used the term (“the eleven”) in a generic sense referring to the Apostles.

While the two recounted their experience, Jesus appeared in their midst. After assuring them that He was not a ghost by inviting them to inspect His wounds and by eating a piece of broiled fish and bread with them, Luke writes, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:45-46, emphasis mine). That last phrase stopped my reading. Jesus said, “Thus it is written,” meaning that His suffering and resurrection had been prophesied. I checked the cross-reference in my Bible and found two: Isaiah 53:3-12 dealing with His suffering and Hosea 6:2 predicting His resurrection.

There is no question that Hosea’s prophecy, quoted above, refers to Jesus’ resurrection because Jesus applied the prophecy to Himself. However, what caught my attention was the use of the plural first-person pronouns, “us” and “we” rather than “me” and “I.” It is always best to read a single Bible verse within its context to get a clear understanding. Backing up to the previous verse, we understand that the prophet is addressing Israel. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1, emphasis mine). In the previous chapter (Hosea 5), the prophet foretold the demise of Israel (Judah and Ephraim). The Lord says, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15). The “I” here refers to the Lord Jesus. He fulfilled this prophecy when He ascended and returned to “His place,” and He waits there until they repent and turn to Him. The Prophet Zechariah says, “they shall look upon me [Jesus] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).

In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, razed the Jewish temple, and scattered the Jews all over the world. Hosea encourages Israel, the Jews, to “return unto the LORD.” Then he adds this prophecy that Jesus applied to Himself. “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight” (Hosea 6:2, emphasis mine). In context, the primary application is to Israel. They have been torn. They have been smitten, and the promise is that God will heal and bind their wounds “after two days” and “in the third day he will raise us up.” That raises the question, are the days literal or symbolic? Obviously, when applied to Jesus’ resurrection, the days are literal; He was in the tomb for three days and raised on the third. However, the days cannot be literal when applied to Israel.

Three days have long passed since the destruction of Jerusalem. Indeed, almost 2000 years have gone by. However, we see the prophecy taking place with the rebirth of the nation of Israel, which is yet another event that was foretold by the prophets. However, they have yet to turn to their Messiah, but we see the dry bones taking on flesh.[3]

Perhaps the “days” have something to do with what Peter said in his second epistle. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, emphasis mine). Because of his use of simile, I have always understood, and still do, that this verse refers primarily to God’s timelessness. The psalmist echoes the same refrain. “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4, emphasis mine). God is not bound by time, and so time for Him is irrelevant. However, that is not true for us.

Therefore, if we take the days in Hosea symbolically to mean 1000 years, 2 days equals 2000 years, which is where we are now since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has returned the Jews to their homeland as foretold by the prophets, but yet, as Ezekiel described, the breath of God is not in them yet. They have yet to undergo the final seven years assigned to them by Daniel the Prophet.[4] Then, after the seven years (of Tribulation), Israel will be fully restored (“raised”) as prophesied on the third day, the final 1000 years[5] when Christ will rule as absolute monarch from His throne in Jerusalem.

If you would like to study more on end-times prophecy, find my page on “Revelation.” There you will find links to articles I have written that will take you systematically through the Book of Revelation along with other articles that cover end-times in general.

Notes:

[1]  Luke 24:13-35

[2]  John 20:24

[3]  Ezekiel 37:1-14

[4]  Daniel 9:24-27

[5]  Revelation 20:1-7

Comments Off on Three Days

Filed under Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, End Times, Eschatology, Resurrection, Second Coming of Christ, Theology

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

November 5, 2023 · 10:00

One Was Thankful

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, (Luke 17:15)

Thanksgiving Day is upon us, and I’m sure most of us have plans for food, family, friends, and fellowship. In today’s culture, Thanksgiving Day is just a good excuse to have a day (or two) off work, indulge in gluttonous behavior, and worship before the luminous god of football followed by the giving of alms to the god of materialism the next day, all the while in complete ignorance of the significance of the day.

As I thought about Thanksgiving coming up, the Lord brought to mind the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers. We read about that in Luke 17:11-19:

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:11-19)

Following the “Transfiguration” (Luke 9:28-36), Jesus “stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Coming down from Caesarea Philippi, Luke records that Jesus “passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee” (v. 11). He is traveling from the north to the south (toward Jerusalem), which means He must pass through Galilee first before going through Samaria. Why did Luke name Samaria first? I do not know. I could not find one commentator that could tell me, but I suspect the answer is down below. Jesus was on His way to the cross.

As the passage records, ten leprous men met Him, and while remaining at a distance –because their disease was so contagious, they were not allowed to come near other people – they cried out for Jesus to have mercy on them. They addressed Him as “Master” – Greek ἐπιστάτης (epistatēs), from epi, “superimposition, to be over, above,” and histēmi, “to stand” Together the title means “one who stands above” – Master! This is not to be confused with διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) meaning “teacher” (Luke 3:12). Thus, they recognized that Jesus had the power to heal their disease.

When Jesus saw them, “He said unto them, ‘Go show yourselves’” (v.14). Note that Jesus does not touch nor approach them. Why? Jesus had often touched lepers when He healed them, why not today? Jesus was on His way to the Cross. He could not allow Himself to become “unclean.” Note also that His Word was sufficient to heal the lepers – “as they went, they were cleansed.” This healing by His verbal command is a clear demonstration of His deity.

All ten exercised faith in believing His Word that they would be healed, but only one returned to give thanks. “When he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God” (v. 15). “And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan” (v. 16). He did not simply bow in reverence. He completely prostrated himself, flat with his face to the ground. He placed himself at Jesus’ feet. His attitude was one of complete humility, reverence, worship, and gratitude – “and he was a Samaritan.” That this one was a Samaritan may explain why Luke listed Samaria before Galilee. The implication is that the other nine were Jews.

Jesus seems surprised that only this one returned to give thanks. However, knowing that the Lord knows the hearts of all men, His feigned surprise was likely intended to make a point. Jesus said that “[God] is kind to the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35).

Thankfulness was not particularly characteristic of the Jews. Consider how often they complained after they were freed from Egypt. Think of how soon they fell into idol worship during the time of the Judges. Consider their presumption on God knowing that they were His people. Their lack of gratitude came as no surprise to Jesus. However, the “stranger” recognized his unworthiness and was grateful for the mercy Jesus bestowed on him.

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (v.19). The Greek word translated “whole” here is σεσωκεν (sesoken), and it means “has saved.” Literally what Jesus said is, “thy faith hath saved thee.” Obedience (which also required faith) had made him “whole,” i.e., healed him. However, his “faith” in recognizing Jesus as “Master” saved him. He was “whole” not only physically, but spiritually.

Does God Expect Us To Be Thankful?

Leviticus 22:29  And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

  1. Not out of obligation
  2. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

1 Chronicles 16:8  Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

Can’t do the latter without the former.

1 Chronicles 16:34  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Considering God’s holiness and our unworthiness, how can we not be thankful for the love He has shown to us?

Psalm 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Not “come before His presence with prayer requests.” Prayer requests are fine, but let’s first thank Him.

Psalm 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

“Bless His name,” i.e., “speak well of His name” What are some attributes of God that come to mind?

Colossians 2:6-7  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:  (7)  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Consequences of Ingratitude:

Romans 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Ingratitude darkens the heart.

2 Timothy 3:1-2, 7-9  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy … (7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (8)  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (9)  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

Benefits of Thankfulness:

Psalm 140:13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

We are made “righteous” through Christ. Because of that we have His presence within us.

Jeremiah 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

  1. In context, this is referring to Israel’s return from Babylonian captivity.
  2. However, the principle applies.
  3. God will bless our thankfulness.

2 Corinthians 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

  1. “redound” Greek περισσεύω (perisseuō)
  2. to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess
  3. God’s grace to us “supper-abounds” through thanksgiving.

2 Corinthians 9:11  Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Colossians 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

1 Timothy 4:1-5  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  (2)  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  (3)  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.  (4)  For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:  (5)  For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Conclusion:

Jesus healed ten lepers. Nine of them were of “the chosen.” Their attitude reflected ingratitude for the marvelous work Jesus performed in their lives – almost as if they believed they were entitled to what they received.

One leper – a “stranger,” a Samaritan, clearly an “outsider” due to both his leprosy and his heritage – recognized his own unworthiness and the greatness of the One who healed him; and he returned to give thanks and worship the God who healed him. And he was saved.  Let us recognize that we are all lepers and give thanks for all He has done for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

3 Comments

Filed under Apologetics, Christianity, Holidays, Religion, Salvation, Thanksgiving, Theology

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

October 29, 2023 · 10:00

Three Anointings

There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. (Matthew 26:7)

In one of my Bible readings this week, I came across an account of a woman anointing Jesus. All four Gospels record such an event. A detached, casual reading of the event can make the reader conclude that all four accounts are the same. Indeed, if we check the cross-references in our Bibles, they all seem to point to the other accounts leading the reader to assume they are all the same account. However, a close and careful examination of the four accounts will reveal a different story.

We have two, arguably three, different accounts of Jesus’ anointing. Luke’s account places the anointing long before the transfiguration while He was still in Capernaum (Luke 7:36-50).

Luke 7:36-39  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.  (37)  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,  (38)  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.  (39)  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Matthew 26:6-9  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,  (7)  There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.  (8)  But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?  (9)  For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

Mark 14:1-5  After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread … (3)  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  (4)  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  (5)  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

John 12:1-6  Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.  (2)  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.  (3)  Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.  (4)  Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,  (5)  Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?  (6)  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Matthew and Mark place the anointing after the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11) and two days before the Passover. John places the anointing the day before the Triumphal Entry (John 12:12). Matthew and Mark place the anointing in the “house of Simon the Leper.” John seems to place the anointing in the house of Lazarus following the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Neither Matthew nor Mark names the woman who anointed Jesus. Had she been Mary, they certainly would have known who she was. John names Lazarus, Martha, and Mary who anointed Jesus. Matthew records that the “disciples” were indignant about the waste. Mark only records that “there were some that had indignation within themselves.” The difference and precision in detail between Matthew and Mark’s account and the account of John are too distinct to be an error in recording. Therefore, these are two separate anointings. Luke’s account came too early to be confused with these that took place just before the crucifixion. Luke records that the anointing took place in the house of a Pharisee named Simon – not a leper – and the woman that anointed Jesus was “a sinner.” Surely, Mary, named by John, would not have been identified as a “sinner.” She is the one that “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word” (Luke 10:39). Also, Luke’s account records nothing said about the cost of the ointment being used.

In all, we have three separate accounts of Jesus being anointed by women. Even though there are some similarities, the differences are too great to conflate them as one or two. The lesson here is to let the Bible speak for itself. The experts, while we can learn much from them, are also fallen men after all; they can make mistakes too.

Matthew and Mark describe the same anointing. John records a second anointing by Mary, Lazarus’ sister (Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, John 11). Both accounts take place before the Passover when Jesus would be crucified. In both instances, Jesus commented that the anointing was for His burial (Matthew 26:12; John 12:7). Jesus knew that the cross lay before Him, and He went willingly to take our sin upon Himself. He paid a debt He did not owe to cancel the debt we could never pay. Reader, our sin debt was paid by Jesus who bought our pardon with His blood. All we have to do is accept that pardon. Have you done that? If not please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

Comments Off on Three Anointings

Filed under Apologetics, Bible, Christianity, Gospel, Salvation, Theology

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 22, 2023 · 16:16

The Land

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

One cannot escape the flood of wars and rumors of wars coming from the Middle East. More than two weeks ago, at the climax of the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel. They killed many innocent civilians and took away many captives. They raped women and tortured and killed children and babies. Their atrocities left the world in shock. Not since ISIS have such horrors been on full display for the world to see.

As expected, the “free” world denounced the heinous acts and pledged to stand with Israel. After shaking off the shock, Israel took the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Typical of Israel’s approach, the IDF took great measures to warn the civilians in the Gaza Strip to flee to the southern border for their own safety. Then the relentless bombing of Gaza City by the IDF started striking strategic targets of known Hamas strongholds. Unlike Israel and the IDF who value innocent human life, Hamas hunkers down in schools, mosques, hospitals, and civilian housing buildings. They use their own people as human shields knowing that Israel will not attack where innocents may be harmed. However, this time Israel took off the gloves. With sufficient warning to the civilian population, all Hamas targets were attacked.

It did not take long for the “friends” of Israel to start pressuring Israel for restraint in sympathy for the poor Palestinians. Certainly, a (very) small percentage of Palestinians do not agree with the actions of Hamas against innocent Israeli citizens. However, a great majority of them voted for Hamas leadership. In their schools, they teach their children to hate Jews and encourage them from a very young age to kill Jews. When Palestinian terrorists kill Jews in Israel, there are celebrations in the streets of Gaza. So, we should not be so quick to feel sorry for their sufferings; it is not totally undeserved.

It was not long before the US visited Israel to publicly profess solidarity with Israel in this war against terror, while behind the scenes pressuring Israel to allow for “humanitarian” aid for the poor suffering Palestinians. The US threatened to withhold munitions, support parts for Israeli fighters (F-16s and others), and money for the war effort. In the meanwhile, the US continues to send money to Iran which funds its proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, etc.) to do its dirty work. Money also continues to flow to the Palestinians from the US, which Hamas diverts for its own purposes. They do not care for the Palestinian people.

As Israel continues to prosecute this war, world support for her effort will quickly wane. Even now protests in favor of the poor Palestinians are rising all over the world, including here in the US, Israel’s “friend.” The world has a perverted idea that somehow the Palestinians have some kind of claim to the land of “Palestine.” Without going into great detail, the “Palestinian State” was established in 1965 by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian. Before then, there were no “Palestinian” people. The land was called Palestine because the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Judea to Syria Palestina and Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in order to remove Judah and Jerusalem from the memory of rebellious Jews. Thus, even our Bible maps continue to name the land Palestine. However, the land never belonged to Palestinians, nor did Palestinians ever exist.

The land belongs to God and He says so in so many words. In fact, He begins by asserting ownership of the entire planet. “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5, emphasis mine). Notice that while making this claim, He also identifies the children of Israel as His “peculiar treasure … above all people,” not Arabs, Palestinians, or any other nation. Furthermore, God claims the land of Israel as His own. “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23, emphasis mine). God “gave” the land to Israel for their stewardship, not to be sold to anyone else, because it belongs to God, not to them. Through the psalmist, David, God names some of the parcels of land. “Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver” (Psalm 108:8). See the following (linked) passages where God makes claim to the land: 2 Chronicles 7:19-20; Isaiah 14:24-25; Jeremiah 2:7; 16:17-18; Ezekiel 38:16; Joel 1:6; 3:2.

Before the children of Israel inhabited the land, it was possessed by the cursed line of Canaan, son of Noah’s son Ham (Genesis 9:25). For reasons known only to God, He called Abram (Abraham) out of the land of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:28) and promised to give him the land (Genesis 12:7). The land God promised extended beyond the current boundaries of Israel including the Sinai Peninsula, parts of Jordan, all of Syria and Lebanon, to the Euphrates River and up to the southern border of Turkey (Genesis 13:14-15). The land was promised to Abraham and his descendants unconditionally with no strings attached (Genesis 15:7, 9-21). “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18, emphasis mine). The promise has no term limits; it is an eternal promise. “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” (Genesis 13:15, emphasis mine).

The promise did not remain with Abraham. It was passed on to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3, 5) and his grandson, Jacob (later renamed Israel – Genesis 28:3-4, 13-15). Time and again, the promise of the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) is repeated in Scripture: Genesis 17:8; Exodus 6:8; 12:25; 13:5, 11; 33:1; Deuteronomy 1:8; 8:1; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 19:8; 28:11; 30:20, 21, 23; 34:4; Joshua 1:6; 21:43; Judges 2:1; Nehemiah 9:15, 23. God swore upon Himself to uphold His promise. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee” (Hebrews 6:13-14). God promised the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), not for a certain timeframe but forever. “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance” (1 Chronicles 16:15-18, emphasis mine). “Everlasting” means that it will never end.

It is God’s land to give to whomever He chooses, and He chose the people of Israel. Abraham had other sons besides Isaac. He had Ishmael through his concubine Hagar (Genesis 16:15). After Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six other sons by Katura (Genesis 25:1-2). None of these received the promise of the land, only Isaac and later Israel (Jacob). God’s “gift” of the land to Israel is also repeated over and over in Scripture: Leviticus 14:34; 23:10; 25:38; Numbers 27:12; 32:7, 9, 11; 33:53; Deuteronomy 5:31; 6:23; 9:23; 12:1, 10; 16:20; 17:14; 19:14; 21:1; 24:4; 25:15, 19; 27:3; 28:8; 32:52; Joshua 1:2, 11, 15; 5:6; 18:3; 1 Kings 8:34, 40; 9:7; 2 Kings 21:8; Nehemiah 9:36; Jeremiah 25:5; Ezekiel 20:15, 28.

The land belongs to Israel and more land than they currently occupy. The Bible describes the boundaries of the promised land. God showed Abraham the extent of the land promised (Genesis 13:14-15). God repeated the boundaries to Moses (Exodus 23:31) and again to Joshua upon entering the Promised Land (Joshua 1:4). The land on which the Nation of Israel exists today is only a small part of what God has given them, and yet, wrongheaded people want to take away what little they possess now. God will not have it! It is His land, and He will not allow it to be parceled out by outsiders. “Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel” (Numbers 35:34, emphasis mine). God also has a special affinity for Jerusalem. “Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel” (2 Chronicles 6:5-6, emphasis mine)

God did drive the Jews out of their land for their rejection of their Messiah, but that was only a temporary measure. God has not permanently disinherited His people. There has always been the promise of restoration in the latter days. “And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers” (Jeremiah 24:10). “For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it … Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid … For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof” (Jeremiah 30:3, 10, 17-18, emphasis mine).

Even though Israel has sinned and remains in sin even now, God in His mercy will restore His people. “Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished” (Jeremiah 46:28, emphasis mine). The full restoration of Israel will happen when the nation, as a whole, recognizes and turns to their Messiah. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10, emphasis mine).

The land of Israel belongs to God. He has allotted it to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, i.e., Israel. No one else has any right to that land, and there will be no peace in the Middle East until those who would divide the land, or who would exterminate the Jews from the land acknowledge that the land belongs to them.

5 Comments

Filed under Apologetics, Current Events, End Times, Theology

Tagged as , , , , , ,