With God’s help, I wrote these words around 1993: “Religion and ownership of the land (the Promised Land of Israel) are at the heart of the never-ending Arab-Israeli conflict. The two groups are diametrically opposed to each other because each group thinks it worships the only real God and each group thinks He gave the Promised Land to them.
The conflict over this blessed place is theological and directly linked to the question, “Whose god is God and who worships the true God?” The land issue can never be settled until the theological conflict over God’s identity is settled. The religion of the loser is dead” (On The Brink, copyright 1995, pp. 37-38).
These words recently came to my mind when I read two articles. The first was a July 29, 2014 Bridges for Peace article titled, “Fatah Threatens to ‘Turn Tel Aviv into a Ball of Fire.’” And the second was an August 1, 2014 Israel Today article titled “The God of the Armies of Israel.”
The Bridges for Peace article said PA President Mahmoud Abbas was touting the current conflict between Israel and Hamas as a religious “war for Allah.” Mr. Abbas quoted the Koran when he said, “Allah is competent to give them (the Palestinians) the victory” (Surah 22:39). Mr. Abbas added that, “Allah is with the resistance, both now and in the future.”
The Israel Today article said Israeli Col. Ofer Winter sent a letter to the troops he commands in the Givanti Infantry Brigade. Using words that come straight from the Bible, Col. Winter referred to God as the God of the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45). Col. Winter even wrote that Israel has been chosen to “spearhead in the fight against the ‘Gazan’ terrorist enemy that defies, blasphemes, and curses the God of the armies of Israel’” and the Bible calls Israel’s enemies God’s enemies (Psa. 83:2). Col. Winter closed his letter by saying, “The Lord, your God, who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies and gives you victory.”
So the PA leader quoted the Koran, exalted Allah and said Allah was with the Palestinians. And the Israeli officer quoted the Bible, called Israel’s enemies God’s enemies and said God (Jehovah) was with Israel. It should be obvious that both leaders can’t be right. So whose god is God and who worships the true God?
Several other articles caught my attention along these lines. One concerned something Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General said, “It is plain to see that Israel’s use of force has been disproportionate, and that the Palestinian casualties have been excessive.” This UN official was saying the war is one sided in favor of Israel. It was clear that large numbers of Palestinians were dying even though Israel dropped leaflets more than once warning them to leave; Israel texted people, called people, dropped warning bombs before real bombs exploded, etc. So Israel’s God was winning and the Palestinian god was losing. And the UN, EU, US and many others were trying to get Israel to let up.
Another article concerned a widely circulated headline in the July 18, 2014Jewish Telegraph newspaper. In an unconfirmed report a Gazan terrorist was asked why Hamas couldn’t aim their rockets more accurately. The terrorist replied, “We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.” If the report is true, this terrorist recognized that Israel’s God (Jehovah) is more powerful than his god (Allah).
Another article concerned an Israeli soldier that tried to shoot down a terrorist missile twice with an Iron Dome anti-missile. Iron Dome missed both times, and on the third try it showed that a strong wind had pushed the terrorist missile off course. Israel Today reported that the soldier said, “I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes. It was not told or reported to me. I saw the hand of God send that missile into the sea.” Jehovah prevailed again.
There were several other reports of miracles, but I want to recall God’s covenant with Abraham. God said, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Gen. 17:7-8). It can be shown that Jehovah was talking about Israel when He said, “I will be their God” (Gen. 17:8-21; 28:13; 35:10-12).
Since 1948, Israel has won several wars against impossible odds. And it seems that her attackers and the world have never understood why. Many say Israel won because the U.S., England or France helped Israel or it was because of Israel’s technology, but Israel was often poorly equipped and greatly outnumbered.
God’s covenant to be Israel’s God is true. So is His promise to never stop watching over Israel (Psa. 121:1-8) and His promise that no weapon formed against Israel will prevail (Isa. 54:17). His identity and the futility of trusting in Allah can be seen in all of these wars. Hamas has met the only real God, but she doesn’t know it, the world doesn’t know it, and sadly, many church leaders don’t know it. Until these groups realize that ISRAEL’S GOD IS GOD and He is keeping His EVERLASTING covenant to give Israel ALL of the Promised Land and TO BE THEIR GOD, there will be no peace on earth.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck