The miserable mess in the Middle East today revolves around one question. Who owns the land of Palestine? This question is the most explosive issue of our time. Of course, in the final analysis the land belongs to the Lord, but the question is to whom has the Lord loaned the land forever.
The Jewish Claims to Palestine. The Jewish claims may be summarized in five propositions:
- God’s Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “Like the Arabs, the Jews have a strong religious attachment and claim to Palestine. The land of Canaan (Palestine) was promised to Abraham and his seed forever (Genesis 12:7; 13:15). This covenant is the bedrock of Israel’s claim to the land, both religiously and historically. Though Ishmael was promised certain divine blessings, it was Isaac whom the Lord named to be heir to the covenant promises (Genesis 17:19-21). This He also confirmed later to Isaac, Jacob, and the children of Israel (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 26:3; 28:13; Deut. 1-18). Even the boundaries of the land were specified: from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates and from the Great Sea (Mediterranean) to the desert beyond Jordan (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Numbers 34:1-12; Joshua 1:4). The kingdoms of David and Solomon extended approximately to these boundaries.”
- The ancient and continuous residency of the Jews in the land. “The land of Canaan was conquered by Joshua (as commanded by God) in 1405 B.C. or (1290), some two thousand years before the Arabs took it. During that time Israel occupied the region for nearly fifteen centuries.”[1]
- “The Balfour Declaration. An essential part of the Versailles Peace Treaty was the Balfour Declaration, guaranteeing the Jews a national home in Palestine. It gave the League of Nations approval to establish this Jewish haven under the Mandate of Great Britain.”[2]
- The need for a haven from another Holocaust. “The Holocaust became an ominous reminder to the world of its need to provide a homeland for world Jewry. Without a land of their own, the Jews were at the mercy of every genocidal madman and had no national government to which to appeal for justice.”[3]
- The Jews veneration of Jerusalem. “Like the Arabs, the Jews make a non-negotiable claim to the city of Jerusalem. This mountainous citadel of central Palestine is a city “thrice holy,” being sacred to three world religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For the Jews, however, it is central to all their historical and religious traditions. For this reason the new state of Israel quickly moved its government to Jerusalem, declaring the New City to be its capital on January 23, 1950.”[4]
- The Arabic Claim to Palestine.
- The long residency of the Arabs in the land. “Palestine was conquered by the Muslim Caliph Omar in A. D. 638, and Arab groups have lived there ever since. When the British wrested the land from the Turks in 1917, Arabs made up the overwhelming majority of the population.”[5]
- “The British McMahon-Hussein agreement. During World War I the British government assured various Arab leaders (mainly the Sharifians of Hejaz through Sir Henry McMahon and Winston Churchill) that the entire Levant would become a pan-Arab state.”[6]
- The need of the Arabs for a haven from a mini-holocaust. “Many Palestinians who left their homes during the war of 1948 believe they have suffered a holocaust of their own in the refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of them have ‘been living in a miserable state as if in jail,’ having lost their homeland.”[7]
- The claim of the Arabs to Abrahamic ancestry. “The Arabs bolster their claim to Palestine by a religious argument derived from the Koran. They claim descent from Ishmael, the first-born of Abraham, to whom the Lord promised the land of Canaan. Though this relation to Ishmael is generally accepted by both Jews and Arabs, ‘there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that Ishmael was the forefather of the Arabs, nor was this a belief held by the ancient Arabs.’ This heritage, however, was claimed by Muhammad and is assumed in the Koran: ‘Abraham in truth was not a Jew neither a Christian; but he was a Muslim.’ ‘And We made covenant with Abraham and Ishmael: ‘Purify My House for those that shall go about it and those that cleave to it, to those who bow and prostrate themselves.’ Ishmael is portrayed as a purifier and an elect, righteous leader.’”[8]
- “Arabic claims to Jerusalem as al–Quds, “The Holy.” The city of Jerusalem is regarded by Arabs as one of Islam’s three Holy Cities (third after Mecca and Medina). This derives from the Hadith tradition that Muhammad ascended to heaven on a horse from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. So sacred is the Arabic shrine of the Dome of the Rock, supposedly built over the temple ruins, that it is venerated by Muslims internationally.”[9]
- The Reconstruction of the Bible . “ Though the Koran does not mention Palestine or Jerusalem directly, it lays the foundation of Islam on the Lord’s covenant with Abraham and Ishmael (Sura 2:124-129). In a reconstruction of the biblical account, Muhammad portrayed Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac as a sacrifice of Ishmael, following which the promise of Isaac’s coming was also given (37:101-112). Abraham and Ishmael constituted the first “Muslims,” having both “submitted” to Allah (3:67; 22:78). At that time they “raised up the foundation of the House” (Ka’ba) in Mecca, where Allah made His covenant with Abraham and Ishmael (2:120-128; 140). Ishmael is included in a list of select heroes of faith in Sura 19:54, with Zechariah, Mary, Abraham, Moses, and Ezra, being described as “one in whom his Lord was well pleased” (Sura 19:55). [10]
- The Central issue of this conflict is whether the Bible or the Koran has Divine Authority. “The essence of this religious problem may be seen in the struggle over the sacred shrines of Jerusalem. When Caliph Omar took Jerusalem in 638, he immediately built a crude mosque over the temple ruins (which Byzantine Christians had used as a rubbish dump). Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik completed this Dome of the Rock in 691, making it a shrine of elegance and splendor. This he did not only to honor Mohammad, but to ‘instill a sense of pride in Muslims overawed by the majestic churches of Christendom.” It was ‘intended to make a statement to both Jews and Christians, the two religions that Islam considered its imperfect predecessors.’ By building over Solomon’s temple, it proclaimed to Jews that their religion had been superseded by Islam. The heart of Israel’s religion was covered over by the religious shrines of the Muslims.
The message to Christians was even more ominous and explicit. Ornaments from Christian Byzantine rulers were used to decorate the inner shrine of the Dome, signifying the spoils of the victor. Islam had risen to supplant Christianity. It also underlined this point in its founding inscription: ‘O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary is only an apostle of God, and His Word which he conveyed into Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three. It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from his glory that he should have a son.’”[11]
- Why Should All Bible Believing Christians Stand with Israel and Their Claim to the Land?
- “Israel is the only nation created by a sovereign act of God. Israel belongs to God himself! As Creator of heaven and earth (Gen.1:1), God had the right ownership to give the land to whomever He chose. God gave the title deed for the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants “forever” (Gen. 15:18; 17:2-8). Ishmael, father of Arabs, was excluded from the title deed to the land in Genesis 17:19-21). Therefore, modern-day Palestinians have no biblical mandate to own the land.”[12]
- “Christians owe a debt of eternal gratitude to the Jewish people for their
contributions, which gave birth to the Christian faith. Paul recorded in Romans 15:27, ‘For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their (the Jews) spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.’
Jesus Christ, a prominent rabbi from Nazareth, said, ‘Salvation is of the Jews’ (John 4:22). Consider what the Jewish people have given to Christianity:
- The sacred Scripture
- The prophets
- The patriarchs
- Mary, Joseph, and Jesus of Nazareth
- The twelve disciples
- The apostles”[13]
- The moral kinship between Jews and Christians
- The 10 Commandments
- Monogamous marriage
- The Sanctity of the Home
- Burial of the body
(4) “The archaeological evidence says it’s Israel’s land! Every new
archaeological dig supports the fact that the Jews have had a presence in Israel for three thousand years – including coins, cities, pottery, and other cultural artifacts. The Jewish claim predates the claim of any other people in the region.”[14]
(5) “ Israel’s practical value to the Middle East. Israel is a marvel of modern
agriculture. She has brought more food out of a desert than any other land.
The Arabs should befriend Israel, import Israeli technology, and make the
Middle East, like Israel, a food exporter.
The Israeli Defense Forces bring to the troubled Middle East great stability. If the Israeli Defense Forces were not able to bring peace in the region, the United States of America would need to commit thousands of troops at the cost of billions of dollars to secure a land that is critical to our national security inasmuch as the oil-rich Persian Gulf is at stake.”[15]
(6) Many Jews will yet be saved and become a vital force in the:
- Great Tribulation
- The Millennium
- The Eternal Kingdom of Christ (Romans 11; Rev. 7; Rev. 11).
- Israel is the frontline against radical Islamic terrorism. “The war we face is not
Against a fluid group of terrorists who move from one country to another. They are almost invisible. We need our alliance with Israel. If we do not stop terrorism in the Middle East, it will be on our shores.”[16]
- Support of Israel does not mean we agree with Israel in all issues. For example, Israel in its present state is living in blatant unbelief. “The State of Israel will allow nearly every deviation from Jewish orthodoxy in its policy of toleration and pluralism. Even Jewish atheists are welcomed as citizens – but not believers in Jesus. Though the Law of Return of 1950 granted citizenship to anyone born Jewish, it was amended in 1970 to apply to anyone who is ‘born of a Jewish mother or who has been converted and is not a member of another religion.’ On December 25, 1989, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Messianic Jews ‘do not belong to the Jewish nation and have no right to force themselves on it. Those who believe in Jesus are, in fact, Christians.’”[17]
Judged on biblical grounds, the nation today does not pass divine muster. The promise of the land is directly tied to the nation’s acceptance of her Messiah. Though her international right to all the land God promised can be well defended Scripturally, her divine right to the land awaits her acceptance of Jesus as personal Messiah which she will do when Christ returns. The scenario which will bring this glorious day to pass is now in progress in the Middle East and well may come to pass in our life time. So when we read the headlines, let us not suffer from “headline hysteria” but shout “It’s growing gloriously dark.”
[1] Stanley A. Ellison, Who Owns the Land?, Portland, Oregon: Multnomah, 1991, p. 149.
[2] Ellison, Ibid. p. 149.
[3] Ellison. Ibid. p. 149.
[4] Ibid. Ellison, p. 150.
[5] Ibid. Ellison, p. 146.
[6] Ibid. Ellison, p. 147.
[7] Ibid. Ellison, p. 147.
[8] Ibid. Ellison, p. 148.
[9] Ellison, Ibid. p. 148
[10] Ellison, Ibid. p. 191
[11] Ellison, Ibid. p. 169
[12] John Hagee, Jerusalem Countdown, Lake Mary, Florida: Front Line, A Strange Company, 2006, p. 196.
[13] Hagee, Ibid. p. 196
[14] Hagee, Ibid. p. 202
[15] Hagee, Ibid. pp. 202-2032
[16] Hagee, Ibid. p. 203.
[17] Ellison, Ibid. p. 174.