Would It Really Matter?

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

As everyone knows, there is a good deal of Anti-Semitism and increasing hatred of Jews throughout the world due to the conflict in the Middle East. What amazes me is when alleged Christians come out to condemn Israel, saying that much of the graphic images and videos out of the Middle East are fakes created by Israel or actually apply to another time and nation altogether.

People who think like this generally side with the “Palestinians” over Israel. What is fascinating to me is that these individuals appear not to know their biblical history at all. For instance, according to Archaeologist Joel P. Kramer [1] notes in his book that the Temple Mount has many layers to it; as many as eight, dating back to Abraham’s altar, then David’s altar, then Solomon’s Temple, then Zerubbabel’s Temple, then Herod’s Temple. From there, we get to Hadrian’s Shrine, Barren Temple Mount and finally, the current Islamic Shrine.

So the further down you would dig, the more Jewish artifacts would be uncovered. Of course, Islam controls the security on the Temple Mount so there won’t be any digging at all underneath the Dome of the Rock mosque. If digging was done, the world would learn that Israel has controlled that part of geography since the time of King David. Muslims do not want the world to know that because they continue to claim that Israel never had control of that area.

But that brings me to conclude something about today’s conflict that will likely last for quite some time. Please note the image included in this article. It is from Amir Tsarfati’s Telegram Channel. Notice the framed image within the image circled in red. According to Tsarfati, the sign reads:

• Allah Akbar (God is great)
• Death to America
• Death to Israel
• Curse on the Jews
• Victory for Islam

All the people who believe Israel has been the aggressor in this recent conflict seem to believe that Hamas (a terrorist group), Hezbollah, Iran and other Islamic groups and nations are simply upset with Israel and the Jews for their “aggression” and “apartheid.” These people believe the lie that if Israel had no presence in the Middle East, war would be over and everyone would just get along. This is patently false as noted by the statements on the framed image and the history of animosity between Jews and Arabs that dates back to Jacob and Esau (Obadiah). Those who support Muslims over Jews have never seriously studied Islam. They have no clue at all what Islam believes and turn a blind eye to the misogyny and unfairness within that system. Throughout the world, many within Islam continue to own slaves and believe it is their right to do so.

If anyone wants to know what Islam believes, all they have to do is read a Quran. I would encourage Christians to read it, to get a sense of what it teaches. It’s essentially a thin book of sayings attributed to Muhammad. Of course, Muslims will tell you that non-Muslims cannot spiritually discern the true meaning of what is stated in the Quran, even when the meaning is obvious. They say that the context must be considered except for the fact that there is largely no context except the context of Muhammad’s life when the Quran was actually written.

Another good resource is at Got Questions dot com. [2] Their view represents the Christian understanding of Islam and one of the main issues with Islam is that it is another system of salvation by works.

Muslims believe that paradise can be earned through keeping the Five Pillars. The Bible, in contrast, reveals that sinful man can never measure up to the holy God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Only by God’s grace may sinners be saved through repentant faith in Jesus (Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:8-9). [3]

Of course, there are many web sites on the ‘Net produced by Islamic scholars as well as secular sources that tend to see Islam differently than it actually is and this is why research is needed. Reading the Quran itself is often the best place to start. Other sites for Christians can be found here [4] and here [5].

Islam had a “caliphate” during the Ottoman Empire. They seek another one; a world-wide caliphate where Islam rules the world. To that end, they await their Final Mahdi. Interestingly, a ruler will step up that Islamists will claim as their own and will make efforts to bring in world peace, even sealing a seven year deal with Israel. He will turn out to be the Antichrist and Paul speaks of this coming man of sin breaking the covenant at the halfway point and turning on Israel (2 Thessalonians 2).

Islam, though dressed as a religious system due to its worship, is in reality, more of a political system than a religious one. Islam craves world dominance, working toward that end, and believing that “Allah” (God) will ultimately usher in that world dominance as Muslims everywhere join together to help bring this about. That includes dominance over Israel, over America and essentially over all non-Muslims. Even though Islam presents itself as a “peaceful” religion, there is nothing peaceful about it unless you are a male Muslim. Women who are Muslim have hardly any freedoms. They are treated as less than human. They are not respected.

Interestingly, on the other side of the coin, there are also groups of Christians who also believe that it is up to Christians to get this world to a point where Jesus can return. They believe our efforts to spread the Gospel will eventually result in turning this world to Christ, which will result in His physical return. This is not Scriptural. God is not bound by the dealings or efforts of men and women. His timing is His own and will be fulfilled according to His timetable.

I find it also fascinating that Queer or LGBT+ groups consistently come out in support of Hamas, yet Hamas (Islamists), have no compunction in executing gays or transgenders for their sins. They believe these perversions need to be eradicated.

But let’s say for a moment that if Israel was not in the Middle East, then all the world’s problems between Islam and Israel would be over. Would it? Not according to Islam beliefs, that they will take control of this world and dominate. Notice in that image, they not only say “Death to Israel” but issue a “Curse on the Jews.” They hate Jews. They hate Israel and it boggles my mind that some Christians cannot understand why this is the case. This stems completely from Satan’s hatred of Jews and Israel itself. That nation has literally derailed his plans to keep people from coming to God for salvation. Because a Messiah/Savior was born through the nation of Israel, a way was opened to humanity to gain fellowship with God through salvation.

Satan’s hatred of Israel, the Jews and people in general seems to know no bounds. We see this historical/future arch in Revelation 13 where the “woman” in that chapter is obviously the nation of Israel who gives birth to the Messiah (Jesus). Satan tried his best to destroy Jesus but failed miserably. Satan has tried so many times to destroy Israel and the Jews throughout history. Whether it was in the book of Esther, during Hitler’s Nazism or now during the conflict that began due to Hamas’ invasion of Israel and the slaughter of a few thousand innocent Jews and Gentiles.

Some of what has been discovered by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), are shocking. They have uncovered troves of munitions and bombs under specific hospitals in Gaza. Tunnels that connect Hamas leaders’ homes to these areas under hospitals have also been uncovered. The network of tunnels is extensive as IDF destroys tunnels and entrances to tunnels they find.

In one recent discovery, Israel found not only a huge cache of weapons and bombs, but evidence that Hamas had held hostages from Israel in that very area. The underground areas below these hospitals have many floors for meeting rooms, living quarters, munitions storage and much more. Intricate ventilation systems have been uncovered that use fuel to operate. Apparently, Hamas has taken control of most of the fuel in Gaza for these ventilation systems, leaving the hospitals themselves in short supply. Yet, the world believes that Israel is attacking hospitals and keeping fuel from getting to these hospitals.

The audacity of those who have set themselves against Israel is jarring. Israel can do nothing right and are constantly seen as the aggressor in this situation. Israel has more of a right to be in the Middle East than any other group and I’d like to remind those who think otherwise that it was God who gave that Land to the nation of Israel. Yes, He promised to remove them if they chased after other gods and rebelled, but it was never permanent. He would always woo them back.

The upcoming Tribulation period will be a terrible time where God will call out Israel and with an outstretched hand and wrath poured out will rule over them (Ezekiel 20:33). That Tribulation, aka Time of Jacob’s Trouble, is specifically set aside to deal with Israel’s continued and constant waywardness. God will bring them back and though we are not officially inside the Tribulation now, it seems clear that what is happening in the Middle East is ramping up to that point. Only God knows how much more time will pass until the Tribulation officially begins.

But in the end, Islam will not stop their assault on Israel, the Jews, America or other non-Muslim nations and people until God stops them. It seems that during the Tribulation, Islam will become more prevalent and only God will keep them in check at certain points.

In the end, if Israel did not exist in the Middle East today, nothing would change as far as Islam is concerned. In fact, even if Islam or some other political movement succeeded in eradicating every Jewish person from the face of the earth, Islam would not stop. Islam means to dominate and control the world in a final caliphate. This is what they will appear to start building during the coming Tribulation. However, they will not be completely successful even though their man, the Antichrist (Final Mahdi), gains supremacy. The whole system will become fractured toward the end of the Tribulation with numerous global leaders refusing to follow and bow to Antichrist. It will be a crisis he cannot control and will ultimately be his undoing.

However, what we are now seeing in the world with the tremendous uptick in Anti-Semitism and outright Jew hatred is unprecedented but also predicted in Scripture. I’m saddened that so many who claim to be Christian have come out against Israel and in support of “Palestinian” people including terrorists groups like Hamas.

People need to wake up and realize that for better or worse, God is not finished with Israel and those who speak and pray against Israel place themselves on the wrong side of history and of God. As Christians, we must continue to reach out to the lost – Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians. Our love for God should compel us to love the lost and prove it by our conversation and dealings with them.

God wants to save Muslims. He wants to save Jews. He wants to save other non-Christian Gentiles as well.

[1] https://expeditionbible.com/ – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpeditionBible

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/Islam.html

[3] Ibid

[4] https://christiananswers.net/islam.html

[5] https://www.answering-islam.org/

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective