Punishment is something people do not like to hear about. This conversation can easily go into many directions because this aversion for punishment is institutionalised in many ways. From political correctness to capital punishment to setting standards and ethics. But in the legal system there are contracts and in any contract there is a clause that states what happens if the terms are not achieved or delivered. It goes like this Failure to...
Mankind has found all sorts of ways to dance around the stick of punishment. They claim that they are being judged. That means there should be no-one to account to and that there should be no moral values. We see a lot of this in societies all over the world. But it is not my view or your opinion mankind should be afraid of, it is God's judgement.
In this blog I want to demonstrate the preservation and the perpetuation of a deception. The devil is a liar. There is so much deceitfulness in this world. It is a perversion and it is rampant globally. I have no words to describe the twisted thinking behind these deceptions. Here is one very diabolical and ironic situation that you would be familiar with:
This is critically important because most Christians get confused when it comes to this issue. I will explain it and then I will show you how it relates to the punishment for the false witness.
- the name of Israel
- the importance of the land
- identity theft
- the punishment and irony
The name of Israel
There was a definite effort by Emperor Hadrian in 136-137 AD to cut the tie Israel had with the land. He went on to destroy the Temple on the Mount and to rename Judea and Jerusalem. It was a particular insult to call it Syria-Palestine or Palestina. In fact Hadrian did what we now call jihad al-kamal, the jihad of the pen. Jihad meaning effort.
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| Roman Emperor Hadrian |
He was pleased with Syria who was unlike the Jews. They bent to his will. They mixed his beliefs with theirs. Something the Jews would never do. All of this occurred after the second revolt in Jerusalem. It had taken years and the Jews would not stop circumcision. They fought every chance they got to overcome the Romans until they were taken into slavery or exiled. This was the fourth exile for the Jews and it is prophecy fulfilled.
Hadrian went on to replace Israel's name in documents and maps with Syria-Palestine or Palestina. He killed any Jew who even looked in the direction of Jerusalem. The Jews were scattered they were not to live as a mass again until God would restore them. Hadrian's intention was to break them as a nation and as a people. Many other things happened to the Jews but for the purpose of this blog I can focus here.
The importance of Israel
I will cover two reasons why the land of Israel is important. I am here now giving witness that God kept His promise to Abraham in Genesis 15. Also, in Jeremiah 31:35-37 God stakes His name for Israel. He promises to preserve them not as a people but as a nation. This is the first importance of Israel.
Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: ‘If this order departs from before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a Nation before Me forever’. Thus says the Lord, ‘If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will cast off Israel for all that they have done,’ declares the Lord.
In Genesis 15:18-21, God gives the boundaries;
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.
Despite the four exiles that had occurred over time Israel has been restored as a nation. They have revived their ancient tongue and it is part of their every day life despite being scattered and exiled for 2000 years. No other nation has been able to do this. In some circles it is called the Miracle of the Mediterranean!
The second reason for the importance of the name pertains to Jesus. Jesus witnesses of Himself. He says:
I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. John 14:6
Praise God. As the fulfilment of God's word Jesus comes to re-establish relationship with the Jews first. Then He reaches out to the Gentiles. Jesus as the fulfilment confirms that God is faithful and true to His word. He is the truth. God is real and true because He proves Himself by the preservation of the Israelis. His favour to the Jewish people is in sending Jesus to them. But the rejection of His gift is rewarded by a punishment.
Identity theft
Only through God were the Jews able to become a nation again. That is, they had a shared history, a common language and a homeland. Martin Luther struggled with this realisation. He did not understand the psychological effects the Jews suffered over the last 2,000 years. Nor could he see God's hand over their survival despite persecution for more than 2,000 years. It is unrealistic to expect 2000 years of displacement to be wiped away in a flash.
All Luther saw was failure. He then concluded that the Jews were not real Jews. It was that or say that God had failed. But I think it comes down to the same thing. He like the Pharisees expected glitz and glamour of kingship and state. I am disappointed that he had reached the point of encouraging violence against Jews. Every nation that rose up against Israel, Yisrael, would fall, could he not see that?
The current twist to the plot against Israel is making its way in the church. It is called replacement theory. It means that the church replaces the Jews. There is a parallel to this in the secular world. The enemies of Israel promote that Jesus was born into a Muslim nation. This is a diabolical lie to replace the Jewish people. Many Christians today are supportive of a replacement theory. This too is a false witness.
Giving false witness is similar to stealing an identity. Nowadays it is called identity theft. We pretend to be someone else. I have researched the issue over Israel and Palestine and have dug deeper than many. It starts with noticing that on the Bible that has the map of Israel there is a note in fine print. It gives the period from which the map is dated.
Hadrian's actions against the Jews were far reaching. Other nations have banded together to take advantage of this. In the first instance they want to show that the land does not belong to Israel. In the second instance they want to wipe out the existence of the nation by wiping out the people. When so many people have been dying to achieve this I cannot deny it. It would be disrespectful to the many Jews, Arabs, and Muslims who died fighting over the land.
In a nutshell. Some Arabs and Muslims have gotten together, Syrians, Lebanese etc. to take on an identity of Palestinians. Philistine means invaders and they are Sea People. Palestine means grief-stricken and tunnel-borrowers. Given that the Palestinians today have dug many tunnels in Israel and have a terrorist metro underground of about 312 miles I think that they are taking on the true meaning of the name Palestine.
I submit that the anguish they suffer at the hands of those radical Islamist living among them in Palestine, in Gaza, Syria, Iraq and in Iran has made them grief-stricken. Do they still want to identify as the Philistines? So far God has been true to His word.
The punishment
When we break a law there is a punishment. When God speaks He establishes in the spiritual and in the natural. God establishes the law. When you break that law God punishes you. When Israel rejected the gift of Jesus Christ they were punished. This is why the church cannot replace the Jews. Who would pay the price for the denial of Christ.
Cyclically, when you deny that Israel existed you are defying God's word. The church has to be careful as in denying Israel they are denying Jesus and the gift of salvation. They are also saying that God is not faithful and true to keep His word.
In Deuteronomy 19:19 it is clear that in being a false witness you are to be punished in the same manner that you intended for the other party. For the Palestinians that is a double whammy that they bring upon themselves.
They claim that they are the real Philistines of old. I suggest they read the following:
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. Ezekiel 25:16
For anyone to want to defy God to the extent that this lie has been promoted and perpetuated is beyond me except to say it is downright damning and evil. Many people are taught in Palestine that Israel did not exist.
It is not an issue of occupation and ownership, it is an attempt to replace the people. To punish them for existing. Talk about jealousy! It is the intent to take the apple of God's eye away and replace them with a lie. This is so twisted. God has eyes He can see straight into our hearts.
I pray for the salvation of the Arab and Muslim nations. But I pray for the church too. I pray the lukewarm attitude will be corrected and they start actively testifying of the fulfilment of God's word less they participate in a deception. I pray men and women would arise and speak the truth in Jesus name.
If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour, you can pray this prayer of conversion:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be, in Jesus name I pray. Thank you.
Source:
https://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2010/07/divine-preservation-of-jewish-people.html
https://letusfindaperspective.blogspot.com/2021/05/palestine-and-israel-case-study-in.html
