Days of testing

God remains the guardian of Israel, but He calls us to stand with Him.

By MALCOLM HEDDING
Jews have been wrongly blamed for world’s problems before. (photo credit: myopera.com)
Jews have been wrongly blamed for world’s problems before.
(photo credit: myopera.com)
The so-called “Arab Spring” is steadily drifting toward an “Arab Winter” as democratic movements in the Middle East stall and become hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood, the matrix of al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical Islamist groups dedicated to Israel’s destruction.
All this was foreseen by Christians Zionists with discernment, but our Western politicians were again oblivious to the dangers inherent in the recent upheavals.
This, coupled with a resurgence in global anti-Semitism and the weak response of the United Nations and European Union to militant Islam, has left Israel isolated.
Even US President Barack Obama has now endangered Israel by pushing for a return to the pre-1967 lines.
Accordingly, the emboldened Palestinians are moving toward a unilateral declaration of independence at the UN in September. Even if the US vetoes this move in the Security Council, a lopsided General Assembly vote for Palestinian statehood will be an immense victory for them.
Sadly, for many the Arab-Israeli conflict has become a huge irritant, as it constantly defies resolution and frequently outwits the best-trained political minds. Indeed, the entire weight of the EU, US, and UN has failed to achieve peace.
The question we have to ask is why? The answer is really quite simple: They all refuse to take into consideration the basic Islamic doctrine of Dar al-Islam, which renders any notion of a non- Islamic state existing on lands once ruled by Shari’a law as completely unacceptable.
This is precisely why the charters of both Hamas and the PLO call for the total elimination of Israel. This is why protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo called for democratic freedoms and the removal of Israel in the same breath. And this is why Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran routinely calls for wiping Israel off the map.
Yet tragically, Western politicians just don’t get it! This is largely because they are ignorant of Islamic theology and incapable of believing one people would want to destroy another people in this way.
All this has birthed two realities: one, Israeli fatigue; and two, a heightened sense of outside urgency to resolve the conflict without reference to truth, facts, history or justice.
In the minds of many politicians, Israel is small and insignificant, has little oil, and should make compromises to finish this business once and for all, for the sake of world peace.
Once again, the Jews are the problem, and if they go away the world will be at peace. We have heard this all before in a book called Mein Kampf. The world is facing a huge moral test, and this just over six decades after the Holocaust.
Time is running out! The Bible is therefore right when it says that great darkness will cover the earth, but true light will arise over Israel (Isaiah 60:1-3).
This darkness is not the loss of sunlight.
No, it is moral and spiritual darkness which arises in human hearts.
Having abandoned the Bible and its timeless values long ago, humanity is losing the moral compass by which to pilot itself. Darkness is the consequence, and it is leading to the selling out of a small nation which has already endured such great sorrows.
God, as ever, is watching! We live in days of testing. The God of the Bible knows an ungodly world will lapse into rebellion against His purpose for Israel. Yet He expects the Church to support, bless and pray for Israel. Many churches and organizations – like the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem – are a shining light of hope in this regard.
May we pass the test before us in these perilous times! God remains the Guardian of Israel, but He calls us to stand with Him.
Who will hear that call?
Rev. Hedding is the outgoing executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; http://int.icej.org