Why the God-Haters Hate Israel
One of the greatest evidences that there is a God -- to whom we owe our very lives, and whose Word we are to follow -- is the mere existence of a nation called Israel. Thus the rampant hatred for the children of Abraham. Nevertheless, science again makes clear what Scripture long ago revealed.
A 60 Minutes episode from the year 2000 -- for which I have a transcript -- reported on a genetics study that revealed a “priestly Y-chromosome” among the general Jewish population. In other words, all those who claimed to be Jewish priests (only males) shared a common male ancestor. As Lesley Stahl reported, “The results proved that Jewish priests from all around the world are, in fact, descended from one single man, a common paternal ancestor somewhere back in time.”
To tease her listening audience, Stahl asked, “How long ago did this great, great, great-grandfather live?” The scientist she was interviewing provided the answer: 3,000 years ago. In other words, right in line with the time-line presented by the Bible for when Moses’ brother Aaron -- the patriarch of the Jewish priesthood -- lived.
Likewise, in the year 2000, a study widely reported on revealed that the Jews and the Arabs shared a common genetic heritage. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at the Y-chromosome -- which is passed directly and unaltered from father to son -- of male Jews and Arabs and found that they shared “a common set of genetic signatures.”
This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows -- and believes -- Scripture. The first two sons of Abraham were Ishmael -- the son of Hagar and the patriarch of the Arabs -- and Isaac, the son of Sarah and the patriarch of the Jews. Thus the “common genetic signature” is the result of both Jews and Arabs being descendants of Abraham.
Most everyone with at least a spotty Sunday school background knows something of the biblical account of “Father Abraham.” If nothing else, we can probably recall the ancient trilogy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob -- later named Israel -- fathered twelve sons who would become the “twelve tribes of Israel” and would inherit the Promised Land. The Bible first mentions Abraham -- initially named “Abram,” a descendent of Noah’s son, Shem -- in the chronology given in Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 12 begins with the telling “Call of Abram.” It reads,
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The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’
Note that the nation born of Abraham will be “a blessing” to the whole world. Scripture is replete with this theme. Genesis alone has several references. In addition to the above, there are Genesis 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, and 28:14. Without using the word “blessing,” Scripture makes it clear that Israel is the vehicle through which God -- in multiple ways -- will bless the earth.
Scripture also makes it clear that Israel was not chosen because it was the largest and most powerful nation (Deut. 7:7), or because of her righteousness (Deut. 9:5). In other words, Israel was not chosen for the glory of (or to glorify) Israel, but to glorify the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In other words, God chose the weak -- Israel was in slavery when it became a nation -- so that the world would know that the God of Israel was the one true God. (Egypt was the first to get a dramatic lesson.)
The idea that Israel was “set apart” as a “witness to the nations” is also a common thought throughout Judaism and Christianity -- especially evangelical Christianity. Exodus 19:6 declares, “[Y]ou will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Isaiah 43:12 reads, “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am God.’” One of the ways Israel was (and is) a blessing to the earth is the testimony of the Jews to the very existence of God. In the late nineteenth century, England’s Queen Victoria reportedly asked her Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, “Mr. Prime Minister, what evidence can you give me of the existence of God?” After thinking for a moment, Disraeli replied, “The Jew, your majesty.”
A significant manner in which the Jews were a blessing to all of humanity, and another means through which they were a witness to all the earth, was through the written word of God. The Jews were God’s scribes, recording His words and deeds so that people might hear (or read) and believe. As the Apostle Paul, at the beginning of Romans chapter 3 notes, “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew… Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” The oral, and eventually, the written Word of God is an amazing testimony of God’s existence, His presence, and His power.
And last, Christianity teaches that the redemption of all mankind came through the Jews. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was a descendant of Abraham, born out of the tribe of Judah. As Paul also reveals in Romans, “the Jews and the Gentiles alike are all under sin” and in need of salvation. Of course, the message of Paul was the message of Jesus: whether Jew or Gentile, salvation is through Christ alone. Writing to the church in Rome, Paul concludes, “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly… No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” (Rom. 2:28-29a)
As I noted in The Miracle and Magnificence of America, long before the Pilgrims departed Europe for a new home, the spiritual heritage of America has been linked with Jerusalem and Israel. Because of events such as the Great Plague, during the fifteenth century there was widespread belief that the end of time was near. Many Christians of this time also believed that before Christ would return, Jerusalem had to be in the hands of Christians. As the result of his study of Scripture, along with his study of the works of first century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and noted theologian and philosopher Saint Augustine, Christopher Columbus believed the same. Thus Columbus literally saw himself as an agent of the apocalypse.
As life in Europe became increasingly difficult for the Pilgrims, in spite of what they were hearing concerning the death and destruction at Jamestown, more and more, God’s plan seemed to point to America as their home. The pastor of young William Bradford’s congregation at the time was John Robinson. During this time, Pastor Robinson revealed that he believed God was calling them to a New Jerusalem -- in America. Robinson wrote,
Now as the people of God in old time were called out of Babylon civil, the place of their bodily bondage, and were to come to Jerusalem, and there to build the Lord’s temple… so are the people of God now to go out of Babylon spiritual to Jerusalem… and build themselves as lively stones into a spiritual house, or temple, for the Lord to dwell in… for we are the sons and daughters of Abraham by faith.
The God who spoke to Abraham and Moses is the same God who inspired the Pilgrims and the Puritans -- the people who are most responsible for the founding of the United States. Though Christianity teaches that we are all under a new covenant with our Creator, the nation of Israel still stands as a testimony to the Truth. Thus any move that further legitimizes Israel -- such as official recognition by the United States of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and placing our embassy there -- will be strongly opposed by those who hate the Truth.
Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/12/why_the_godhaters_hate_israel.html
I wish Israel well, and let's hope that the "Left Behind" nut cases that want to see this world end in a nuclear conflagration in Jerusalem keep getting disappointed eternally.
"We will see the face of god in a thermonuclear explosion." Rev. Hagee.
"The Jordon Option," is proof that god is non-existent in certain circles.
It's ok for the Left Behind crowd, tho. They get whisked into the sky by Jesus and get to miss all the bad stuff
The truly dangerous part is that it is not am impossibility that an end timer could get close to or even achieve the presidency and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy, which is why evangelicals who believe in this prophecy should be disqualified from either being president or being in an administration.
Since born again scum have no chance in hell of being raptured, the day after will be awesome. Bye bye thumpers.
I'll still be here. I hope some of them have cats. I'll take care of them
no one who believes in bible prophecy related to jerusalem and revelations should ever be allowed to be president of the united states
Who said anything about the constitution? Just humiliate him until he drops out of the race.
Prophecy nutjobs are a minority in America, and they should be treated as such. If you don't see the danger is letting an end timer rise to positions of power in government you are a hopeless case.
I think you missed what was said. He says that the "born again", won't be raptured.
Boy....you all have so many interpretations of what will and won't happen. Now maybe you can see why so many of us are skeptical of your "teachings".
Why the U.N. veto was a loss for Trump and Netanyahu
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, speaks before the veto. Photo: Kena Betancur / AFP / Getty Images
The United States was able to block the United Nations Security Council from condemning President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — but the move was still a defeat, not just for Trump, but for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well.
The bottom line: Even though the resolution didn't pass, the U.N. voted against Trump 14 to 1. Less than two weeks after recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announcing the preparations for moving the U.S embassy to the city, Trump found himself isolated internationally. All the member states in the most important international body rejected his move and were ready to pass a binding resolution to rescind it.
The back story: This is the first time Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., used the veto in the Security Council since Trump became president. It is also the first time the U.S. has used its veto right in almost seven years. The last time was in February 2011, when the Obama administration vetoed a security council resolution that also had to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The impact: Minutes after the vote, Netanyahu posted a video on social media praising Haley and Trump for vetoing the resolution. In the spirit of Hanukkah, Netanyahu even gave Haley the title "Maccabee" – in honor of the ancient Jewish warriors who fought the Greek army and won.
But in reality, Netanyahu led Trump to defeat in the U.N. security council twice in one year – today and last December, when the Trump transition team tried and failed to prevent a security council resolution on West Bank settlements behind the Obama administration's back. Trump doesn't like to lose.
The big picture: The events of the last two weeks around Trump's Jerusalem announcement are the biggest crisis between the U.S. and the Palestinians since the height of the second Intifada in 2002. Haley's speech today, which included harsh attacks on the Palestinian leadership claiming it does not serve the interest of its people, sounded very much like President George W. Bush's speech from April 2002 in which he called on the Palestinians to elect a different leader than Yasser Arafat.
In such a crisis, Trump's top priority policy goal of reaching the "ultimate deal" between Israel and the Palestinians seems to be on life support.
What to watch: Israeli and U.S. officials admit that today's vote is merely the appetizer of what's to come. The main course is a series of Palestinian initiatives in international organizations which will aim to further isolate the U.S. and Israel.
Minutes after the U.S. veto, the Palestinians called for an emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly to try to pass another resolution there. The General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, but there is no U.S. veto power there. Most likely, Trump and Netanyahu will lose there too – but in a much bigger margin.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also announced today he will initiate formal requests for the state of Palestine to join 22 U.N. agencies. It will be very hard for the Trump administration to stop this – and most likely here too, the president will lose.
I don't like that Israel acts like the USA exists only for the benefit and protection of Israel
I hate that we give so much money to Israel when they don't need it. They are a very prosperous country. I know many of the Palestinians live in poverty, but that's Israel's problem, not ours
Charger & Trout,
If I may, I'd like to attempt to answer your posts.
I don't like that Israel acts like the USA exists only for the benefit and protection of Israel
I can assure you that the behavior you are referring to is not that of a nation feeling "entitled" to aid. Most of the time, the aid is in the form of loan guarantees for military hardware. I suppose if we give money to Israel so that they can build advanced weapons and defense systems, we are acting for the benefit and protection of Israel, although in an indirect manner. What you may also be not be reading into is the fact that, when it comes to aid for Mideast countries and entities, we give a great deal of aid and money to nations that we are not truly allied with, nations that have never helped us in time of conflict DESPITE military aid, and have never voted with us at the UN. So in terms of that comparison of aid dollars, perhaps Israel does feel more "deserving" of the aid they get, as opposed to the dictatorships that somehow are on our dole. Israel is a loyal ally, which cannot be said for the others that enjoy our tax dollars.
I hate that we give so much money to Israel when they don't need it. They are a very prosperous country. I know many of the Palestinians live in poverty, but that's Israel's problem, not ours
If we didn't provide Israel with loan guarantees, they would be a military nation, as all of their money would go to defending themselves. So "need" is rather subjective. Please keep in mind that American based corporations employ nearly 500,000 Israelis IN Israel. That tells me that we have vital interests in Israel, and need to protect those interests.
It's true that many Palestinians live in poverty, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars they receive each year in aid. Where does that money go? The last available information (2015) on Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah leader, his net worth was listed at $100 million dollars. How does a lifetime politician amass wealth like that? Also, it has been documented that convicted terrorists and families of suicide bombers receive a generous annual pension from Fatah. Besides stealing from their "starving" people, they use their aid to incentivize terrorism, which makes any kind of peace initiative impossible.
My point is that your statements are worth debating, but demand a great deal of context in order to form an objective opinion on the conflict. All that I could beg you for is some balance.
We would be better off keeping that money and building that stuff ourselfs, employing Americans and keeping the technology
Puerto Rico, part of the USA, has been laying in ruins and we are told heathcare costs too much; but there is plenty of money to send to Israel
Ditto. I stand for fairness for the two parties. Although, I will admit present day Israel politics is remote to me.
Not only do I hate God, I also hate Homer Simpson, Mickey Mouse, and Peter Pan. I'm so full of hate!!
So, if Israel was so important, why did your god allow the Canaanites to be living there when he decided to promise the land to someone else? Israel got it's start by massacring the Canaanites, who were probably the Arabs that are related to them. This means god to you? Sort of odd that this all-powerful being could create the universe in 6 days, but needed ghost writers and thousands of years to get his autobiography written.
good point, I will have to remember that
Of course you are making the assumption that you know how God (if she does indeed exist) thinks the same way you do. That God (Peace Be Upon Her!) would have to have the same reason for doing things that you do. Have you considered the possibility that not all people think alike-- and that what makes sense to one person doesn't necessarily make sense to another person.
And that's just person-people. Throw God (PBUH) into the equation and it becomes even more difficult to know what reasons someone might have for doing something...
True, when you are positing the existence of a supernatural being, anything goes. That is why religion is so vaporous, it's all smoke and mirrors, no one can make even a guess about what might be true or not, which makes it silly to give it much credence.
So my reward for living a noble life is to be surrouded by a bunch of born again every sunday fucktards for an eternity? Fuck that. Hopefully there are many choices and that the ratio of carnivorous dinosaurs to thumpers in teavangelical heaven is at least 1 to 3. That way they can be born again every morning when they crawl out of the pile of T-rex shit.
Another possibility, (taught mainly by Eastern religions I believe )
Actually a while back I was surprised to learn that The Catholic Church preached reincarnation for quite a while. But then some Pope came along and declared it not to be true, so the Church's teachings on that topic (reincarnation) changed...