One thing we are noticing today, is that wherever we look and especially in the media, there is a general and deepening dislike and hatred against Israel. We as a ministry, have felt this increasing hate, as comments on our Facebook page prove its presence. This past week, after posting a short video highlighting the place of Israel in bible prophecy, we received 8 antisemitic, anti Israel comments on our page, just within a couple of days of the posting.
And this growing dislike against Israel, is now clearly worldwide, from South Africa to South America. We have heard how South Africa brough Israel to court with an accusation of genocide. This past week, the president of Brazil compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust and a few days later the president of Columbia followed that same sentiment. That is a grave accusation.
The sad thing is that some churches are following the same path of accusations. This past week, the Council of Bishops of the American Methodist Episcopal Church and association gathering some 3-3.5 million members, accused Israel of genocide. They wrote, and I quote “trapped 1.6 million desperate Palestinians in the southern Gaza city called Rafah. Most of them are women and children. They have denied them access to food, water, shelter, and health care. After this torture, they plan to murder them.” (Times of Israel, February 17, 2024) This is when a church chooses to believe the enemy instead of getting the facts right.
First of all, according to the US Government, the number of Palestinians claimed killed is over exaggerated for it is given by Hamas; the US estimates that 20-30% of that number were killed, but these were mostly soldiers, and not civilians for the Israeli army has been recognized as one of the most moral armies in the world. The IDF’s code of ethics stands strong on protecting human life and dignity.
This conclusion comes from 9 different countries who investigated Israel after the last war in 2015. They concluded that Israel made “unprecedented efforts” to avoid civilian casualties which exceeded international standards. The countries which affirmed Israel are Columbia, Australia, France, Germany, India, Italy, the UK, the U.S, and Spain.
I also believe that the strong Judeo-Christian value in that society plays a major role in their ethics: It’s a beautiful scene to witness when each soldier after completing their basic training is then inaugurated into the army with both a gun and a Hebrew Bible.
A Startling Statement
But in the midst of all this, something very strange happened last week. Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, who has been working hard to maintain peace in the Middle East, came out with a startling statement that goes contrary to what we are witnessing around us.
This is what he said: Virtually every Arab country now genuinely wants to integrate Israel into the region to normalize relations… and he added that this is an extraordinary opportunity. (Reuters, February 17, 2024). But how could it be possible that in the midst of this uprising of hatred against Israel, virtually every Arab wants to have peace with Israel? It is surprising unless one is aware of the direction of God’s prophetic plan. The prophets do speak of a period of peace that would come to the Middle East, but it would be one of false peace. I am not saying that this coming respite or peace is the one that Daniel and John in Revelation spoke about, the one that will cover the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation. But the talk is starting and talk triggers thoughts and opinions, so the world prepares itself for this possibility of peace. This sudden turn of events could only be understood by considering God’s hand over this world and over His prophetic plan. The hatred against Israel will subside. It will be surely be masked for a while, but according to the same prophecies, it will grow until the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah will come back.