The Israeli-Arab
Peace Process and
Bible Prophecy
An open letter from Christians to Christians
Introduction
Never before was an ancient nation destroyed, its people
dispersed to the ends of the earth-and yet for centuries remain a
separate and distinct people. Then, for that people to be
regathered to its ancient homeland and re-established as a nation
after nearly 2,000 years is a contradiction of time and logic. The
rebirth of the Nation of Israel in 1948 was an unparalleled
miracle of history.
This miracle of rebirth actually had its conception in 1878.
David Ben Gurion observed that the new State of Israel did not
begin in 1948 but with the pioneering efforts of Jewish immigrants
that began in 1878 with the founding of the Jewish settlement
Petah Tikvah—which means "Door of Hope."
1
The year 1878 did mark the beginning of an incredible fulfillment
of a series of Bible prophecies related to the miraculous
restoration of natural Israel. In that year the ban on Jewish
immigration and Jewish Land purchase was eased. In fulfillment of
Bible prophecy, the massive return of the Jew in Diaspora to his
ancient homeland commenced (Jeremiah 16:14-16; Isaiah 43:4-6). The
purchasing of land itself was a fulfillment of prophecy (Jeremiah
32:44). At exorbitant prices, barren desert and malarial swamps
were purchased from absentee Moslem landowners. Miraculous
climatic changes as well nourished the dry and thirsty Land
(Joel 2:21-24). The very heavens opened and "the early rains,"
which for centuries fell only moderately, increased. The "latter
rains" awoke from centuries of dormant slumber. As a result, the
barren desert and malarial swamps began to blossom "as the
rose"—fulfilling the Divine prediction of vineyards and
gardens and roses (Isaiah 35:1; Amos 9:14-15).
Then the birth pangs of the Jewish State began. In 1929 the Arabs
in Hebron massacred 67 Jews.
†
2
In the 1930s under the direction of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem,
††
3
a minority of Arabs in Palestine, inspired by Nazi propaganda,
plotted the "stillbirth" of the Jewish State. These "spasms of
travail" were reflected in calculated acts of terror against the
Jewish settlements. Then in the 1940s the Mufti (who was Yassir
Arafat's uncle
‡
4
joined with Adolph Eichmann in Europe in the systematic
extermination of the Jews.
‡‡
5
History has recorded this shameful event as "The Holocaust."
Finally, recognizing the enormous slaughter, the guilt-ridden
nations felt a moral obligation to grant the Jews an independent
state. In spite of the fact that the UN Partition Plan of 1947
dismembered the Land of Israel, Arab nations were determined to
prevent the Jews from having any of it.
The Divine Physician, however, prevented the "stillbirth" of the
Jewish nation. During the final travail, Israel's War of
Independence, the Jewish State was born—notwithstanding the
fact it was outnumbered 100 to one by the invading armies of six
Arab states. The newborn State developed by massive immigration.
Land reclamation continued in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The
miraculous Six Day War in 1967 added Israel's ancient territories
of Samaria, Judea, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan
Heights to the modern State. All the while quoting Bible prophecies
about Israel's restoration, both Prime Ministers Menachim Begin
and Yitzhak Shamir systematically helped 130,000 Jewish settlers
to flourish in Samaria, Judea and Gaza. The sudden fall of
Communism in 1989, that was in itself a miracle, stimulated
another miraculous growth spurt by the massive influx of half a
million Russian Jews to Israel. Excitement was running high.
Certainly one or two million would shortly follow.
Israel's prophetic momentum, however, seems to have stalled. In
the 1992 general elections the nationalist camp (Likud and the
right wing parties) received the majority of Jewish Israeli votes
but the marginal Arab Israeli vote put the Labor Party in power.
The Labor government under Ben Gurion and Golda Meir still had the
Zionist ideal, that "the Torah would go forth from Zion"—
albeit in humanist terms. Seemingly, the highest idealism inspiring
the current Labor government is a "common market of the Middle
East" in which Israel would be a tiny island in the midst of a sea
of Arab and Moslem nations. Furthermore, the immigration of
Russian Jews has slowed to a trickle. Giving up "land for peace"
appears a looming reality.
Thus with Israel's prophetic momentum in fulfilling Bible prophecy
seemingly grinding to a halt, many Evangelical Christians are
reconsidering their prophetic expectations. Perhaps, they say, the
traditional churches were right—Israel has been permanently
replaced by the Christian Church. Perhaps the Palestinian claim of
a large Arab community in Palestine with a continuity reaching back
several thousand years is correct. Would not the World Powers be
justified then in pressuring Israel to give up Land? These doubts,
however, are without a Biblical foundation. Though Bible prophecy
can be demonstrated by the perspective of current events, Bible
prophecy cannot be determined by today's headlines.
God's Perspective
One perspective overrides all peace initiatives, compromises and
accords: God's perspective. The Judaic Christian Bible discloses
not only God's perspective, but His agenda for implementing His
own incontestable peace plan. The following presentation is an
endeavor to document and submit for consideration God's
perspective:
Chapter 1.
God's promise to Israel that the Holy Land belongs to the Jews
forever had never been forfeited.
Chapter 2.
As prophesied, the Land would remain relatively "desolate" for
centuries during Israel's temporary expulsion. Finally, at God's
appointed time, the Jewish people would return to their Land and
this returning prosperity to the Land would attract a large
influx of Arabs from surrounding nations.
CHAPTER 3.
God has indicted the Gentile nations who partitioned God's Land
by giving portions of it to the Arabs.
CHAPTER 4.
Regardless of the outcome of the "peace process," the Scriptures
seem to indicate a final Israeli-Arab war which would yield the
rightful borders to the Land of Israel.
CHAPTER 5.
The question of the size of the "remnant" of Israel is
Scripturally defined as large. The destination of the road to
peace will be reached in the final harmony of Israel and the
Arabs when God's Kingdom is established on earth with Jerusalem
as its capital.
