While Israel may judge itself in these respects, we must ask whether America is acting righteously in supporting such actions. Our righteous conduct as a nation must include blessing (Genesis12: 3) and comforting (Isaiah 40:1) Israel. If we help Israel thwart the will of God, however, it will not serve to bless or comfort Israel--or us--ultimately.
Scripture makes clear that God has given the Land of Israel to the Jewish people--and the Bible defines the boundaries of that land (Numbers 34: 1-15) to include Gaza and what we call today the West Bank. The deed to that land is a promise from God that the land belongs to Israel, the Jewish people, and them alone. But, in II Corinthians 1:20, we are told, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us," meaning that the promises of God are not automatic. We must appropriate them to ourselves. In this case, the "us" refers to the people of the Land of Israel. The Jewish people of the Land of Israel must obtain, possess, and occupy their promised inheritance.
Elsewhere in scripture, Proverbs 29:18 conveys the profound truth that "without a vision, the people perish." A large proportion of the Jewish leaders whom we encounter do not have a vision for Israel. For some reason, they cannot see themselves in the will of God, entitled to the land biblically, historically, and legally.
Some 15 years ago, we asked Ariel Sharon, a man whom we believed was committed deeply to possessing the land of Israel and settling it fully: "What makes you different from other Israeli leaders?" He responded, "I have never allowed myself to disconnect from my people, my land, heritage, my destiny, and my inheritance as a Jew." Today Prime Minister Sharon appears to have disconnected, as evidenced by the evacuation of Gaza and part of Samaria. But let's consider the spiritual side of this political decision: May one grant oneself permission to disconnect from the will of God? The answer, of course, is no, for if we do, we will not fare well.
On the other hand, we believe that an exciting parallel for Israel, despite its apparent lack of a clear vision, is found in the Book of Job, where Satan misjudges and underestimates Job. Similarly, regarding Israel today, we may ask whether Satan also is wrongly judging the Jewish people. In the Book of Job, Satan was certain that Job would acquiesce, capitulate, curse, and turn away from God--but Satan was mistaken. Although Job suffered the loss of family, home, and children, as well as terrible bodily affliction, he never lost faith in God or cursed God. In the end God restored to Job four times what he had in the beginning.
The Lord told me: "This shall not stand!"
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U.S. support for the surrender of the Land of Israel represents our own disconnection from our spiritual heritage; our disconnection from the will of God for the Jewish people and our disconnection from our own Judeo-Christian heritage. Hence, all in Christendom should be prepared to understand that every one of us on planet Earth is affected by such a surrender, because, as it goes for Israel, so shall it go for the rest of the world, as the philosopher Eric Hoffer, observed. Others have said Israel is like the canary in the coal mine in times past; if Israel cannot survive and be treated fairly despite its best efforts, can we and other free nations continue much longer?
Recognizing we are enmeshed in a worldwide war on terror, all Americans--and especially our leaders--must decide to confront terrorists forcefully and defeat them wherever they may be found. According to Proverbs 22:3, "A wise man sees the evil to come and avoids it," a position Americans appreciate. We must ensure that our members of the House of Representatives, senators and the White House prepare our defenses to combat the terrorists coming from Gaza. Such terrorism is predicted to increase after an Israeli withdrawal.
There seems to be a veil, however, over the eyes of our government leaders. For reasons of political expediency, the U.S. seems prepared to treat such terrorists as Hamas, which will rule Gaza after Israel withdraws, differently than we treat terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, London, or America. Instead of the apparent blindness we see today, we are calling on American leaders to hold up a banner of truth and proclaim freedom for Israel from any U.S. pressure. Israel must be encouraged, especially by those of us who love Israel, to trust HaShem (the almighty), not Uncle Sam, if it is to be free.
Finally, I believe the Lord has told me regarding the Gaza Plan, "This shall not stand!" Now I am asking what exactly this means. For many reasons--including the fact that God has historically often turned Israel's enemies against each other--there is a real possibility that the final steps of the disengagement, the disconnection, will be delayed, deferred, or dropped completely. Does this mean that Israel will not complete the withdrawal it has just begun or that the Israelis will evacuate but Israel will return, sooner or later, to Gaza? Only time will tell, but we are bringing to our leaders the warnings of the anticipated dire consequences of any Gaza retreat to vital U.S. national security interests, to the war on terror, and to U.S.-Israel relations. It still is not too late for Israel's leaders--and our own--to wake up and recognize "the evil to come" in Gaza and act to avoid it by deciding to defer, delay, or defeat the Gaza retreat!
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