I was listening to a speaker recently talk about the great “Nakba” that happened in 1948. According to this man’s theology the nation of Israel is complete history and Israel has no future in God’s plan.
The Arabic word “nakba” means catastrophe. For Muslims around the world the establishment of the State of Israel was a huge blow to the supremacy of Islam. I’ve heard this over and over from Muslims through the years. The startling factor this time was that the man I heard speaking was not a Muslim but a Christian. He is an Arab Palestinian Christian and a minister of a Christian church.
This Palestinian Christian minister, who was speaking at the “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference, continued to speak about the glory of Palestine before the Jews declared a state in 1948 and the great extent of the prosperity of the Palestinian region. His facts were limited and his evidence was unconvincing to say the least.
Are the establishment of the State of Israel and the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel a great catastrophe or a prophecy fulfilled and a miracle of God?
In this week’s Torah Portion we read about the choice that is given to the nation of Israel as they are about to enter the Holy Land. They could either choose life or choose death. They could either choose prosperity or choose adversity. This choice was based on their obeying the Law of God and listening to His voice or forsaking both of these and choosing their own way. God had given a promise to the children of Israel; if they followed after God He would bless them and they would continue in the Land that He swore to their fathers; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 30:19-20).
The Land was a gift of God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob forever (Gen. 17:8. Amos 9:15).
The condition of the Land was also to be tied to the people of Israel. If they forsook the Lord and His covenant then the Israelites would be cast out of the Land and the Land would be plagued and unproductive (Deut. 29:22-28). If, however, the children of Israel would seek after God and return to Him then God promised to restore them to the Land, bless them in the Land, and bless the Land and make it productive (Deut. 30:1-10).
The Land of Israel and the Jewish people are signs of God to this world!
Deut. 29:24-28
This is an undeniable, biblical truth. The dwelling of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel in this day, after almost 2000 years of exile, can only be the fulfillment of biblical prophecy (Ezekiel 36:22-32).
I don’t believe that it is a slight misunderstanding to call the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel the “nakba.” It is a lie of Satan. In the Garden of Eden Satan gave Eve the wrong information to keep her and her husband from believing God’s plan. Satan uses the same tactics today. The Christian theological term that defines this belief in the “nakba” concerning Israel is “replacement theology.” Christians who believe in replacement theology believe that any future promise mentioned in the Bible concerning Israel and the Jewish people has been transferred to the Church and to Christians.
In contrast to belief in the “nakba” and replacement theology, the Bible clearly teaches future promises for both Israel and the Jewish people in this week’s Torah Portion and throughout the Bible. The Land of Israel, with Jerusalem at its center, is the glory of all Lands (Isaiah 62). God promises to elevate Jerusalem and to make this city a praise in all of the earth (Isaiah 62:7. Zechariah 14:9-11).
God also promises to show mercy to the Jewish people and bring them back to Himself (Zechariah 12:10). This fact is also confirmed in the New Testament where Paul states “my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation” (Romans 10:1). Paul continues in Romans chapter ten and quotes from this week’s Torah Portion exclaiming that the righteousness that God desires is by faith in His Word (Romans 10:5-8. Deut. 30:11-14). Later in chapter eleven Paul also declares, “all Israel will be saved,” referring specifically to the Jewish people (Romans 11:26) and Paul confirms this by saying, “from the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
God will fulfill His Word concerning the Land and the people of Israel!
Shabbat Shalom!
* To listen to the full speech of the Palestinian Christian minister, which defines clearly replacement theology, click here
Torah Reading: Deut. 29:10 – Deut. 31:30
Haftarah Reading: Isaiah 55:6 – 56:8
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