Middle East Myths “THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH”

Middle East Myths

“THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH”

An excited crowd of 5,000 Christian Zionists attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem leaped to their feet with thunderous applause when former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked them to join Israel in the battle for truth. Unfortunately, Israel has been losing the battle for truth to Arab propaganda that is expert in turning Arab fantasies into facts and Israeli facts into fantasies.

A once proud Israel has become weakened by Arab propaganda, internal dissension and, in desperate longings for peace, a willingness to appease their enemies. Bitain followed the same policy of trying to bring peace to the Middle East by appeasing intimidation and terror. From the wisdom of someone who knows, Winston Churchill would caution us that "acts of appeasement today will have to be remedied at far greater cost and remorse tomorrow."

A strong, secure Israel is in the national interest of the United States politically, militarily, economically, socially, and spiritually. It is important politically as Israel is the only democratic state in the Middle East. It is important militarily as a front line defense against radical Islamic fundamentalism. It is important economically because a strong Israel deters Arab aggression which stabilizes oil prices. It is important socially as it shares our values of freedom and the sanctity of human life. It is important spiritually in regard to Judeo-Christian ethics that serve as the foundation of Western culture.

If Israel succumbs to radical, Islamic fundamentalism, American Judeo-Christian culture, synagogues and churches will be threatened. Today, it's Joseph's tomb that is desecrated. Tomorrow, it's our synagogues and churches. For these reasons, it is important that America stand for a strong, secure Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital.

American citizens, both Jews and Christians, need to enlist as soldiers in the battle for truth regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. This conflict is spiritual in nature, and the final outcome is clear. The God of the Bible made an everlasting covenant with the Jewish people, and He is a faithful covenant-keeping God (Genesis 17). Yet, a famous passage in the Bible says to "pray for [actively seek the peace of] Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6).

Christian and Jewish supporters of Israel are not anti-Arab. The battle for truth is not against the Arab people. God loves all people the same, but He has different plans and purposes for different people groups. The root cause of the conflict in the Middle East is due to the fact that radical Islamic Arab leaders are seeking to establish and extend themselves beyond the limits God has set for them. When they recognize God's divine order for Israel and the nations, there will be peace.

David Ben-Gurion expressed the motivation and expectation for joining this battle for truth in his statement on November 29, 1947 regarding the United Nations partition of Palestine. He said, "I know that God promised all of Palestine to the children of Israel. I do not know what borders He set. I believe they are wider than the ones proposed. If God will keep His promise in His own time, our business as poor humans who live in a difficult age is to save as much as we can of the remnants of Israel."

British military officer Captain Orde Wingate played an important role in the establishment of the state of Israel. When asked by his Jewish friends why he supported them, he said, "There is only one important book on the subject, the Bible, and I have read it thoroughly. This is the cause of your survival. I count it as my privilege to help you fight your battle. To that purpose I want to devote my life … I shall fight with you against any of these influences. But remember that it is your battle. My part, which I say I feel to be a privilege, is only to help you."

As "people of the Book," Jews and Christians must look to the Bible as the standard of truth regarding this conflict. And the Bible clearly promises the land to the Jewish people with Jerusalem as their eternal and undivided capital. If one reads the Bible for the plain sense of its meaning, there is no way to misunderstand what it says. We can be confident that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will keep His promise in His own time and way to save the remnant of Israel. Until then, Jews and Christians must join the army of the battle for truth.

index
Bible Teaching Article
Binding and Loosing
The Golden Vine
The Hem of His Garment
The Reed and the Oak
Haym Saloman
Why Christians Should Learn-Part One
Why Christians Should Learn-Part Two
The Myth of Palestine
The Myth of Al Quds
The Myth of Arab Refugees
The Myth of Moslem Tolerance
The Myth of Yasser Arafat
THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH