The promised land

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and everything in them including man (Gen 1-2). He made a covenant with Adam which he failed to keep (Gen 3). However, God had already made a redemptive plan for man (Jn 17:5 & 24, 1Cor 2:7, Eph 1:4, 2Tim 1:9, Titus 1:2, 1Pet 1:20). This plan would be revealed in stages through time. There is a general pattern in the Bible of God making a covenant, man failing to keep it which caused judgment, and the instituting of a new covenant. After the flood God made a covenant with Noah and by extension to all of mankind (Gen 9). After God judged the people at the tower of Babel (Gen 11), God chose one man to begin the next phase of this plan. His name was originally Abram, but God later changed it to Abraham (Gen 12-17). He was the man that God started the nation of Israel through. Part of God's covenant with Abraham was that his descendants would be given the land that was occupied by the Canaanites, which was a broad word for the different groups that were there in the land called Canaan at that time. About 400 years later God confirmed this promise through the covenant He made with the Israelites called the law of Moses (Ex 3-Deut 34). The borders of the land were specifically described many times in the Bible. Some people call the Israelite conquest of the land genocide. For a more thorough examination of this issue, you can read the article "The Nations That Were Left" on this website. One point on that to consider here is the selective nature of this accusation. They never make this allegation against almost any other land or people, even though the history of man is riddled with examples of conquest. It is noteworthy that this accusation is most often leveled against the Europeans that migrated to the "New World" and the Jews, but almost never against anyone else or any actual example of genocide.

The accusation of genocide is currently being hurled at modern Israel. Let us look at the recent past and the present with facts and not rhetoric to see if this is accurate. It should be noted that there has never been a specific nation called Palestine in all of history. The word is used 8 times in the Bible to generally refer to a geographical area and not a specific nation (Ex 15:14, Ps 60:8, Ps 83:7, Ps 87:4, Ps 108:9, Is 14:29 & 31, Joel 3:4). The Hebrew word is pelesheth, According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, this word means "rolling, i.e. migratory; Pelesheth, a region of Syria:—Palestina, Palestine, Philistia, Philistines". According to the Brown, Driver, and Briggs Lexicon, it means "proper name of aa territory, Philistia". According to Genesius' Hebrew Lexicon, it means the land of wanderers, strangers, of a region on the southern shores of Syria, to the south and west of Canaan, called by Josephus a name which he afterwards uses for the whole land of the Israelites. In 4 of the 8 verses cited above it is translated Philistia or Philistines. Therefore, although this word is used to refer to a general geographical area, it is only used to describe one specific group of people - the Philistines. They lived in the area now called Gaza after the name of one of their cities. According to Webster's Dictionary, "The original Philistines were a people who occupied the southern coast of Palestine more than 3,000 years ago" and were enemies of the Israelites. According to an article on Wikipedia, they were "ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia". They lived in the area now called the Gaza Strip. Gaza was also one of the cities of the Philistines. This area changed hands several times between Israel and the Philistines. It was part of the conquest by Joshua (Josh 10:41, Josh 11:22-23, Josh 15:47, Jud 1:18, 1Chr 7:28). By the time of Samson, the Philistines had regained control (Jud 16:1 & 21). In the time of Amos around 780 BC, it was in control of the Philistines (Amos 1:1-8). It was taken back by Hezekiah around 700 BC (2Ki 18:8). At the time of Jeremiah about 600 BC it was in the control of the Philistines again (Jer 47:1 & 5). Zephaniah prophesied around 630 BC that the Philistines would be judged and that Israel would reinhabit the area (Zeph 2:3-8). Zechariah also made a similar prophecy around 500 BC (Zech 9:5-7).

Some historians think there may be evidence that the Philistines were descendants of a people called the Sea People. This Wikipedia article states, "There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philistines originated from a Greek immigrant group from the Aegean. The immigrant group settled in Canaan around 1175 BC, during the Late Bronze Age collapse. Over time, they intermixed with the indigenous Canaanite societies and assimilated elements from them, while preserving their own unique culture."

Another area of contention is the Golan Heights in the northeast of the area. God commanded that there were to be 6 cities in Israel where someone who accidentally killed someone could flee for refuge (Num 35, Josh 20-21). One of those cities was Golan, which was in the area formerly controlled by Og the king of Bashan, but it was conquered by Israel when Og attacked them without provocation (Num 21:33-35). This land was just east of the Jordan River, and it was given to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh 13:30-31). It was never part of the land of the Philistines. Lebanon and east of the Jordan River to the Euphrates River were originally part of t he promised land (Gen 15:18, Deut 1:7, Deut 11:24, Josh 1:4, Josh 9:1, Josh 11:17, Josh 12:7, Josh 13:5-6). The West bank was Israelite land after the conquest by Joshua in the Old Testament and belonged to several of the northern tribes.

It is worth learning about the history of the Philistines to get some insight to who the Bible is referring to. The earliest Biblical reference to them in Genesis 10:14, which states that they came from the Casluhim. According to Strong and Gesenius, they were a people derived from the Egyptians. They in turn were descendants of Mizraim (Gen 10:13). Strong, Brown-Driver-Briggs, and Gesenius all say this means Egypt. The Philistines are referred to several times in Genesis during the lives of Abraham (Gen 21) and Isaac (Gen 26). The next references to the Philistines are after the Exodus (Ex 13:17, Ex 15:14 , Ex 23:31). They are mentioned during the conquest of Canaan (Josh 13:2-3), during the time of the judges and kings to as late as king Ahab (2Chr 28:16-19), and by some of the prophets such as Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. This brings the timeline to near the close of the Old Testament around 500-450 BC. According to the Wikipedia article mentioned above, "In 604 BC, the Philistines, who had been under the rule of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC), were ultimately vanquished by King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Much like the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Philistines lost their autonomy by the end of the Iron Age, becoming vassals to the Assyrians, Egyptians, and later Babylonians. Historical sources suggest that Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Ashkelon and Ekron due to the Philistines' rebellion, leading to the exile of many Philistines, who gradually lost their distinct identity in Babylonia. By the late fifth century BC, the Philistines no longer appear as a distinct group in historical or archaeological records, though the extent of their assimilation remains subject to debate." Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson has written a fascinating book called "Traced" in which he presents a very different view of human history based on genetics instead of the more common view.

As far as the Israelites during the later Old Testament period, the northern 10 tribes were conquered by Assyria around 733 BC (2Ki 17), and the southern two tribes were conquered by Babylon around 600 BC with the final assault in 583 BC. The Assyrians would use displacement as part of their strategy. The Israelites that remained mingled with displaced Gentiles and were later called Samaritans. The Babylonians allowed some Jews to remain in the land while they took others captive to Babylon. 70 years later, the Medo-Persians conquered Babylon and allowed the captive Jews to return to their homeland (Lev 25:34 & 43, 2Chr 36:32-33, Ezra 1, Is 44:28-45:1, Jer 25:11-12, Jer 29:10, Dan 9:2). Later, the Greeks under Alexander expanded into an empire, and after them the Romans (Dan 2, Dan 7, Dan 8). However, the Jews continued to live in their homeland through the period between the Old and New Testaments. After the Romans conquered the land, the Jews attempted several rebellions under the Maccabees.

At the beginning of the New Testament, the Jews obviously lived in their homeland. Because of their rejection and murder of their Messiah, Jesus Christ, they would be conquered by the Romans in 70 AD (Mt 21:33-46, Mt 23:37-39, Lk 21:24). They attempted to revolt but eventually they were by and large driven from their homeland. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The Jews continued to live there and attempted 3 more revolts against Rome. The Romans sought to crush all pockets of Jewish resistance. Almost 1,000 Jews fled to the mountaintop fortress called Masada, which is surrounded by cliffs. After a long seige, the Romans began building a ramp to the top which can still be seen today. The Jews opted for death over surrender. The main concentration Jews eventually became more centralized in Galilee which is northern Israel, and they also spread out into the world.

Although after that there was no state of Israel, Jews lived there off and on in varying amounts throughout the centuries. Also, there was no other state established there either. This period is called the diaspora. The geographic area came to be called the Levant or Palestine. The Romans purposely called it Palestine as an insult to Jews because it means Philistine. During the Crusades between Catholics and Muslims in the middle ages, Jews were present. King Baldwin, Saladin, and Richard the Lionheart, are some of the famed participants. When Sulemain led the rise of the Ottoman Empire, he led many architectural projects including the building of the walls of Jerusalem. Britain conquered the Ottomans in World War 1 and took control of the area. Although there were Jews already living there, a migration of Jews back to their homeland began in the late 1800s and surged in the early 20th Century. Several million Jews returned from all over the world but mostly from eastern Europe and Russia. More recently many Jews have returned from Africa as well. This continues now. This is called Aliyah, which means ascent, because Israel is a hilly land and Jerusalem sets on a hill.

Then one of the most historic events for Jews in the last 2,000 years occurred. After World War 2, Israel was declared an independent state on May 14, 1948. Here some important facts and dates regarding the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

      1. There has been 3,000 years of continuous Jewish presence.

      2. When Rome conquered in A.D. 70, they renamed the area Palestine after the Philistines.

          Until 1948, the terms Palestine and Palestinian referred to Jews.

      3. Jerusalem was never a capital during Muslim control. It was an outpost in a province. The

          only time Israel was ever home to one nation was for the Jews.

      4. Arabs did not use the word Palestine until the 20th century.

      5. There has been no such nation ever called Palestine.

      6. In the 1860s, there was a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.

      7. Between 1878 and 1914, Jews bought deserted undeveloped land from absentee Arab

          land owners at high prices.

      8. After WWI, the Ottoman empire fell, and Israel fell under British control.

      9. In the 1917 Balfour Declaration , Britain recognized Jewish communities and promoted

the idea of a homeland for Jews.

      10. At the1920 San Remo Conference, international law recognized the British policy.

      11. Trans-Jordan was established east of the Jordan River on land which was once the home

of 2.5 tribes of Israel (Num 21:21-32, Num 32). It was supposed to be given to Israel in a

partition plan.

      12. Grand Mufti Mohammed Amin al-Husseini was mayor of Jerusalem from 1921-1937. He

led a revolt against Britain and fled to Nazi Germany.

      13. In 1922, the League of Nations instructed facilitation of Jewish immigration. This was

called the British mandate)

      14. In the 1920s-1940s, Jews continued to rebuild the land and re-establish their culture and

industry. 100,000 Arabs living there benefitted from Jewish industry, and were welcome.

         a. Muslim infant mortality rate was cut in half from 1925-1945.

         b. Muslim life expectancy rose from 37 in 1926 to 49 in 1943.

     c. Returning Jews bought their land at inflated prices and the land was unwanted desert or

             swamp.

      15. In the1937 Peel Commission, peace with Israel and Arabs by partition was negotiated

with only 20% of land going to the Jews. The Arabs rejected it and attacked. The Grand

Mufti opposed the proposal and made a concordat with Hitler against the Jews.

      16. In 1936-1939, the Nazis supported Arab attacks on Jews.

      17. In 1882-1939, over 400,000 Jews immigrated to Israel, mostly from Russia and Poland,

to escape persecution and poverty and to build  their homeland

      18. In 1947, the U.N. proposed a partition with Palestinians wherein Israel would get only 13

percent of the land, 60% of which is desert. Britain gives in to the UN.  Palestinians

refused it and instead attacked attempting to destroy Israel.

      19. In 1948, Israel was given independence and 5 nations (Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Trans Jordan,

and Egypt) went to war with them within hours. Israel won and gained land.

         a. Several hundred thousand Arabs voluntarily left, although welcome to stay, and became

             “refugees” unwelcome in neighbor Arab nations who had told them to flee the war

             because they assumed they would win. The Arab countries who encouraged them to

leave refused to let them integrate in their lands and made refugee camps for them. The

Palestinian Authority has received billions from the U.N. and even Israel, but they have

not used the money to help the people. They want them to suffer so they can use them

politically.

         b. Arab nations refused to recognize or negotiate with Israel.

c. Over 850,000 Jews were driven out of Muslim lands between 1948 and 1954.

d. 160,000 Arabs accepted Israel’s invitation in 1948 to become citizens. 3 were elected to

             the Knesset.

e. Egypt took control of Gaza, oppressed Palestinians, and opposed a 2 state solution.

         f. Jordan took the West Bank and opposed a 2 state solution.

g. Israel has provided Gaza with food, electric, jobs, clean water, and security until Hamas

             drove out the Palestinian Authority in 2005.

      20. In 1967 there was the 6 day war with 4 nations. Israel won and Arabs refused to

negotiate.

         a. Israel took land won in war defending itself that the Palestinians did not claim before.

         b. Israel repeatedly tried to end the occupation but they refused to negotiate. Israel still built

             them infrastructure, gave them freedom of movement and medical and educational

             facilities. The West Bank was the fourth fastest growing economy in the 1970’s. Per

capita income rose 80%, unemployment dropped to 2%, and the number of school kids

went up 102%.

      21. In 1973, Syria and Egypt were defeated in the Yom Kippur War.

      22. Muslims attacked Israel in 3 major wars (and innumerable terror attacks) in 1948, 1967,

            and1973. They lost all 3 wars and lost land in each.  The winners – Israel - have

repeatedly given won land back (Gaza, West Bank, Golan Heights, Sinai Peninsula, parts

of Egypt and Syria, and Jordan)

      23. In 1979, Israel ceded the entire Sinai Peninsula captured in the 6 day war.

      24. In the 1993 Oslo Accord, Israel gave control to the Palestinian Authority.

      25. In 2000, Israel withdrew from Lebanon, and the West Bank and Gaza in 2005, Despite

this, continuous assaults have been made from those places including 15,000 rockets

from the West Bank toward civilians. Israel gave them their towns and infrastructure.

      26. In 2000, Yasser Arafat rejected the Camp David proposals and began terror attacks.

      27. In 2005, Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians. Hamas immediately drove out the

Palestinian Authority and began terrorism from there to Israel. The Hamas Charter

clearly states that its goal is the annihilation of Israel and Jews. That is the meaning of

the phrase "From the river to the Sea" - from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

28. All offers of a 2 state solution have been rejected by Muslims and instead they responded

with terrorism and war (1920, 1937, 1948, 1967, 1993, 2000, 2005, 2008).

The above Biblical and other history cannot be legitimately denied. The Koran approves of the Bible, so denying the Bible would logically mean that the Koran is also wrong. This is called the Islamic Dilemma:

      1. Surah 3:4, 6:34 &114-115, 10:64 & 94, and 18:27 state that none can change Allah’s words.

      2. Surah 2:136 says, "Say ye: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to

          Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that

         given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of

         them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).” Also see Surah 3:2-3, 10:37, 29:46.

      3. Surah 5:46-47 say the Torah and Gospel give guidance and light and confirming what was

          revealed in the Torah Let the followers of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed

          therein, and those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are the defiant and

          disobedient.

      4. Surah 5:68 says “Say, "O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you

          uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your

          Lord." And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many

          of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.”

      5. Surah 7:157 states “˹They are˺ the ones who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet,

          whose description they find in their Torah and the Gospel.1 He commands them to do

          good and forbids them from evil, permits for them what is lawful and forbids to them what

          is impure, and relieves them from their burdens and the shackles that bound them. ˹Only˺

          those who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light sent down to him

          will be successful.”

      6. Surah 10:94 says "So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have

revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you."

      7. According to Surah 19:23-33, Surah 42:13, Jesus is a prophet of Islam.

      8. Surah 21:7 states "And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We

revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know."

      9. Surah 21:105 says "And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the

(previous) mention that the land [of Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants." This

is a quote from Psalm 37:29.

      10. Surah 29:46 states "And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way

that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, "We believe in

that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one;

and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

      11. Jesus and Islam

         a. According to Surah 3:55, Christians are superior to unbelievers.

         b. According to Surah 3:52, Surah 5:111, Jesus converted people to Islam.

         c. According to Surah 19:23-33, Surah 42:13, Jesus was a prophet of Islam.

         d. There is no early record of “Christian Muslims”.

         e. Islam didn’t start until after 600 AD.

      12. So, if the Bible is true, then the Koran is false. If the Bible is false, so is the Koran.

Surah 69:44-46 says “And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We

would have seized him by the right hand; Then We would have cut from him the aorta.”

      1. If Mohammed died like this, then he was a false prophet.

      2. If Mohammed died like this, then he was not carried off to heaven.

Mecca vs. Medina – Mohammed started in Mecca with a few followers. Their numbers grew

after moving to Medina and there were enough to form an army. After this Islam spread though conquest and violence. Is Islam a religion of peace?

   1. Jihad means struggle. So does mien kampf.

   2. 60% of verses in the Koran are about jihad.

    3. Mohammed led 27 battles, and sent his army on 47 more.

    4. Mosques are used to incite, train for, plan, and equip terror.

   5. They chant "death to America and Israel".

   6. There have been over 10,000 small and large scale terror attacks by Muslims.

   7. Children are indoctrinated in schools, trained with weapons, and are used on missions.

8. There are over 1 billion Muslims.10-15% support terror and jihad. That's 150 million. Many

     more hate America and Israel

   9. Muslims routinely kill other Muslims for not being radical enough (Iraq, Hotel

      Rwanda, Mogadishu, Darfur, Sunni vs. Shiite).

   10. Radical Muslims promote regime change and assassination in Muslim governments

        they deem not radical enough (Egypt, Saudi Arabia).

The Koran teaches what is called Taqiyya (Surah 3:28):

     1. Surah 2:173 – “He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and

         that which has been dedicated to other than Allah . But whoever is forced [by necessity],

         neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah

         is Forgiving and Merciful.

     2. Surah 2:191 – “Kill them wherever you come upon them1 and drive them out of the

         places from which they have driven you out. For persecution2 is far worse than killing.

         And do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they attack you there. If they do so,

         then fight them—that is the reward of the disbelievers.”

     3. Surah 3:28 – “The believers may not take the unbelievers for their allies in preference to

         those who believe. Whoever does this has nothing to do with Allah unless he does so in

         order to protect himself from their wrong-doing. Allah warns you to beware of Him for

         it is to Allah that you will return.”

     4. Surah 3:151 – “We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they

         have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their

         refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.

     5. Surah 9:1 – “˹This is˺ a discharge from all obligations,1 by Allah and His Messenger, to

         the polytheists you ˹believers˺ have entered into treaties with:"

     6. Surah 9:3 – “And an announcement from Allah and His Apostle, to the people

        (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage—that Allah and His Apostle dissolve

        (treaty) obligations with the Pagans. If then, ye repent, it were best for you; but if ye turn

        away, know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those

        who reject Faith.”

     7. Surah 60:4 – “There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those

         with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and

         from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has

         appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah

         alone" except for the saying of Abraham to his father, "I will surely ask forgiveness for

         you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You

         we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination. 

Israel has been a blessing to the world, even to their enemies, because of God's covenant with them. Modern Israel:

      1. Was re-born May 14, 1948

      2. Is 1/625 size of the Arab world

      3. Has about 8 million Jews out of 10 million, 370 million Arabs in middle east

      4. Has the only thriving Christian population in middle east

      5. Is the only democratic ally in middle east

      6. Has the world’s highest ratio of scientists

      7. Is the third highest in patents and entrepreneurship

      8. Has the highest concentration of high tech companies in the world

      9. Has the third highest number of NASDAQ companies

      10. Is a world leader in computer tech

Israel has given the world its 2 greatest gifts:

      1. The Messiah

         a. Mt 15:24-26 – not sent but to the lost sheep, children’s bread

         b. Jn 1:11 – He came unto His own

         c. Jn 4:22 – salvation is of the Jews

         d. Rom 15:8 - Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to

             confirm the promises made unto the fathers

      2. The Bible

         a. Acts 10:36, Acts 13:26 – word sent to Israel

         b. Rom 3:1-2 – what advantage? Much every way, unto them committed oracles

   3. The spiritual legacy of Abraham

      a. Romans 4

         1. vs 12 & 16 – father to all who walk in that faith

          2. vs 17-18 – father of many nations (not just literal but spiritual)

      b. Galatians 3

         1. vs 7 – they of faith children of Abraham

          2. vs 8 - preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be

           blessed

         3. vs 9 - they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham

          4. vs 14 - the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that

             we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

          5. vs 16 - to thy seed, which is Christ

         6. vs 29 - if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise

4. Not all circumcised in the flesh are Jews (Mt 8:11, Lk 3:8, Jn 8:39, Rom 2:25-29, Rom 4:9-

12, Rom 9:7, 1Cor 7:19, Gal 5:6, Gal 6:15, Phil 3:3, Col 2:11, Col 3:11)

Israel still has a place in God's prophetic plan in the future:

   1. Isaiah 11:6-10

   2. Daniel 9:24-27

     3. Zechariah 14, Revelation 14:20, Revelation 16:16-19

4. Matthew 23:38, Luke 13:35 – house desolate, until time come

   5. Luke 21:24, Revelation 11:2 – city trodden until time of the Gentiles

   6. Romans 9-11