Our daughter Annie has written an insightful article on modern Israel. She and her husband Michael live in the northern Galilee region.
She has found that the land itself speaks of the Messiah in different ways. Of course the world and even much of the church have turned against the nation of Israel. 'Replacement theology' is the view held by many Christians today and taught in many seminaries and churches. That is the teaching that the church has replaced Israel; we are the new Israel; God is finished with the Jews; we get all the promised blessings; the Jews get the curses.
The media piles in and gives Israel a regular drubbing, never mentioning all the good they do (including for the Arabs living there), but jumping on any action they take to defend themselves. Israel is always portrayed as the big baddie, bullying the poor Palestinians. The truth is far from that. It is Islam itself that keeps the people poor and oppressed.
The anti-Israel, anti-Semitic brainwashing has done its evil work. I (Pat) seldom see fruit from Israel for sale in the supermarkets. I always look, and always buy if there is any. I used to see tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit...but I haven't seen any for quite a while. If a store does stock some, there may well be protests from customers.
The Church of England (Anglican) has a major pension fund which has a policy of not investing in any company which deals or even sells their goods to Israel! Hey guys! Have you been there? Do you know Arabs are allowed to live and worship and even be in the government there? It is the only truly free country in the whole of the Middle East! And you are trying to damage them!
As for God being finished with the Jewish people, no way! Please read Romans chapter 11. Verse 2: 'God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.' Verse 18: 'Do not be arrogant toward the branches (the Jews).' Verse 25-26 Paul reveals here: '...a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved...' ALL ISRAEL! All the Jews alive at that time, the end of the Great Tribulation (as we know from other scriptures). Verse 29: '...for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.'
Annie in her article makes the point that the Lord is coming back again, and the place He is coming back to is His land, the land of Israel. We believers will be there and Annie makes the sobering observation that some believers are going to be full of shame that day, because they have opposed Israel and had not one kind word for the nation or its people. Jesus is a Jew, you know!
But read for yourself. Her article is on their Israelunique website, which sells goods made by Israeli Christians and also the beautiful guitar praise CD by Michael, as well as excellent books. The link is:
http://www.israelunique.com/articles/Other/thoughts-on-modern-israel.htm
