Craig Franklin:
One should not make the mistake to think that the war between Israel and Hamas will be over soon. This “war” has been going on for thousands of years and it will not be settled until Jesus makes his return. At that moment, all of the world will know that Israel truly is God’s chosen people.
Many, from the national media all the way down to local social media warriors, don’t understand the long-term hostility that the Jews and most Muslims/Arabs have for one another. The truth is, this is a spiritual issue that began with Abraham. If you don’t think a father’s bad choices have generational impacts then you obviously haven’t read the story of Abraham’s disobedience to God which has resulted in this hostility that continues today.
The hatred, animosity, dislike and distrust between the two people groups is a direct result of Abraham, who, being promised by God to have a male child, an heir, that would not only be the father of millions but also eventually be in the lineage of the Messiah, decided to take matters into his own hands when at an old age he determined that God possibly needed help to fulfil his promise.
He and his wife, Sarai, had the idea to help the plot along by having Sarai’s servant, Hagar, provide a fertile womb for Abraham’s heir; since Abraham and Sarai were old, Abraham being 86. The entire account is recorded in the book of Genesis, chapters 15-18 and then continues in chapter 21.
The son that was born of Hagar in the disobedient act by Abraham and Sarai was named Ishmael and all of the factors involved became the root cause of the generational hostility between the two sons of Abraham.
Years after Ishmael’s birth, God did fulfil his promise by providing a son, Isaac, to Abraham, who was 100 at the time, and Sarah, who was 90.
As a result, the Jews are descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac and the Arabs are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. With Ishmael being the son of a slave woman and Isaac being the promised son who would inherit the blessings of Abraham, obviously there would be some animosity between the two. As a result of Ishmael’s mocking Isaac later in their lives, Sarah talked Abraham into sending Hagar and Ishmael away. Likely, this caused even more contempt in Ishmael’s heart toward Isaac. An angel told Hagar that Ishmael would be the father of a great nation and, interestingly, that Ishmael would be “a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers”.
If you have ever heard a preacher or someone say the phrase, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” this is to make the distinction between the two sons. One acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and the other teaches that Jesus was just a prophet and not the Messiah.
The Arabs believe that Ishmael is the true, holy and rightful heir of Abraham and all the promises of God while the Jews believe that Isaac was. Because of the Arab’s beliefs, an entirely separate and totally different religion was founded which the majority of Muslims follow called Islam. Its teachings are based upon their holy book called the Qur’an.
The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael have been in conflict since around 2065 BC. There has never been a period of time when they weren’t in conflict and there never will be. The Trump presidential years was the closest they had come to a sustained peace in years but those who know the Bible knew that it would not last.
The reason is because this goes much deeper than the jealously of one son over another. This reaches deep into the spiritual as one realizes that this is ultimately a conflict between the forces of good and evil, God versus Satan, and God will allow Satan to use the descendants of Ishmael to accomplish his final goal that will be played out in epic proportions on the world stage.
This spiritual war is evident as we watch the various groups around the world take sides on this current Israel-Hamas war. Take a look at which groups are supporting Hamas and those who are supporting Israel.
I heard one commentary note the extreme irony last week as protests in New York saw the LGBTQ+ groups join with Hamas in celebrating the killing of innocents in Israel, actually justifying Hamas’ actions. Here is a group that if they were in a Hamas controlled territory they would be stoned to death or beheaded because of their sexual desires, yet, they are joining sides with this group in their hatred for Israel. This may be ironic to some but for those understanding this issue realize that evil, no matter its form, always sides with evil.
Yes folks, this is a spiritual war and according to the Bible, the good side will eventually win. Those who have read the back of the Bible know that when the final war is fought, it is Jesus himself who will strike the final blow and usher in a new world with true peace, anchored by the Prince of Peace himself.
But only those who have bowed their knee in complete surrender to Jesus Christ and believed in his atoning death on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead will be on the winning side.
If you have never done so, may I encourage you to consider this most important step today. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
It you have done that, then the Bible gives us clear instructions regarding the nation of Israel: ““Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” Psalm 122:6.