Israel

**Tom Keith** · 05-30-2005, 06:20 AM

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Antichrist<O:P></O:P>
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">One Israel or Two</H1>
About three thousand years ago, King Solomon ruled over the wealthiest and most powerful nation the world had ever seen. It was the Kingdom of Israel. Today a Jewish state calling itself “Israel” occupies only a fraction of King Solomon’s territory. Zionist Jews believe that they have a right to occupy and control all the land that once belonged to their ancestors. Many Christians agree with the Zionist Jews. They believe that modern Israel is a rebirth of ancient Israel and that all God’s promises and blessings intended for ancient Israel still apply. Those who hold this view are sometimes called Zionist Christians. If you are of that persuasion, please don’t be offended by the term. It is not our objective to be unkind to anyone, but only to search the scripture to see if the Zionist interpretation of prophecy is consistent with clear Bible teaching.
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Zionist Christians also believe the second coming of Christ will occur prior to a thousand year period of peace during which Jesus will live on earth, set up a throne in Jerusalem, and rule the world as King. Therefore, they see the existence of modern Israel as a part of God’s plan. They believe God will bless those who help Israel and punish those who don’t, but does the scripture support the Zionist position? Is modern Israel God’s chosen nation? Are Jews still God’s chosen people? Do Jews still have a God given right to the land once ruled by King Solomon? The Bible provides answers to these questions that may surprise you. First, let’s look briefly at what the Bible tells us about the history of ancient Israel.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">God’s Promise to Abraham</H1>
About four thousand years ago, a man named “Abram” found favor in God’s sight. His story begins in Genesis 11:27. Abram’s father moved the family from the city of Ur, located in what is now Iraq, and settled about 600 miles to the northwest in Haran (eastern Turkey). Genesis chapter 12 tells how God called Abram to leave his fathers clan behind and taking only his own household, travel from Haran to a land that God would show him. With this call God made the following promise to Abram, “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” A few verses later as Abram and his family reached the land of Canaan, God added to the promise, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7) At the time the promise was given, Abram had no children to whom the land could be given. He just obeyed God and accepted the promise through faith. Later, God changed Abram’s name to “Abraham” so that’s what we will call him from now on.
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It is important to understand the promise God made to Abraham because it is the key to understanding God’s relationship with and purpose for Israel. We will soon see how the distinct parts of the promise work together to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus and the establishment of his church. Following is a brief summary of the distinct parts of the promise:
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<LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" ="Msonormal">First, God said, “I will make you a great nation.” That part of the promise was fulfilled as Abraham’s descendents occupied the land that was promised and became known as “Israel”.
<LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" ="Msonormal">Next, God promised to bless and protect Abraham. We will see how that applied not only to Abraham as a person, but also to those who were his descendents according to the promise.
<LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" ="Msonormal">Then God promised, “All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” The New Testament makes it clear that this was a promise that Jesus would be Abraham’s descendent and that his death on the cross would bless all people by making salvation available to those who believed in Him. The Scripture will also show that the coming of Jesus is really the focal point of all the promise and the other parts were fulfilled to facilitate this one.
<LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" ="Msonormal">Finally, God promised, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Seven hundred years later God fulfilled that part of the promise when He gave the tribes of Israel all the land between the Mediterranean Sea and The Jordan River, and some land east of the Jordan River. </LI>[/list]
Now, let’s look at each part of the promise in detail.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">A Great Nation</H1>
At the time Abraham received the promise he had no children, but the promise was about his descendents. In Genesis 15 is an account of a conversation between Abraham and God. Abraham complained that God had given him no offspring. God told him to count the stars, if he could. Then God said, “So shall your offspring be.”
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When Abraham was about 85 years old, he and his wife became impatient waiting for God to give them a child, so they decided that Abraham would take a slave woman and try to have a son by her. Hagar, the slave woman and Abraham had a son and named him Ishmael. God did not accept Ishmael as an heir to the promise, and eventually he and his mother were driven away. Arabs believe that they are descendents of Ishmael, and there is some Biblical evidence that they are. Genesis 37:25 describes a caravan of merchants as Ishmaelites (descendants of Ishmael). The men bought Joseph, took him to Egypt, and sold him as a slave. There are reports of slave trade among Arabs even in modern times.
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Finally, when Abraham was 100 years old, his son Isaac was born to his wife Sarah. In Genesis 21:12 God told Abraham, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Isaac became Abraham’s heir, and Sarah insisted that Ishmael and his mother Hagar be driven away. This seems cruel, and we have to look in the New Testament to understand why God would approve of such a thing. We will get back to this point later.
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Genesis 24 begins the story of how Isaac grew up and had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God made a choice between them, rejecting Esau and choosing Jacob to be heir to the promise. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and he had twelve sons. Beginning in Genesis 37 we learn how the clan moved to Egypt because of a famine. The descendents of Jacob, usually referred to as the Children of Israel, were made slaves by the Egyptians and held there for 400 years. The Bible book of Exodus tells how the Children of Israel were freed from Egypt by Moses, and returned to the Promised Land to become the nation of Israel. Another 400 years passed before Israel reached the peak of its promised greatness under King Solomon. During most of that time, Israel had no king. Judges ruled Israel according to the law God had given them through Moses. When the Children of Israel rejected God as King and insisted on an earthly king God was displeased, but allowed it. (See I Samuel 8:1-9.) Saul was the first king to rule Israel, followed by David. When David died, his son Solomon became king, and Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity throughout his reign.

When King Solomon died, jealousy between his sons caused the kingdom to divide. The ten tribes in the northern part of the kingdom continued to be referred to as the Kingdom of Israel. They were ruled by a series of wicked tyrants. The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Syria about 722 years before Christ, and most of the population was carried away as slaves. They are sometimes called the ten lost tribes of Israel. A small remnant of the ten northern tribes lived in Samaria during the time of Christ, but had intermarried with pagans and lost their tribal identity.
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The Kingdom of Judah in the south survived until 586 BC when the Jews were taken captive by the Babylonians. In Leviticus 20:22 God told Moses that if the Jews did not keep His laws the land would vomit them out. They didn’t, and it did. The Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell how some of the Jews returned to Judea and resumed temple worship in Jerusalem. However, they continued to be ruled by pagan empires until the time of Christ. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Bless and Protect</H1>
In the second part of His promise to Abraham, God said, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.” There are many examples in Abraham’s life that show God’s faithfulness to this promise. He continued to bless Abraham’s offspring when they did right, but punished them when they sinned. Of course, the greatest of all sins is to reject Christ, and most of them did.
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Some believe that God’s promise to bless and protect still applies to Jews today. However, the New Testament does not agree with that position. The following passages show that Christians are now the heirs to those blessings because:
Faith in Jesus is a prerequisite to receiving the promised blessing (Galatians 3:9). “So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
One must belong to Christ is in order to be an heir of the promise made to Abraham (Galatians 3:29). “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Physical descendents of Abraham are no longer regarded as his offspring unless they are also Christians (Romans 9:8). “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
In a letter addressed to Christians, Peter told them, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” (I Peter 2:9). <O:P></O:P>
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When we discussed the conflict between Sarah and Hagar, we left an open question as to why God would tell Abraham to drive his firstborn son, Ishmael and his mother away from the family. To explain God’s approval of what seems to be an act of cruelty, it is important to understand that the entire Bible is Christ centered. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 2:2, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” However, Paul knew and taught much more than just the facts of Christ’s death. What Paul was telling the Corinthians was that he did not use his secular education, but taught only God’s will. God’s eternal plan for mankind and his relationship with us can be summed up in the statement, “Christ and him crucified.” Everything that was done in the Old Testament was to facilitate the coming of Jesus, and everything recorded in the New Testament is to proclaim the great salvation made possible by the blood of Christ.
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Now, back to Sarah and Hagar. The birth of Ishmael to the slave woman was not just Abraham’s doing. It was God’s plan so we in the Christian age could learn a lesson about God’s chosen people. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses this Old Testament story to prove that there is no value in being a physical descendent of Abraham. He said that Hagar represented the Old Covenant and the geographical Jerusalem (verse 25). Her offspring, Ishmael represents those born the ordinary way (the physical descendents of Abraham), and like Ishmael they are driven away. The free woman, Sarah represents the Jerusalem that is above, and her son, Isaac represents Christians, the children of promise (verse 28). Notice that Paul includes earthly Jerusalem as a part of what was driven away, but says that the heavenly Jerusalem is our mother. Paul reinforces this principal in Romans chapter 9. Notice verse 6 and 7, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendents are they Abraham’s children.” We have already looked at verse 8 that says, “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” Jews in the Christian age are not God’s chosen people unless they accept Jesus who came according to the promise.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Universal Blessing</H1>
The third part of the promise is the most important for Christians. God told Abraham, “All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” The New Testament tells us exactly what that means. See Galatians 3:7-8. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” Pay special attention to Paul’s explanation that this part of the promise was really a preview of the gospel of Christ. Also seeGalatians 3:16. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
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Under the Old Testament, Jews were set apart from Gentiles by circumcision. The surgery was such an important part of being Jewish that the term, “circumcision” is often used to describe being Jewish. Notice what Paul wrote to Gentile Christians in Ephesians 2:13 “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcised’ …. (H)ave been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The New Testament teaches us that in Christ there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Again we read in Galatians 6:15-16. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. The above passages say that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles under the New Testament system of faith. Both Jews and Gentiles can become Christians and enjoy the blessings of the promise. The only delineation is between Christians and non-Christians, and the blessings of peace and mercy flow to those who are the new creation, the church, the Israel of God.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Land Promise</H1>
Now that we understand that the promise was Christ centered, it will be easier to understand the land part. When Abraham arrived in the land of Canaan, God promised, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:4-7). God kept the land promise when the Children of Israel were led out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land through Moses and Joshua. Chapters 13 through 21 of the Book of Joshua tells how the land of Canaan was divided among the tribes of Israel as they defeated the pagan kings. However, Israel did not fully control the land until King David finally defeated all their enemies. His son King Solomon was then able to reign in peace over all of Israel.
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There is some confusion about a second land promise God made to Abraham. In Genesis 15:18, God promised to give Abraham’s descendents the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates River. That would include what is now Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq as well as some smaller Arab nations. Although Solomon did gain military control all the way to the Euphrates River, these lands were never a part of Israel. Did God fail to keep that promise? No. We have already discussed Ishmael, Abraham’s son by the slave woman. God promised to make him into a great nation also. That promise was made to both Abraham and Hagar in Genesis 21:13 and 18. God kept that promise, and the lands described in Genesis 15:18 are still occupied by Ishmael’s descendents, the Arabs. With that confusion being resolved, let’s get back to the land promise made to Abraham’s descendants that would come through his son, Isaac and his grandson, Jacob (Israel).
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We stated earlier that the promise of the coming of Jesus was the focus of all parts of God’s promise to Abraham. All other parts, including the land promise were made to facilitate the fulfillment of the promise concerning Jesus. What did the land promise have to do with the coming of Jesus? The answer is found in Leviticus 25. God’s law for Israel included a rather strange provision for the exchange of real estate. Actual title to the land always remained with the heirs of those to whom it was originally given. When people sold land, they were actually selling only the crops the land would produce before the next Year of Jubilee. Every fifty years, all land would be returned to the heirs of the original owners. When the Year of Jubilee came around, all a person had to do was prove his genealogy, and he could reclaim the land of his ancestors.
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It is easy to see why it was so important for Jews to maintain accurate birth records. Their wealth and the wealth of their heirs depended on it. Even when they were carried away as captives, they would keep records so they could reclaim their ancestral land when they or their descendents returned. Therefore, the genealogy of Jesus as presented in the first chapter of Matthew could be verified by the Jew’s own records. They proved that Jesus really was a legal descendent of King David as the prophets had said the messiah would be. After Matthew and Luke wrote their gospels, and the genealogies were verified, there was no further need for the temple records. That is why God allowed the Romans to destroy the temple and all its contents in AD 70. The key to understanding the Bible is to realize that Jesus is the central person in all Holy Scripture. When that fact is accepted, it is easy to understand that the purpose of the land promise was to force the Jews to keep accurate birth records so that Jesus could be proven to be a descendant of Abraham, and an heir to the throne of David. When that was done, the land promise had fulfilled its purpose and was no longer in force.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Restoring the Kingdom to Israel</H1>
Zionists Christians deny that the church is God’s kingdom, and do not believe Jesus has yet restored the kingdom. They believe that when Jesus returns he will establish his kingdom, and rule over it from Jerusalem for a thousand years. That’s why they feel so strongly about the survival of modern Israel. They believe modern Israel is a part of God’s plan for establishing his kingdom. However, the New Testament teaches that the kingdom has already been established, and it is the church. In Acts 1:6 the apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
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Jesus did not say he would not restore the kingdom. He just told them that it was not for them to know the exact date and time. The apostles were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came on them. In verse 5 he told them it would only be a few days. In answering their question about when he would restore the kingdom to Israel, Jesus made it clear that in a few days he would do so, and they would know it had happened when the Holy Spirit came on them. A few days passed, and on Pentecost the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles. According to the words of Jesus, that marked the time when the kingdom was restored to Israel. Not the old Israel made up of physical descendents of Abraham, but the new Israel made up of Christians who are Abraham’s descendents by faith. Before his crucifixion, Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus reigns over a spiritual kingdom, the church.
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So, who are the subjects of the restored Kingdom of Israel? Does one have to be a Jew to be a child of Abraham? It has already been noted that, “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Romans 9:8). We also noted earlier from Galatians 3:7-8. “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.” These passages prove that both Jews and Gentiles are regarded as Abraham’s offspring if they believe in Jesus and follow His teachings. Likewise, anyone who rejects Jesus does not qualify as Abraham’s descendent according to the promise, even if they are Jewish. In the restored Kingdom of Israel, it makes no difference whether one is a physical descendent of Abraham or not. As Jesus told Pilate, the restored Kingdom of Israel is a spiritual kingdom. The subjects of this spiritual kingdom are those who have become Abraham’s spiritual offspring by accepting Jesus. We have already looked at the illustration Paul gave us in Galatians 4:21-31 where he uses Hagar to represented geographical Jerusalem, and Sarah to represent the Jerusalem that is above. Earthly Jerusalem is a part of what was driven away, but the heavenly Jerusalem is our mother because that is where Jesus sits at God’s right hand and reigns over his kingdom. What then should be the attitude of Christians toward Jews? See Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”<O:P></O:P>
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In addition to the Bible passages already referenced, there are others that prove that Jesus established his kingdom in the first century. In Mark 9:1 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power.” If the kingdom has not yet been established, there would have to be some 2000 year old people still living. Paul told the Christians in Colosse, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” (Colossians 1:13) If the kingdom did not exist, how could the Christians at Colosse be in it?
<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Premillennialism</H1>
With so much Bible teaching to the contrary, why do some people believe that Jesus will return to earth and establish an earthly kingdom with its headquarters in Jerusalem? The idea comes from a prophecy in the book of Revelation. In a vision described in Revelation 20:4, the apostle John saw the souls of Christian martyrs who came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Some have interpreted that prophecy to mean that Jesus will return to earth before (pre) the thousand years (millennium) and establish a kingdom on earth. There are variations to the premillennial interpretation of prophesy, but the Zionist Christians believe that Jesus will reign over the restored Kingdom of Israel from Jerusalem for a thousand years. Some of the same scriptures that disprove the Zionist view tend to disprove premillennialism in general. So, is there an interpretation of Revelation 20 that is consistent with other scriptures, especially those from Mark 9 and Colossians 1?
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To answer that question, we must understand that much of the book of Revelation is written in symbolic language. Jesus is symbolized as a lamb and also as a warrior on a white horse with a sword in his mouth. Satan is symbolized as a dragon. We read of a beast with ten horns and seven heads that received authority from Satan and was worshiped. We read of a great prostitute who sits on many waters and seduces the kings of the earth. There are many examples in John’s visions where it is difficult know exactly what all the symbols mean.
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So, should we just give up and not try to understand those difficult passages? No. What we should do in studying scriptures that use symbolic language is to reject any interpretation that conflicts with another passage that is written in plane language. Look again at Revelation 20:4. It does not say that John saw Jesus reigning from Jerusalem, or that he was in Israel or even on earth. It does not say that all Christians will reign with Jesus for the thousand years, but that those who had been beheaded for preaching Jesus came to life and reigned with Christ. An interpretation that is reasonable and consistent with other scripture is that the thousand years are symbolic of a long but undetermined period of time. They symbolize a time when Jesus is in Heaven with the Christian martyrs, reigning over his spiritual kingdom, the church. That time is now!
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What about the statement that the devil will be bound during the thousand years? With all the evil in the world, can we say that the devil is bound now? Yes, by the resurrection of Christ. The strength of Satan is the mortality of man. If physical death is our final end, we might as well live selfish and sinful lives (I Corinthians 15:32), but the resurrection of Christ proved that there is a resurrection of the dead (I Corinthians 15:12). Our faith in the resurrection binds Satan and makes us want to live for Jesus who will judge us in the last day. Speaking of the last day, Revelation 20:3 tells us that the devil will be set free for a short time at the end of the thousand years. What will Satan do when he is set free?
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Revelation 20 verse 7 begins a description of the events of the Day of Judgment. Satan is set free and begins to gather the wicked together for battle, but the war between God and Satan is not carnal warfare; it is for the souls of men. The devil thinks he can claim victory because the number of wicked exceeds the number of righteous. His gloating is cut short when God kills the wicked with fire and casts the devil into hell. Then all the dead are raised to face judgment. In chapter 21, John is allowed a glimpse of Heaven where the righteous will spend eternity. Verse 8 of chapter 21 describes the eternal fate of the wicked. So, there will be a day of judgment when Christ will appear in the sky (Matthew 24:30-31), the dead will rise (I Thessalonians 4:16-18), the living righteous will be given a glorified body (I Corinthians 15:42-44), all will be judged (II Corinthians 5:10), the wicked will be cast into hell (II Thessalonians 1:5-10), the righteous will meet Jesus in the air and return to Heaven with him (I Thessalonians 4:17), and all material things will be destroyed (II Peter 3:8-10). All this will happen on the last day. This interpretation of Revelation chapters 20 and 21 is wholly consistent with the plain teaching of the passages shown above in parentheses and with the statement of Jesus in John 5:28-29, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
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From the Bible passages we have just observed, we must conclude that Jews no longer have a special relationship with God. Modern Israel is not God’s chosen nation. The Kingdom of Christ has already been established. Therefore, the existence of modern Israel is not critical to God’s eternal plan.
<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">History of Modern Israel</H1>
For 400 years prior to World War I, Turkey’s Ottoman Empire controlled a large part of the Arab world, including Palestine. During WW I, Turkey was defeated along with Germany, and Palestine was mandated to Great Britain. In 1923 the British divided Palestine into two districts using the Jordan River as a boundary. Territory west of the Jordan was to be a homeland for the Jews who began immigrating in large numbers about 40 years before that. The British tried to maintain order but the Jews and Arabs were constantly fighting, and eventually the Jews began trying to drive the British out. In 1947 the British decided to turn the problem over to the newly formed United Nations. In 1948 the Jews declared their own State of Israel. President Harry Truman immediately recognized the new nation. Later on, Truman persuaded Congress to provide financial aid to Israel. America soon became the object of Muslim hatred and eventually the target of Muslim terrorism. For those interested in a more complete history of modern Israel, there is a pro-Israel web site at www.masada2000.org. There are also many web sites that document atrocities committed by Israel. One of them is www.israel-state-terrorism.org.
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Antichrist</H1>
Fiction has presented the antichrist as an evil, half-human, half-devil out to destroy the world. Some modern day would-be prophets picture the antichrist as a wicked military leader who engages the army of God in carnal warfare. The Bible descriptions of antichrists are not nearly as colorful as those imagined by man. The term antichrist is only found in two books of the Bible. The apostle John who wrote the book of Revelation, also wrote the forth gospel account and three letters to the churches. In two of those letters John warns Christians about the antichrist. Never is the antichrist described as a military leader, or as a person having supernatural power. By the broadest definition, antichrist simply means against Christ and could include all false religions and unbelievers. However, the descriptions given by John are more restrictive than that.
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I John 2:18-22 tells us there are many antichrists, some already in the world, some yet to come. Some were defined as false teachers who had departed from the teaching of the apostles and denied that Jesus is the Christ. In I John 4:1-6, the apostle warns us about the spirit of the antichrist. This is a difficult passage, but it seems to be a warning against false prophets who claim to be speaking by the Holy Spirit when they are actually speaking falsehood by denying that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. II John, verse 7 gives a similar warning. That is all we can learn from the Bible about those specifically identified as antichrist. Some believe that other passages such as the one describing the “man of lawlessness” in II Thessalonians 2:3 actually refer to the antichrist. However, the term is not used, and the description given does not seem to be consistent with that written by John.
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Having deflated all the mystery and drama associated with antichrists, lets see who fits the descriptions given by John. Notice that John uses the plural, “many antichrists” and also the singular, “the antichrist” in the same verse (I John 2:18). It is not without precedent to use the singular form to refer to a group. An example is in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Here all Jews as a group are called, “the Jew” and all Gentiles as a group are called, “the Gentile”. Likewise, in I John 2:18, the term, “the antichrist” simply refers to the “many antichrists” as a group. Some were already present while more were still to come. The warning is against false teachers who proclaim either of two false doctrines: The first being that Jesus was not the Christ, and the second being that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh.
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When the apostle describes antichrists as those who, “do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh”, he may have been referring to the Gnostics who believed the flesh to be evil and the spirit good. Therefore, according to Gnostics doctrine, Jesus could not have been flesh because he was totally good. However, John’s other description, “the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ” includes more than Gnostics doctrine. The term, “Christ” can be translated, “Messiah”. To deny that Jesus is the Messiah, one would have to believe in the promise that there would be a Messiah. Since the Messiah was promised to the Jews, they would be the only category of unbelievers to fit that description. If Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah are antichrists (I John 4:3), would it not logically follow that a nation formed for the benefit of Jews fits the description of antichrist?
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<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">American Support of Israel</H1>
We have shown from the Bible that Jews no longer have a special relationship with God, and modern Israel is not God’s chosen nation. That being true, should not Christians object to our government supporting Israel in the Jew – Arab conflict? Look at some facts.
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<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The First Amendment</H3>
The Constitution forbids Congress from establishing a state religion. The Supreme Court has subverted that amendment, and used it almost exclusively as a tool against Christianity. Should not Christians be outraged that the Federal Courts are continually handing down anti-Christian rulings against Americans, while Congress and the Executive branch give billions of dollars every year to help Israel promote the Jewish religion? Does the American government have a right to take tax money paid by Christians and send it to a nation that exists solely for the benefit of Jews?
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<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Dollar Cost</H3>
Modern Israel is dependent on the United States for weapons to use against the Palestinians and to defend themselves against other Islamic enemies. American taxpayers provide about $2 billion worth of weapons to Israel every year, while our own troops do not have sufficient armored vehicles to protect them. Since 1973, the US has given Israel about $1.6 trillion, accounting for a substantial part of our national debt. Should we lay this enormous debt on future generations of Americans so rich Jews living in Israel can pay less tax?
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Even worse, foreign aid sent to Israel is only a fraction of the actual cost of supporting the Jewish state. Since the attack of 09/11/2001 homeland security has been a major concern of the American people. The cost is impossible to calculate because it impacts the budget of every state, city, town, and school district in the country. Municipal water supplies, electric power distribution, food supplies, sporting events, transportation systems, and all occasions that bring crowds together are potential targets for Muslim terrorists. Beyond the cost to all levels of government is the cost to businesses. For example, business travelers spend time going through airport security and waiting for delayed flights that could have been used for productive work. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would never have been necessary if we had not angered Muslims by supporting Israel.
<O:P></O:P>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Cost in American Blood </H3>
The events of 9/11/01 prove beyond any doubt that America is not being blessed for our assistance to Israel, because the destruction brought upon us that day was a direct result of our support for Israel. Providing weapons to Israel has made Israel’s enemies America’s enemies and subjected Americans to the violence of Islamic terrorism. As of this writing, over 1000 Americans have been killed in Iraq, and the number continues to grow with no end in sight. Our government’s support of Israel has brought grief to the thousands of American families who mourn for their loved ones killed in Iraq or by terrorists here and abroad. Here are some examples:
April 18, 1983 a car bomb killed 17 Americans at the US embassy in Beirut Lebanon.
October 23, 1983 a truck bomb killed 241 Marines at their barracks in Beirut.
December 12, 1983 a truck bomb killed 5 and injured 80 Americans in Kuwait.
September 20, 1984 a truck bomb killed 2 Americans at the US embassy in Beirut.
December 3, 1984 an airplane was hijacked and 2 Americans were killed by Muslims.

<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">The Shame of Israeli Terrorism</H3>
Atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are seldom reported by the American news media. However, there are many Internet web sites that give us access to other sources of information. Just search on the words, “Israeli terrorism” and you will get a long list of reported atrocities by the Israeli government against Palestinians. They include killing civilians, shooting children at close range, demolishing neighborhoods to drive the families out, and setting booby traps. We can imagine the public outrage if any country other than Israel committed these atrocities.
<O:P></O:P>
<O:P></O:P>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Politicians Benefit, Citizens Pay </H3>
<O:P></O:P>
Our politicians are afraid to even suggest that we stop supporting Israel as a way of reducing the threat of terrorism. Could that be because Zionist Christians have gained enough clout in the Republican Party to influence American foreign policy?
<O:P></O:P>
Considering the painful consequences Americans are suffering for our support of Israel, why does our government do it? Of course we all feel sympathy for the Jews that were persecuted during WWII, but few of them remain and their suffering has nothing to do with any need to support the government of Israel. The real reasons our leaders are willing to jeopardize our own security to protect Israel are political. The Democrats don’t want to loose the contributions and votes of their Jewish constituents.
<O:P></O:P>
The Republicans have a different problem. Republican economic policy favors big business, and that tends to alienate a lot of middle-income voters. However, many of those middle-income voters are Christians who hold conservative views on social issues. The Republican Party has been able to attract those voters by adopting a platform that is compatible with Christian moral values. Among the Christians attracted by the Republican moral positions are some that believe in the pre-millennial or Zionist interpretation certain Bible passages.
<O:P></O:P>
We could have already saved thousands of American lives and billions of American dollars by simply adopting a neutral position in the conflict between Israel and the Muslims. There is no doubt that the conflict will continue. As long as Israel controls land once occupied by Muslims, the Muslims will hate them. As long as America helps Israel hold that land, we will also be hated and that hatred will surely motivate Islamic terrorists to target our country.
<O:P></O:P>
A reasonable question at this point is whether there are legitimate foreign policy reasons to support Israel. If such reasons exist, why don’t our politicians tell us what they are? Oh, we hear things like, “We need to support Israel because it is our only friend in the Middle East.” But that ignores the fact that before Israel existed, we had no enemies in the Middle East. Until our politicians can explain why the support of Israel is vital to the security of the United States, we must assume that their only motivation is to get campaign contributions and votes from two religious groups, Jews and Zionist Christians.
<O:P></O:P>
<O:P></O:P>
<O:P></O:P>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt">Common Sense</H3>
<O:P></O:P>
Wouldn’t common sense demand that we adopt a neutral position in the Israel / Palestine conflict?

Edited by: Tom Keith

**VikingCelt** · 05-31-2005, 04:18 AM

This look interesting. I am going to print it out and read it later.

There is an EXTREMELY intriquing and enlightening book called "The Controversy of Zion" by Douglas Reed. I first found it on a Danish website...www.patriot.dk. It is quite long...at least 500 pages...so I am printing it out in segments and reading it. If you are at all interested in how we got to where we got today with regards to the Zionists and Israel, it is a must read.

I knews NOTHING about any of this until just a few months ago. What I am discovering is quite disturbing to say the least.

**panzerman** · 06-02-2005, 10:45 PM

With respect, Tom makes the same mistakes as most folks when it comes to the Bible and who it was written to. A few comments...........

1). Abraham, etc, were not Jews. They were Hebrews, decendants of Adam, who's name means to "blush red and turn rosey; to show blood in the face". Only White folks can do this. See #119 and #120, Strong's Concordance.

2) The word "Jew" does not appear in the Bible until II Kings 16:6, and only applied to people of the tribe of Judah, not all of Israel.

3) God does not change. His promises were to the decendants of Adam through Abraham, Issac and Jacob, NOT all the world. Sons of Issac=Issacsons=Saxons. See Matthew 15:24, I Peter 2:9, Romans 9:1-5, etc. Only those given the Law are in need of salvation, and the Law was only given to Israel. Romans 9; Psalms 147:19-20.

4) Jesus was not a "jew" in the sense that we use the word today. "Jew" as used in the New Testament, and as applied to Jesus, is # 2453, and is a geographic reference, like calling someone a Texan. So Jesus was a Judean because He lived in Judea, but in no way is He related to the anti-christs today who call themselves "jews", who are Turko-Mongoloid decendants of the Kazars, who in turn decend through Esau-Edom. Their fate is described in the Book of Obadiah, and the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

5). "Gentiles" refers to the Ten Northern Tribes, removed from Palestine approx 500 years before Christ, who wandered North and West to found the nations of Europe. The Tribe of Dan were the "point men", and gave their name to the DANube, the DANiepr river, DANmark, etc. The Word is only to the Tribes of Israel--see James 1.

6) There is no fruit from taking the Word to other races, and never will be. Christ did not come for them, only for His Kinsmen, the House of Israel, with whom the New Testament is made. Hebrews 8:8-10.

Suggested reading: "God's Covenant People", by Ted Weiland. "Tracing Our Ancestors", by Frederick Haberman. "Who is Esau-Edom", by Charles Weisman. "The Greatest Love Story Never Told", by Pete Peters.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Jeff Cope

**Dead Republic** · 07-19-2005, 01:13 AM

<h3>Romans 9:6-8(King James Version)</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-28162">6</sup>Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-28163">7</sup>Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-28164">8</sup>That
is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the
seed.</h3>
<h3>Galatians 3:28-29(King James Version)</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-29131">28</sup>There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one in Christ Jesus.</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-NKJV-29129">29</sup>And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.</h3>
<h3>Hebrews 8:7-10(King James Version)

</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-30100">7</sup>For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.</h3>
</span></font>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-30101">8</sup>For finding fault with them, he
saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-30102">9</sup>Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not,
saith the Lord.</h3>
<h3><sup id="en-KJV-30103">10</sup>For this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to
me a people:</h3>

Israel dwells in all who trust and believe in the LORD, Jesus
Christ, for Israel exists for one thing, to be the house and promise of
the LORD, Jesus Christ. Some recommended reading should be the Holy Bible</span> </span>and Isreal: Our Duty... Our Dilemma</span> by Theodore Winston Pike.



Edited by: Dead Republic

**KELLEN** · 07-20-2005, 03:30 AM

Israel should exist for all people who seek to
preserve their civilization. It exists for human advancement and
achievement to give humanity an insurance policy on survival. The
bible identifies Israel with the pursuit of peace to be away from all
the quarreling and war. Israel exists to protect people from all
the world's Sodoms and set strong moral standards and pursue truth.

Genesis 13" <sup id="en-NIV-320">1</sup> So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. <sup id="en-NIV-321">2</sup> Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

<sup id="en-NIV-322">3</sup>
From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to
the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier <sup id="en-NIV-323">4</sup> and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

<sup id="en-NIV-324">5</sup> Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. <sup id="en-NIV-325">6</sup>
But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for
their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay
together. <sup id="en-NIV-326">7</sup> And quarreling arose between
Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites
were also living in the land at that time.

<sup id="en-NIV-327">8</sup>
So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and
me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. <sup id="en-NIV-328">9</sup>
Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the
left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the
left."

<sup id="en-NIV-329">10</sup> Lot looked up and saw
that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of
the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the
LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) <sup id="en-NIV-330">11</sup> So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: <sup id="en-NIV-331">12</sup> Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. <sup id="en-NIV-332">13</sup> Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.

<sup id="en-NIV-333">14</sup>
The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your
eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. <sup id="en-NIV-334">15</sup> All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring <sup>[a]</sup> forever. <sup id="en-NIV-335">16</sup>
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if
anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. <sup id="en-NIV-336">17</sup> Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

<sup id="en-NIV-337">18</sup> So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD."

**aryanfreeman** · 07-30-2005, 07:38 PM

Racial Israel,not spiritual Israel.

Romans 9: 1-5 sets the context conveniently left out by judeo-christians: Apostle Paul to the Romans,

1."I am telling the truth in Christ,I am not lying,my conscience bearing witness in the Holy Spirit,

2. that I have unceasing grief in my heart.

3. For I could wish that I myself were accursed,separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren,my kinsmen according to the flesh(race),

4.who are Israelites,to whom belongs the adoption as sons & the glory & the covenants & the giving of the Law & the temple service & the promises, &

5.whose are the fathers,& from whom is the Christ according to the flesh,who is overall,God blessed forever. Amen. Edited by: aryanfreeman

**Dead Republic** · 08-19-2005, 03:59 AM

*whitefreeman you didn't read far enough.

<sup id="en-KJV-28164">Romans 9 (KJV)

8</sup>That is, They which are the children of
the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the
promise are counted for the seed.

Not only that, judeo-christianity is a heresy, where judaizers hope to subvert God's law for man's (talmudic) law.

*it won't let me post ary an









Edited by: Dead Republic

**aryanfreeman** · 08-19-2005, 04:52 PM

The beginning of the chapter defines the characters: who the writer is & to whom he is writing. Children of the flesh & Children of the Covenant(spirit) are the same.

My apologies DeadRepublic, I have to correct myself, in this context, the children of the flesh & children of the covenant are not the same for the reasons I stated, as follows:

In scripture there were times when the Patriarchs sired offspring outside the Covenant. They who are/were sired outside the Covenant could claim descendency from a Patriarch but would not be an heir to the birthright. Isaac & Ishmael were both sired by Abraham: Isaac was the Child of Promise,Ishmael was not.

Context is everything. Many times the same words are used with differing meanings. Edited by: aryanfreeman

**TeeJay** · 09-03-2005, 12:25 AM

Spirit of Christ is killed by fundamentalism

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT an athiest, and consider
myself Christian, at least nominally so. I also believe it's imperative
that America remains a predominantly Christian nation. But with all
due respect to true believers of the Christain Zionist variety [or even
Mel Gibson], a great disservice is done to the Bible by taking it all so
damned literally.
A Myth or legend did not have to actually occur for those stories to
possess great timeless value for free and enlightened people.
Religious fundamentalism and literalism of all kinds is perpetrated to
keep people stunted and supportive of this or that political agenda,
and sadly separated from the truth that would set them free.

**Tom Keith** · 09-06-2005, 06:41 AM

Whether a Bible passage should be taken literally or figuratively can usually be determined by the context and common sense. Unfortunately, there are those who try to undermine the moral and spiritual requirements that God has placed on us for our own good by saying they shouldn’t be taken literally.

**blue eyed devil** · 02-02-2006, 03:39 AM

Funny...........the earth is billions of years old but the bible was written only about 2-3 thousand years ago?...explain that one?!

**Nelson3** · 07-11-2009, 06:51 PM

via email

<div>
From: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/041109b.html</span>
</span></font></div>

<div>
</div>

<div>
The founding narrative of the modern State of Israel was
born from the words of Moses in the Old Testament, that God granted the land of
Israel to the Jewish people and that it was to be theirs for all
time.</span></font></div>
Then, there was the story of the Diaspora –“ that after
Jewish uprisings against the Romans in the First and Second centuries A.D., the
Jews were exiled from the land of Israel and dispersed throughout the Western
world. They often were isolated from European populations, suffered persecution,
and ultimately were marked for extermination in the Nazi
Holocaust.</span></font>

Finally after centuries of praying for a return to
Israel, the Jews achieved this goal by defeating the Arab armies in Palestine
and establishing Israel in 1948. This narrative – spanning more than three
millennia – is the singular, elemental and sustaining cllaim of the State of
Israel as a Jewish nation.</span></font>

But a new book by Israeli scholar Shlomo Sand challenges
this narrative, claiming that – beyond the religious questionn of whether God
really spoke to Moses – the Roman-era Diaspora did not happen at all or at least
not as commonly understood.</span></font>

In
</span></font>When and How Was the
Jewish People Invented?, </span></font>Dr. Sand, an expert on
European history at the University of Tel Aviv, says the Diaspora was largely a
myth – that the Jews were never exiled
</span></font><en
masse</span></font> from the Holy Land and that many European
Jewish populations converted to the faith centuries
later.</span></font>

Thus, Sand argues, many of
todayâ€™s Israelis who emigrated from Europe after World War II have little or
no genealogical connection to the land. According to Sandâ€™s historical
analysis, they are descendents of European converts, principally from the
Kingdom of the Khazars in eastern Russia, who embraced Judaism in the Eighth
Century, A.D.</span></font>

The descendants of the Khazars then were driven from
their native lands by invasion and conquest and – through migratiion – created
the Jewish populations of Eastern Europe, Sands writess. Similarly, he argues
that the Jews of Spain came from the conversion of Berber tribes from northern
Africa that later migrated into Europe.</span></font>

The Zionist Narrative</span></font>

Sand, himself a European Jew born in 1946 to Holocaust
survivors in Austria, argues that until little more than a century ago, Jews
thought of themselves as Jews because they shared a common religion, not because
they possessed a direct lineage to the ancient tribes of Israel.....</span></font>
</span></font>

**Nelson3** · 04-08-2010, 04:23 AM

anunews.net today:

<h2>
Israel's San Francisco Consulate Promotes Homosexuality </span></h2>
<div style="width: 100%; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Israel's consulate in San Francisco is
co-sponsoring a month of events highlighting gay and lesbian culture.
This is the first time a foreign country has sponsored an LGBT --
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trangender -- event in the United States. a
consulate spokesman told the San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010...1472/israeli-c onsulate-general-sponsors-lgbt-events </div>

**DixieDestroyer** · 04-09-2010, 02:14 AM

Originally Posted by Nelson3

anunews.net today:

<h2>
Israel's San Francisco Consulate Promotes Homosexuality </span></h2>
<div style="width: 100%; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Israel's consulate in San Francisco is
co-sponsoring a month of events highlighting gay and lesbian culture.
This is the first time a foreign country has sponsored an LGBT --
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trangender -- event in the United States. a
consulate spokesman told the San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010...1472/israeli-c onsulate-general-sponsors-lgbt-events </div>

The (true) Israel of the Old Testament would have stoned such sodomites (in accordance with Leviticus 18:22</span>), whereas the modern Israel (hijacked by NWO/Globalist Zionists</span>) embraces these vile sodomites.

**Nelson3** · 05-20-2010, 05:12 AM

Real nice people. Just like everybody else. Passionate about "fairness" and "human dignity".

via email:

<div>Mordecai believes he is being persecuted by
the Jews because he is a Christian. He was living in Australia when he
told the truth about Israel's illegal nuclear weapons program. Israeli
Mossad agents kidnapped him , drugged him , and took him back to Israel
where he has been imprisoned and isolated ever since.</font></div>
<div>What did Australia, or America, or the UN do ?</font></div>
<div>

--- On Wed, 5/19/10, Michael <RePorterNoteBook@Gmail.com> wrote:
</div>
<blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px;">
From: Michael <RePorterNoteBook@Gmail.com>
Subject: Israel sends Vanunu</span> back to jail
To: "reportersnotebook" <RePortersNoteBook@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 10:00 AM

<div id="yiv480218402"></span>
<div id="ygrp-mlmsg">
<div id="ygrp-msg">
<div id="ygrp-text">
<div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>From: "Fredrick Toben" <toben@toben. biz>
Date: May 19, 2010 7:35:46 AM

</div></blockquote>

<blockquote>
<div>
<div>

</span></div>

May 16, 2010</span></div>

Israel sends Vanunu back to jail</span></blockquote></div>

Peter Hounam</span></div>
<div>
A DECISION by the
Israeli Supreme Court to send Mordechai Vanunu, the nuclear
whistleblower, back to jail for three months has reignited calls for
him to be freed from restrictions that have dogged his life for the
past six years.</span></div>
<div>Amnesty International
has pledged to make him a prisoner of conscience and his lawyers are
considering taking action outside Israel.</span></div>
<div>Vanunu was released
in 2004 after serving an 18-year sentence for treason and espionage
after he revealed the secrets of the Dimona atomic weapons plant to The
Sunday Times. The Israeli government immediately imposed severe
restrictions that prohibited him from leaving the country, going near
foreign embassies and even talking to foreigners.</span></div>
<div>In 2007 he was
arrested and accused of giving interviews to foreign media, including
the BBC and The Sunday Times. After a long court battle he was found
guilty. His lawyers managed to have his sentence reduced to community
service. But there was no community service scheme in Arab east
Jerusalem, the only part of Israel where he feels safe.</span></div>
<div>Avigdor Feldman, his
lawyer, said the decision on May 11 to impose the original sentence and
make him report to prison next Sunday was grotesque.</span></div>
<div>“After being found
guilty in 1988 he was kept in solitary confinement for more than 11
years and I am very worried at the effect this could have on his mental
state,” Feldman said. “All he has been accused of is talking to
strangers, not revealing any new secrets. It is surely time he was
allowed to lead a normal life.”</span></div>
<div>Dan Eldad, of the
state prosecution service, said there was no other choice. “The court
was convinced that Vanunu is in possession of information that, if
revealed, would jeopardise the state’s security even today,” he said.</span></div>
<div>This contradicts a
recent statement from Brigadier-General Uzi Eilam, who ran the Israel
Atomic Energy Commission between 1976 and 1986. He said anything Vanunu
might yet disclose about Dimona had little relevance: “I’ve always
believed he should be let go.”</span></div>
<div>Vanunu’s brother Meir
said the threat of going to jail had put Mordechai in low spirits. He
was walking around the hills of east Jerusalem, getting a last taste of
the outdoors.</span></div>

http://www.timesonl ine.co.uk/ tol/news/ world/middle_ east/article7127 711.ece </div></div></div></blockquote>
Blacklisted News, same day:

Norman Finkelstein: Israel being exposed and feels threatened

Edited by: Nelson3

**Nelson3** · 05-31-2010, 03:38 PM

from Ingrid:

<div>European campaign: Israel will
pay dearly for attacking Freedom Flotilla</font></div>

<div>
</font></div>
<div>BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The European campaign to end
the siege said Israel will pay dearly at the media and political
levels for its brutal attack on the Freedom Flotilla convoy earlier
this morning, especially since Europe will move to condemn this
crime.</font>

</div>
<div>The European campaign, one of the convoy
organizers, said the Israeli troops' hijacking of the ships and
their use of live bullets and tear gas grenades are acts of piracy and
aggression against hundreds of non-violent people who wanted to
deliver humanitarian aid to the impoverished Gaza people.</font>

</div>
<div>According to different news reports, 20 people were killed and dozens injured</font> when
Israeli troops stormed the Freedom Flotilla ships at dawn Monday. The
convoy was attacked in international waters, 65km off the Gaza
coast.</font>

</div>
<div>Earlier, a number of European cities on Sunday
witnessed a series of events in solidarity with the Freedom Flotilla
convoy, especially in the wake of Israel's threats to attack the
ships and arrest the passengers aboard.</font>

</div>
<div>These events took place in response to the
invitation made by the European campaign which called for organizing
sit-ins and marches in solidarity with the convoy.</font>

</div>
<div>In the Austrian capital Vienna, more than 2,000
people participated in a protest to condemn Israel's intentions to
attack the convoy ships. Other pro-Palestinian activists also staged a
solidarity march aboard a number of boats at the Italian port of
Genoa.</font>

</div>
A large tent was pitched in the Swedish city of
Malmo in solidarity with Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla
convoy.</font>

LATER......FreedomsPhoenix.com:<br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">

NewsLink• Israel
</font>Mossad chief: Israel gradually becoming burden on U.S.</font><br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">
06-01-2010 </font>• </font>Haaretz</font><br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Meir
Dagan says Israel has turned from an asset to a burden; Senior IDF
officer says the IDF didn't sabotage a Gaza aid ship in bid to avoid
humanitarian crisis. </font><br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">
Read Comments</font>•</font>
</span>Make a Comment</font>•
Email this News Link</font></font>•</font>
</span>Send Letter to Editor</font>
Edited by: Nelson3

**Nelson3** · 09-24-2010, 01:38 AM

Those Israelis and their barriers! Help me out here: why don't they just scream "anti-semitism" and call in the UN on the beasts?
<h2 style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Glass to protect humans from rock-throwing chimpanzees</h2>
Posted By Staff

<div style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">

<div>

Date: September 21st, 2010</div>

<div>

6 Comments</div>

<div>

Category: Nutty News</div>

<div>

Tags: chimp, Nutty News, odd, strange, weird</div>

</div>

Nutty
News Jerusalem - With officials long worried that a serious injury, or
even death, is just waiting to happen, a multimillion-shekel barrier is
under construction in the capital to separate loud, unruly crowds from
frequent rock-throwers. Sound like another security hot spot? Try the
chimpanzee exhibit at the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, popularly known as the Biblical Zoo. “It’s kind of embarrassing to be stoned by a chimp,” said zoo director Shai Doron. More…</span>
LATER, ANUNews<br style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><h2 style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">
Diplomat: I Can No Longer Represent Israel </h2>
<div style="width: 100%; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">

A veteran diplomat says he has resigned from his post because he had a
hard time defending the policies of Israel's current government, Yedioth
Ahronoth reported Wednesday. Ilan Baruch says he quit because "Israel's
foreign policy is wrong," pointing to the Palestinian issue. Should
this trend continue, he warned, Israel will turn into a pariah state and
face growing de-legitimization. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...036889,00.html </div>

Edited by: Nelson3

**Nelson4** · 12-01-2011, 04:05 PM

Some exciting veins of gold in this rather dense ore:

Norman Finkelstein - The Coming Breakup of American Zionism, Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQclv...feature=relmfu

"Purity of arms" -- a "cleaner army" -- the verbiage of Zionism is mind-blowing. I appreciate Dr. Finkelstein and how he's coming along.... but fear the day he has to finally admit that Israel won't have any "right to exist" until God says so, contra the Palestine Mandate and all that stuff.

**Nelson4** · 09-24-2012, 04:15 AM

Aha -- the word "sanitized" has a specific meaning in governmentese! It's not only conversational sarcasm.

IHR

http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuall...969_israel.pdf
Secret 1969 White House Memo on 'Dangers' of Israel Nuclear Weapons
Nixon Presidential Library and Museum - pdf document

In this secret internal memo of July 19, 1969, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger explains to President Richard Nixon the "dangers" of Israel's nuclear weapons program. Kissinger notes that Israel had broken its pledge to the US not to "introduce" nuclear weapons in the region. He also notes that if the US tries to force Israel to live up to its commitment by withholding delivery of US warplanes, "enormous political pressure will be mounted on us." This memo, declassified in 2007 after being "sanitized," lays out US policy regarding the Zionist state's nuclear arsenal: "While we might ideally like to halt actual Israeli possession, what we really want at a minimum may be just to keep Israeli possession from becoming an established international fact."

Secret 1969 White House Memo on 'Dangers' of Israel Nuclear Weapons
Nixon Presidential Library and Museum - pdf document

In this secret internal memo of July 19, 1969, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger explains to President Richard Nixon the "dangers" of Israel's nuclear weapons program. Kissinger notes that Israel had broken its pledge to the US not to "introduce" nuclear weapons in the region. He also notes that if the US tries to force Israel to live up to its commitment by withholding delivery of US warplanes, "enormous political pressure will be mounted on us." This memo, declassified in 2007 after being "sanitized," lays out US policy regarding the Zionist state's nuclear arsenal: "While we might ideally like to halt actual Israeli possession, what we really want at a minimum may be just to keep Israeli possession from becoming an established international fact."

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