Their whole interest in the new countries was political, religious and material to rule, to propagate Islam and to collect taxes.”
According to Tel Aviv University historian, Professor Schlomo Sand: “… the ancient Judean peasants converted to Islam … they had done so for material reasons – chiefly to avoid taxations. Muslims are exempt from having to pay the sur-taxes imposed upon the People of the Book. They were in no way treasonous. Indeed, by clinging to their soil they remained loyal to their homeland … In addition to the Muslim law, there was, for a long time, a code of ‘fellahin laws, or unwritten customary judgments known as Shariat al-Khalil – the laws of the patriarch Abraham.’”
Daily, I thank God, the One God of Many Names, that each day more and more Christians are choosing for Jesus and rejecting the dark side of Judaism, that’s been seeping like sewage into the consciousness – the convictions and values – of Evangelical Christians. Israeli crimes against humanity their incessant atrocities against a defenseless indigenous people is a Christian Concern. Christians must let go and let God deal with Israel in His divine love and compassion for the people of Israel.
Christians everywhere understand what Jesus means by "I am the true vine (John 15:1 GNT)." The 'vine' is in reference to ancient Sacred Texts that "Israel is a vine planted by God (Psalms 80: 9-12, 15; Hosea 11:1, Ezekiel 15; 19:10f; Jeremiah: 2:21 GNT)." In short, Israel is meant and called to become a 'Light among nations.’
The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, among others, focus on Israel's failure 'to bear fruit' as the people of God (Isaiah 5; Ezekiel 15). The Israelites do not fulfil God's purpose for which God has 'planted' the vine/nation ... to be an exemplary people of God, the Light Among Nations.
Jesus does not mince any words. His parable of the vineyard is direct and to the point, focusing on Israel's failure to produce fruit (Luke 20: 9-19; Matthew 20: 1-5; 21:28-41; Mark 12: 1-12 GNT). Modern Israel today is as much of a failed state as Ancient Israel, 2000 years ago. Jesus, their Son of Man, God in the flesh has offered to release the Israelites from bondage of 1) the Law of Moses, 2) ancestry with self-proclaimed pedigree and 3) their claim as the sole Chosen People of God, taking their chosenness for granted, with neither good works nor faith.
God intends Israel be ‘a light among nations, to bring about a ‘heaven on earth’12. Instead, Israeli ultra-right nationalism, branded as 'Zionism' has become a HELL ON EARTH, especially for the indigenous people of Palestine. Many Jews reject this heathen form of Zionism. Two of my heroes who embrace the holy form of biblical Zionism, Rabbi Joshua Heschel (“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.”) and Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky (‘Inspiring Reflections on Gratitude and Joy for Every Day Based on Jewish Wisdom’) have, in their writings, often questioned the sanctity of this ultra-nationalist Zionism, which I refer to as Heathen-Zionism.
Toward the end of our talks, I wrap it up with, “what are your comments, your questions? What matters most to you?”
“You seem to deflect from what everyone wants to know about prophecies … I mean it’s prophesized that the Jews will return home.”
“Absolutely, but let’s get on the same page with nomenclature, terminology, definitions, language. First and foremost, prophecies will come true because prophecies are God-given schemes, which will come to fruition. Second, the prophecies foretell a future for all Israelites, not just Judeans. Third, here is the kicker, many present-day Jews are not all descendants of the Israelites, including the Judeans. Most Jews are not genetically connected to the Israelites. Today’s Jews are not yesterday’s Israelites.”
“I’m confused. Explain!”
“Most present-day Jews, like me, are descendants of Gentiles who have been proselyted into Judaism. In fact, the term ‘Jew’ is a recent invention, used for the first time in the 18th Century.”13
“What about 1948?”
My response: “The Israel of my parents’ dreams still does not exist. Modern Israel is not yet the Light Among Nations … but I believe it can and will but not as an exclusive people. Jews will become the Light Among Nations together with Gentiles. That is prophesized. That is what is biblical.”
“I’m really confused.”
“Let me explain it this way,” I respond. “Remember the biblical Jacob, the scoundrel, the rogue, the rascal, the villain, the swindler, the con artist? By entrapping and double-crossing and duping Esau, his older brother and by tricking, deceiving, and deluding Isaac, his father, Jacob underhandedly embezzles the Birth Right of the First Born originally bequeathed to Esau. But the biblical Jacob has a conscience as do most people. And God deals with Jacob. Jacob genuinely atones and reconciles with God. And, God changes Jacob’s name to Israel.
Today’s ‘Israel’ is NOT Israel. It is Jacob.”
Silence. Not a sound!
“But I want to get back to 1948. The presumption is that in 1948 Israel has become a nation. Wrong! Israel is still not a nation. It is a supra-national state for Jews-only. There is no such thing as an Israeli nationality. It still does not exist. Israel is also devoid of a Constitution. To this day, Israel remains a micro-supranational state without defined borders, still in search of itself for all the Jews in the world. And ironically, more Jews live in the diaspora than in the one and only state for Jews-only.
All Jews can become Israeli citizens. And, why are 1.8 million Palestinians Israeli citizens? As a condition to becoming a United Nations member, Israel must declare the Palestinians who remain inside the Green Line, Israeli citizens. They represent 21 percent of the Israeli population and have endured Martial Law for more than 20 years. They still withstand second-class citizenship status, though not the third-class to no-class status of the refugees from Africa, notwithstanding, the indigenous Palestinians imprisoned behind iron walls in Gaza and the West Bank."
“Okay, I got the drift of where you’re going … I’m still stuck with God’s commandment to drive the ancient Palestinians out of the land … if they killed everyone in ancient times, the present Jews wouldn’t have the same problems, right?”
“Aren't the Israelites in ancient times commanded to kill all the inhabitants in the Land?
Deuteronomy14 20: 10-14 says: “Make a peace offering first then kill everyone who doesn’t greet you in peace.” First and foremost, God prohibits the ancient Israelites from slaughtering everyone. In fact, only 23 ‘nations’ are completely cleansed out. Why are they executed? Primarily due to sexual promiscuity”! Most are spared and guess what, just about all are proselyted into the religious traditions of Ancient Israel.”15
“Hasn’t God commanded the present-day Israelis to drive the Palestinians away for the same reasons”?
“Forgive me … permit me to chuckle. If God were to command the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to massacre those engaged in sexual promiscuity, they don’t have to go far. Tel Aviv is not the only Sodom and Gomorrah in all of the Middle East. Many of Israel’s kibbutzim, with all its free sex, built on fertile soils, seized from the dispossessed, displaced and imprisoned Palestinians, fall in the same category. They too will have to be trashed.”
Again, silence.
“Well folks it’s been a bit more than three hours. You must be exhausted. May I impart a few more words. Can we move the conflict to a new paradigm, from
