The war between Israel and Hamas has lasted more than a month and claimed thousands of lives. Among Christians, there are two contradictory attitudes in responding to this war. The first is pro-Israel. For them, Israel is God's chosen nation, and therefore, they must always support and defend them. Doesn't the Bible say, " May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed” (Genesis 27:29)? The attacks that Israel is carrying out are an act to protect themselves from the cruelty of Hamas, which wants to wipe Israel off the world map. I wonder if these Christians know that not all Jews support the State of Israel that the Zionists established. Orthodox Jews, for example, view the present state as a blasphemous human attempt to seize God’s role, and many actively work to dismantle the secular State of Israel. About 60 percent of the Israeli population are secular or atheists.
The second view among Christians is pro-Palestinian. For these Christians, Israel's status as God's chosen nation ended when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah, their Savior. Because of that, God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants for the Promised Land had ended. That is why after the temple of God was destroyed in 70 AD, the Israelite were scattered and spread to various countries. For hundreds of years, the country was inhabited by different nations and ethnic groups. However, on May 15, 1948, the Israelis established the state of Israel there. In these Christians’ eyes, Israel occupies the land of the Palestinian people who have lived there for hundreds of years. These Christians do not realize that what they support is not the Palestinian people but the Hamas terrorists, who are hated by many Palestinians themselves because of their cruelty and hatred of Israel. Hamas hates Israel so much that they use various cruel methods to destroy the state of Israel, including sacrificing their own people (Palestinian children and women).
Today, I invite you to look at the situation objectively based on history and the Bible and what the current wars have to do with the prophecy about the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Let's read Matthew 24:3-14.
According to Jesus, one of the signs that indicates that His second coming is near is the occurrence of war between nations and ethnic groups. This is not planned or initiated by God. But Jesus, in His omniscience, knows the condition of the hearts of sinful humans who are thirsty for power, who do not care about the suffering of others, and who are cruel. This is something strange and very sad. Shouldn't humans know that war causes suffering and disaster for humanity? Families lose husbands, wives, children, and parents. And homes and cities are destroyed and devastated.
At least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century. Estimates for the total number killed in wars throughout all of human history range from 150 million to 1 billion. In this twenty-first century, humans are getting smarter, and their abilities are extraordinary. What God stated in Genesis 11:6 is increasingly proven. Humans have succeeded in creating artificial intelligence that can do almost anything faster and more accurately than humans. However, the human heart to this day is still the same, namely dominated by sinful lust.
Now, let's focus on the war in the Middle East. The root of the conflict and which side people support, whether Israel or Palestine, is based on the idea of whether Israel is occupying Palestine or not. For the Palestinians and those who support them, Israel has been occupying the land of Palestinians since 1948. Regarding the area of Gaza, Israel occupied Gaza from 1967 to 2005, when it unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlers but continued to exert control over the territory's sea, airspace, and land crossings. The vast majority of Gaza's residents are descendants of refugees whose ancestors either fled or were forced out of their homes in what is now Israel. The enclave is one of the most densely populated places on earth.
For Israel and their supporters, when Israel was established in 1948, Palestine was not an Arab nation. The region was under British control following World War One, and Britain eventually sought the United Nations' input on its future. Before British administration, the area had been governed by the Turks since the early 1500s, who were not Arabs. It's essential to note that Palestine has never constituted an independent nation. So in this view, Israel is not occupying Palestine but rather coming back to the land that God has given to them three thousand four hundred years ago under the leadership of Joshua and Caleb.
Many people, including Christians, relate the Palestinians with the Philistines in the Bible, who owned the land of Canaan before the coming of Joshua and the people of Israel. That is wrong! The Philistines, or "sea people," were most likely invaders from Cyprus who built communities along the Levantine coast. They were eradicated by the Babylonians in 600 BC. They were not the same as modern Palestinians. The current Palestinian people are Arabs.
The reason Palestinians are named after the Philistines is because the Romans wanted to rub salt in the wounds of the defeated Jews after the Jewish rebellions against Rome were definitively crushed in 70 AD. Although there had been no Philistines in the land for centuries, the Philistines were known as one of the worst enemies of the Jews. Thus, to insult the Jews, the Roman province of Judea was renamed "Palaestina" and would retain this name even after the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire fell to the Arabs, the Arabs fell to the Turks, and the Turks fell to the British, and the land was divided into Israel and Transjordan (with much of Transjordan going on to retain the name "Palestine" after that).
So, based on history and the Bible (e.g., Joshua 3:2-17), the people of Israel lived in Palestine since 1406 BC, when Joshua crossed the Jordan River, until 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed their temple in Jerusalem. So, for the Zionists, who strive for an independent Jewish state, Israel is their 'promised land' that they had left for centuries. And now they have come back to establish a country where Jews can live in freedom and safety.
The establishment of the state of Israel in Palestine aroused the reactions of the Palestinian people who have lived there for hundreds of years, and of Arab countries. They accused Israel of occupying Palestinian land. Several times, especially in 1948–49, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and 2006, they carried out attacks to drive Israel from Palestinian land.
Among Palestinians, the Fatah party, led by Yasser Arafat and now led by President Mahmoud Abbas, has supported the 'two-state solution' once proposed by the United Nations and Oslo Accords, namely the establishment of two states in Palestine, namely "Palestinian Arabs" and "Jewish Palestine." However, the Hamas group, an abbreviation of "Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya" (Islamic Resistance Movement), which emerged in 1987, refused. This group is committed to carrying out armed resistance against Israel and establishing a Palestinian Islamic state to replace Israel. Hamas has been the de facto governing body in the Gaza Strip since 2007 when it removed the Palestinian Authority from power.
This is the group that attacked on October 7, killing 1400 Israelis and kidnapping 241 people. Hamas' attacks were so brutal that Israel declared war on them and counterattacked Gaza, which is the headquarters of Hamas. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has the right to protect itself from enemy attacks. Unlike what Hamas did, Israeli forces did not target civilians in their attacks. However, because Hamas took refuge in people's homes and used them as human shields, civilians also became victims of the war. As of November 6, more than 11,000 people have been killed, 4,104 of them children. Palestinian health officials say UN officials estimate that as of November 5, about 1,270 children have been reported missing and may be trapped under rubble.
Sadly, Hamas's cruel strategy has been successful. News of the deaths of thousands of children in Palestine and photos of those whose bodies were covered in blood from counterattacks by Israeli forces sparked reactions everywhere that condemned Israel's attacks and accused Israel of committing 'genocide.' Hundreds of thousands of people in many countries, including in European countries, are holding demonstrations condemning Israeli atrocities and calling for "Free Palestine." They ignore Hamas' atrocities against Israel and how its leaders sacrifice the Palestinian people while they flee and live abroad, enjoying a life of luxury! Many countries call for a ceasefire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected it unless hostages are released. So far, the war has injured 6,900 Israelis.
Probably the conflict in the Middle East will never end because their respective positions are opposite. Hamas and several Islamic countries, such as Iran, Yemen, and Syria, want to erase Israel from the world map. Why do they hate the Jews so much? Besides a political reason, there is a spiritual reason too: many verses in the Quran say bad things about the Jews. For example, "Jews are liars because they claim Abraham as their ancestor" - 2:140, 3:67, "Jews accused of insulting Allah" - 3:181, "Jews accused of hindering others from following Allah - 4:160, "Allah will judge the Jews, Christians, Sabians, Magi, and polytheists - 22:17, 5:69, "Jews condemned for disbelief in Allah and allegedly taking Muhammad's words out of context - 4:46, "Allah tells Muslims not to take Jews or Christians as friends - 5:51, "Jews are accused of calling Ezra the son of God. Christians are guilty for calling Jesus the son of God - 9:30, "Jews and Christians accused of lying and concealing the truth" - 3:71, "Do not take Jews and Christians to be your rules/protectors because they mock your religion" - 5:57.
That is why, for many Muslims, the attack and murder of Jews is not an act of crime, but a form of devotion to their God. They are actually proud that they can kill Jews and they will continue to try to wipe out the state of Israel from the face of the earth. Surely, Israel won't let their enemies destroy their country. They will defend the State of Israel at any cost.
Many political observers worry that what is happening in the Middle East will trigger a third World War. Once countries such as Iran, Russia, and Arab countries openly support Hamas, America and NATO will help Israel fight back. What is scary is that nuclear weapons will most likely be used in this war.
So, what the Lord Jesus prophesied about a great war before His second coming will be fulfilled. If so, what should we, as God's children, do? Do we need to pray for world peace if, according to the Bible, a world that has fallen into sin will never experience true peace? I agree with Billy Graham's opinion. He says:
"God hasn't promised that our world will ever be the peaceful and trouble-free place we all seek—not until Christ comes again to bring the present age to an end and establish His perfect rule of justice and peace. Then, the Bible says, "Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4). Does this mean it's useless to pray for our leaders or for peace? No, certainly not! For one thing, God has commanded us to pray for them, and failing to do so would be an act of disobedience on our part. Think how different our world would be if we prayed regularly for those to whom God has entrusted leadership! I often think of Paul's words to his young pastor friend Timothy: "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). In addition, what if everyone stopped praying for peace, and for those who are trying to bring it about? I have no doubt that the world would be in even worse shape! We don't always know what effect our prayers have—but that mustn't keep us from praying. Don't let cynicism, or doubt, or anything else keep you from praying for our world and its leaders. God's promise is sure: "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16)."
We must also pray like the apostles asked Jesus in Luke 17:5 - 'Increase our faith.' We ask God to increase our faith by increasing our understanding of who He is, our understanding of His attributes, His perfections, and His perfect omnipotence. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:9, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” Our lives as believers in this world will be more challenging. We may face persecution because of our faith. Therefore, we must have a solid faith to be faithful amidst persecution and suffering.
