Understanding Church Movements and their views of Scripture

Church movements throughout the years have all approached the Bible differently and this in turn has greatly impacted their life and practice in the world and relationship to Israel and the Jews. While the following models presented are general in presentation they do nevertheless faithfully define these movements and thereby help us to better understand the theological factors that motivate their actions.

The Aerial View
These movements look at the Bible as if it were a sphere. They see method in its pages and embrace the principle. In other words they see a temple in the Hebrew Scriptures, take the principle, and build churches that are in like fashion divided up into two sections. I.e.: A holy place for the congregation and a holy of holies for the Ministers or Priests. They do the same with candles, incense, vestments and “methods” of the New Testament Scriptures like elders, deacons etc.

1. As regards Jesus death they stress His passion and sacrifice and call on their people to follow His example in sacrificial living etc.
2. As regards eternity there is very little preaching on the reality of hell. The impression is very often left that all people, who live decently, will go to heaven.
3. The dangers in this tradition are lack of true evangelical zeal, compromise and Laodiceanism (the lukewarm church).
4. The Jews are mostly in reflection. That is, their symbols and stories adorn stained glass windows and furnishings.
5. Their historic engagement is in the arena of social issues relating to justice and righteousness on earth.

The Segment View
For folks in this tradition the Bible is indeed like a sphere but they remove a segment of it. They see principles and embrace method. Much like removing a piece of cake from the whole. It is on this segment that they concentrate. They mainly emphasize the book of Acts as a resource and are reactionary to the wider Church in the world. That is, they are “ purists” in that they believe that they are rebuilding a New Testament Church. Their approach to other expressions of the Church is very often summed in one phrase, “Come out of them my people.”

1. As regards the death of Jesus it was a passionate expiation of sin and they spend much time preaching on hell and the consequences of sin.
2. The danger is that very often they are authoritarian in character, have cultic tendencies and fall into the trap of Nicolatianism (power over the laity).
3. For them the Jews are in history. They are a biblically outdated people with no further role to play in world events.
4. The historical engagement of this part of the church has been evangelism, as in the house church movement in the United Kingdom of the 80s and 90s. They are isolationists with a heavy emphasis upon a heavenly kingdom. They sometimes even frown upon Christians who vote in national elections. In short they have abandoned the world and its suffering completely. After all it is passing away!

The Linear View
Christians in this tradition see time and purpose. For them the Bible is like a long line of events, beginning at the Book of Genesis, that are broken up into dispensations of time. History is thus dispensational in that the dispensations of time reflect a different aspect of heavenly purpose. These dispensations of time are ages and there are five of these in sequence. That is, ages of innocence, conscience, law, grace and fulfillment.

Those who hold to this tradition have embraced Darbyism, though many who hold to this view of the Bible wouldn’t know it. In America it is called Scofieldism.

1. As regards the death of Jesus, it is a passionate rescue plan and as a consequence there is much preaching on end time events.
2. The dangers in this tradition are tunnel vision, the devaluation of Biblical truth and very hardened eschatological views. They easily birth false apostles and do not engage the world compassionately.
3. For them the Jews are a prophetic sign and they have no real concern or interest in them other than their capacity to fulfill end time expectations.
4. They engage the world evangelistically with much emphasis on the “lateness of the hour.”

The Legal View
This view sees action and consequence. That is, all have sinned and therefore fall short of the glory of God or; the wage that sin pays is death. The Bible is thus a book of “The Covenant.” Salvation through all of time has only been by grace on the grounds of Jesus Finished work on the cross. The promise of the Son that He would die for the sins of the world was given, before time began, and thus, theologically, He died before the foundation of the world. The various Covenants of the Bible reinforce the Abrahamic Covenant which is God’s great decision to save the world and constitutes the first proclamation of the Gospel. (Galaltians3:8) The God of the Bible thus enters into a relationship with humankind based on legal undertakings that are set out and enforced in the covenants.

1. As regards Jesus death it is a passionate act of propitiation. He, on the cross, satisfied the demands of God’s character that is reflected in the moral or majestic law (Ten Commandments). Jesus was born under the law, lived perfectly under the law, was condemned under the law and died under the law.
2. The dangers are that one’s expression of faith becomes too technical and doctrinal losing warmth, love and compassion. Since this view recognizes the role that Israel plays in God’s plan of world redemption it can produce warped theological views and sometimes Israel can supplant the place that Jesus should occupy in believer’s lives.
3. Jews and Israel occupy a central role in this theological position since they are the custodians of the oracles of God and Gentiles share in their spiritual things.
4. The historical engagement of this part of the Church is seen in philo-Semitism and world evangelism.

Conclusion
This is a general but fairly true definition of Church groups. There is something good and bad in all of them and it is for us to think about them and construct our view accordingly.

I leave you with this challenge.

Malcolm Hedding

The Non-Pentecostal Pentecostals

I travel all over the world and have a world view of the Church that few indeed have. This is particularly true of churches that claim a Pentecostal testimony. Their meetings are up-beat and even dynamic music-wise, but the manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in terms of the congregational gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy is nowhere evident. I fear that we have swapped these things for a dynamic platform and music ministry! To be Pentecostal in name only is not good enough and even to have conferences and “get-togethers” about the subject is not good enough. We need the dramatic “breaking in” of the Spirit in our meetings. There is no substitute! After all, scripture says that the verbal gifts of the Spirit are for the edification and up building of God’s people.

How quickly we have abandoned our heritage for second best. Just thirty years ago a new outpouring of the Spirit took place, all over the world that brought the reality of God back into our meetings and churches by the ecstatic gifts of the Spirit. Who can forget books like, “Nine O’clock in The Morning” by Dennis Bennet and others, like Derek Prince and Michael Harper, who wrote of their encounter with the Holy Spirit and the consequences for their lives and that of their churches?

I well remember sitting in meetings and being overwhelmed with joy as we sang sweet melodies in the Spirit without musical accompaniment. How I long for those days. The presence of God would swell and crash down all around us as we sang in other tongues to the glory of God. Prophetic words would follow and tongues and interpretation. It was electrifying and the outsider and those believers unaccustomed to this would affirm, “Truly God is in your presence!”

Now we sit in bland meetings so well orchestrated that God by His Spirit cannot move, even if He wants to! Professional platform ministry is the order of the day but our lives are left dry and thirsting for life, the life of the Spirit. All the while scripture declares that to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. The truth is we are witnessing what Jesus called Nicolaitanism! That is, power over the laity is exercised to the extent that even the ordered manifestation of the Gifts of the Spirit cannot take place. Much of this is the situation in many Pentecostal Churches!

What happened and who cares? I am often told that it is too difficult to control this phenomenon in congregational meetings. This is not true. The early church had multiple thousands in their meetings and yet the Spirit moved in power. Some big churches during the renewal days of the late sixties and early seventies had “word groups” in their meetings that exercised the Gifts of the Spirit. These were proven individuals who had demonstrated a maturity in this area of ministry. Much like the leaders in the Church at Antioch as recorded in Acts 13. The truth is, we are far too scared to abandon our churches to the moving of the Spirit. It’s a control thing!

May God give us thirsting faith and may He, as a consequence, send renewal again into our lives and congregations. This renewal brings the presence of God into our meetings in a way that nothing else does and can and this in no way devalues the central place that preaching must and should hold in our congregational gatherings. I believe that Jesus is preeminently seen in the proclamation of His word and thus all things should be done “decently and in order”.

Yours for the blessing of the Church,

Malcolm Hedding

Saber Rattling

The Bible affirms that in the spring, kings went out to war (2 Samuel 11:1). This was the “done thing” and thus as spring gave way to the hotter months there was much “saber rattling” in the region as nations prepared to extend their sovereignty or sphere of influence in the earth. Much of the “saber rattling” has to do with testing the perceived enemy …. or “playing on their nerves”. Nothing much has changed in thousands of years!

Just a few days ago, North Korea launched eleven short range missiles with the warning that a long range ballistic one might also be in the works. This, of course, was all “aimed” at the United States of America. With its new President, Barack Obama, it constitutes a game of nerves. When we add to this North Korea’s test explosion of a nuclear device earlier in the year, the “testing process” becomes more acute …. and dangerous.



Then there is Iran, that continues to saber rattle by the use of words and the construction of its nuclear capability. The world in this instance is not sure what to do and, as it hesitates and dithers, Iran is nearing nuclear capability. She already, supposedly, has the delivery system in place! All this is coupled to her constant threats to remove Israel from the map!

This of course requires that Israel do some “saber rattling” just to let Iran know that she will not become a “sitting duck”! So Israel’s air force is preparing for “long haul” strikes and one of Israel’s submarines recently passed through the Suez Canal for the first time in years.

We could go on and talk about America and Russia and of course Pakistan and India. The disputed area of Kashmir keeps these two countries well occupied in the saber rattling business.

Daniel, the Biblical prophet, declared that wars and desolation are determined until the end. The Hebrew prophets have always been proved right. All of this is a sad commentary on human nature. War in itself is a catastrophe but sometimes it is forced upon nations and they have to defend themselves. The Poles, the French, and the Czechs quickly learned this in 1939! Hitler had to be stopped and thus England and the Allies entered the fray. The truth is, Hitler had been saber rattling for years and even documented his intentions in Mein Kampf. No one really listened and took him seriously. Great loss of life was the price the world paid for this folly.

Today Israel faces a similar enemy: Iran. This enemy is self declared and is in league with North Korea and all the other crazies. The problem is that their saber rattling is not merely a game. They are deadly serious and are determined to see through their threats. All the while a new generation of “peaceniks”, who generally deny the existence of evil, are sure that these dictators will listen to reason. Sure!

Thankfully there is a God in Heaven and He watches over Israel day and night. It would be foolish indeed to enter into conflict with Him as He has already published the outcome:

“The Word of the Lord will go forth from Zion and men will learn war no more ….” (Isaiah 2:4).

The Politics of Betrayal

It is nothing short of astonishing to note the “agenda driven” politics of today. It gives lip service to grand ideals, “papers over” the truth in order to distort the reality, and in the end amounts to betrayal. This is the picture that is unfolding before our eyes concerning Israel and her battle for survival. Even her modern day historical narrative is being denied in order to achieve certain global goals. Caught in this “web of intrigue”, the tiny nation of Israel “twists and turns” in order to somehow appease its allies who have now decided that a “two state solution” is the only way forward for her. This in spite of the following:

1. The Road to Oblivion
Israel is now expected to make peace with a Palestinian entity that is presently at war with itself and that does not accept Israel’s right to exist! This is not just true of Hamas but also of Mahmoud Abbas’s West Bank enclave. A Jerusalem Post report dated Monday 1st June noted that in a separate interview with local journalists Abbas reaffirmed his denial of Israel’s existence; his hardline approach on refugees and Jerusalem; and of course his demands that Israel, at least, withdraw to pre-1967 borders.

In Gaza we have much of the same situation only it is less sophisticated and openly struts its stuff! Hamas not only butchered Abbas’s people but effectively turned Gaza into a militant Islamic camp that repeatedly calls for Israel’s destruction. Moreover, like its northern cousin Hezbollah, it is funded and armed by Iran. In reality Israel has fought two proxy wars with Iran in the last two years. Now of course she is expected to open negotiations with these groups in the expectation of ultimately handing over Jerusalem to them! What right thinking western nation would do this and where in history is there a precedent for this nonsense? The allies did this for a brief moment in 1939 when Hitler took over the Rhineland, Austria and the Sudetenland. They realized in the end that their policy of appeasement had encouraged destruction and war when it became Poland’s turn. Five years later with millions of lives lost, they counted the cost of “toying with evil” and turning a blind eye.

It is unthinkable that the west and friends of Israel would now insist on pushing her into the arms of terrorists who desire nothing less than her total removal from the region. This is the road to oblivion.

2. The Road to Democracy
Where in the Middle East region, apart from Israel and the Lebanon, is there an example of democracy? Israel is the stronger of these two and indeed is a shining light of freedom, tolerance, advancement and opportunity for all regardless of race, colour, gender or creed. As a consequence, her contribution to the wider world, in all fields of endeavour, is great and disproportionate to her size. By contrast the Arab/Muslim nations of the region are totalitarian; tolerant of Islam only; suppressing when it comes to women’s rights; and illiterate by world standards!

The same privilege their people enjoy in western nations concerning freedom of religion, they deny to others in their countries. Christians cannot practice their faith openly, build churches and propagate their message! Bibles are in many cases banned but the “Protocols of Zion” are sold openly on the streets from Damascus to Tehran. From their religious and political podiums one only hears calls for Israel’s destruction and incitement to hatred. Their school text books pursue the same message. In short there is no road to democracy as it all but ends at the borders of Israel. The question is, should the west impose democracy on the region? The answer is no! However, it should strongly stand behind Israel and adopt such policies when engaging the non-democratic Muslim/Arab world that do not reward their dictatorships.

3. The Road to Agreement
Where Israel has been able to find a genuine peace partner, agreement has been reached and peace has resulted. Both Egypt and Jordan are examples of this. These agreements were reached because all the parties were exhausted from, and tired of, war. They genuinely wanted peace.

This cannot be said of the Palestinians. Driven by irresponsible leadership they have embarked on one adventure of destruction after another. Even their so-called peace initiatives were pursued with deceit and dishonesty. Palestinian Media Watch and MEMRI have more than proved this by demonstrating time and time again that what was said to western politicians, was denied and reversed when speaking to Arabic-speaking journalists. Even Yasser Arafat, speaking in Johannesburg in 1994, stated that his real intention through the so-called peace agreements under Oslo, etc. was the destruction of Israel. Faced with this fact, western politicians turned a “blind eye” and said it was only rhetoric!

And what of Gaza? Israel pulled out with good intentions and was rewarded with hostility. We all saw it coming except the enlightened politicians of the world, and sadly of Israel, who knew better. It begs the question, why is the obvious not seen by the so-called knowledgeable elite? More important still, why is Israel being pushed into the arms of Hamas? What other nation would do so in similar circumstances?

The road to agreement must begin with the cessation of violence, the recognition of Israel’s right to exist and the genuine desire for peace. Anything short of this is madness but the madness continues!

4. The Road to Peace
Israel has fully demonstrated her desire for peace and willingness to make peace where all parties share the same desire. It is almost unbelievable that after 61 years of statehood Israel is yet to be recognized as an existing state by the Palestinian leadership. Both charters, that is of Hamas and the PLO (the backbone of the PA), continue to call for her destruction.

Moreover, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are engaged in a violent power struggle and they have demonstrated this. When Israel makes concessions she is rewarded with violence. This happened in September of 2000 and after the Gaza pullout of 2005. In addition, behind the conflict is a radical Islamic theology that denies that Israel can exist on what was once the Dar Al Salem (House of Islamic Peace).

Until these realities are firmly dealt with by the international community, there cannot be and should not be a road to peace. A two state solution is unthinkable as it will result in more of the same. That is, more violence and renewed assaults against the Jewish state. Houses with weak foundations always collapse. The same is true of the House of Peace. If the foundations are not right the house will fall with unnecessary loss of life. Gaza proved this as did the negotiations under Oslo 1, 2 and 3. They failed because the foundations that should lead to true peace were not firmly put in place. In fact they were knowingly ignored. When this happens once it can be excused but when it happens repeatedly, it amounts to stupidity! Or, is there another agenda behind the stupidity?

All this is not to say that there should be no road to peace. There should but it must be properly built. Israel has time and again stated that she has no desire to rule over the Palestinians. Her actions have, I believe, proved this. However, if your perceived peace partner continuously denies your existence and calls for your destruction, then the equation changes. To move forward in these circumstances is the road to national suicide – something that Ahmadinejad continuously calls for!

Finally, it must be noted that Israel’s existence today is not because of the Holocaust. The Holocaust only proved what Herzl believed and that is that the Jews would not be safe unless they had a state of their own. His initiative to found a Jewish State called Israel began in the late 19th century (1897), some forty-five years before the Holocaust. The early 20th century saw the resettlement of what was then Palestine by Jews. At that time even Jews were called Palestinians!

The Jewish people have an unbroken 3,000 year history with the region and with Jerusalem. In fact, their first father, Abraham, crossed into the region 4,000 years ago. Their existence is remarkable, their achievements amazing and their book, the Bible, is enlightening. This book warns the nations against dividing the land (Joel 3:1-3), probably because underlying such endeavours was hostility with destruction in mind, and not sincerity.

Has anything changed?

Global Hypocrisy and Selective Morality

As I write the global media has announced that the civil war in Sri Lanka is over. Well this is good news but one cannot help but wonder why there were not rallies and riots all over the world protesting the killing of civilians as this war dragged to an end over the last few months? Where were the screaming masses that took to the streets in London and elsewhere when Israel, legitimately, defended itself against Hamas initiated terrorism? They were protesting the loss of plus/minus one thousand civilian lives in Gaza. As things turned out just on six hundred of these were Hamas terrorists.

This war in Sri Lanka has seen countless thousands of civilians lose their lives and now two hundred and fifty thousand have been displaced in the last month alone! Did the United Nations hastily convene to condemn this fact? Of course not;……and, what of the European Union? Apart from a few statements, they pursued “business as usual”. This was not Israel so no one cared and no one took to the streets on behalf of the suffering civilian population. This is nothing short of hypocrisy! But we’ve become used to it since it happens time and time again.

Ahmadinejad can deny the Holocaust and call for the destruction of Israel on a global stage, and arm himself with nuclear weapons to do it, and he can walk the halls of government with impunity. As he recently did in Geneva. The masses will not turn out to protest and Iranian flags will not be burned. In fact western European governments will continue doing business with him!! This is the morally bankrupt world we live in. Selective morality is the name of the game and one thing that is always sure is that Israel will always get a bashing!

Her antagonists want concessions from her without recognizing her right to exist and the world, that is the Western World, goes along with this. This, in itself, demonstrates that the goal of those seeking concessions is not a two state solution living side-by-side in peace security but rather a one state solution with Israel consigned to oblivion. How odd that Western politicians can’t see through this or, is there another agenda?

Politics is always filled with intrigue and betrayal not to mention corruption as the British are now finding out. For these reasons it is good to know that there is a God in Heaven who has planned a day of reckoning for all nations. On that day the truth and only the truth will come out and Israel will be the place from which real peace will radiate to the world. The vision will not fail because Isaiah saw it!

The Danger to Israel from Durban II

On the 20th April, the day Hitler was born, the United Nations conference on racism, Durban II, will convene in Geneva. Durban I was nothing more than an attempt to attack Israel by accusing it of racism and of setting up the new Apartheid state. Thankfully, the USA walked out of that circus thus exposing the racist and anti-Semitic nature of the convocation. But now, in Geneva, those seeking to delegitimize Israel are seeking to ratify Durban I and smear Israel again. The Apartheid accusation against the Jewish State will be revived and more greatly amplified. Anti-Apartheid activists like Desmond Tutu will be quoted to verify the claim and even Jimmy Carter will be referenced in order to prove the point. The goal is simple: Discriminate against Israel, delegitimize Israel and, in the end, call for the dismantling of Israel. These voices are already being heard in different parts of the world. Durban II will press forward with this agenda.

Naturally, the word Apartheid is a very powerful one as it evokes images of racial discrimination and suffering that were all too common in South Africa for decades. Forty million people were robbed of their human dignity, treated like animals and herded into ghettos. They were classified white or non-white at the stroke of a pen and sometimes, when such racial profiling was not possible, the strength of one’s curled hair would determine one’s fate. Race coloured all departments of life and those who opposed the system were harassed, hunted down, imprisoned, exiled or even killed. It was an evil system that destroyed the lives of countless thousands.

It was indeed a joyous and great day when this scourge was finally removed allowing South Africa to become a fully democratic non-racist state on the 24th of April, 1994. However, to equate Israel with this system is ludicrous. I lived under the Apartheid State and its vicious machinery and know all too well what it meant. To band the word apartheid about loosely is an insult to the 40 million people who suffered under it. To use the term other than in its original context is to play down the horrific nature of this political nightmare. The same applies to the use of the word Holocaust other than in its original context. There can be no equal! Yet this is what Durban II is all about. The goal is sure; if a charge or accusation of being an apartheid state can be made to stick as far as Israel is concerned then a call can be made to the international community to dismantle such an entity. After all, why should Israel be different to South Africa? This is the danger that Israel now faces. It is a real danger and not one to be taken lightly. Powerful and significant international “players” are involved with it.

Israel is not an Apartheid state. It is a thriving modern day democracy that affords all its peoples dignity and equality under the law. Within its borders are Jews, Christians, Arabs, Druze, Armenians and many other minority groups. All have the same rights and dignity under the law. It enjoys freedom of the press and the right to peaceful protest. Women are respected under the law and allowed into all branches of human endeavour. Israel is a shining light in an Arab world that is largely in the grip of totalitarian governments. Yet it is Israel that the United Nations conference in Geneva has chosen to describe as an Apartheid one! Nothing could be further from the truth.

The conflict in Israel has nothing to do with Apartheid and never will. It is a conflict for survival and thus until Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and their fellow travelers in the Middle East come fully to terms with Israel’s existence the sufferings of the Palestinians will continue. Not because they live under an Apartheid regime but because they live under bad leadership that has led them continuously into a no man’s land of misery and despair. The idea of a Middle East without Israel is a delusion that many have to get over. Until that day dawns the blessings that Israel can bring to the region will be forfeited.

The Dangers of Ignoring History

Given all the uproar over Israel’s justified incursion into GAZA I have noted, from various sources that, all through the years in different conflicts, pursued by different nations that there were always “voices” that called for disengagement and appeasement in the face of persistent and blatant aggression. For Instance; there were those who thought that the Nazis had obviously improved the lives of millions of Germans at every level and therefore their warlike ‘tones” at mass rallies etc were quite irrelevant and innocuous. Their threats, though often repeated, would amount to nothing!

Even though Mein Kampf (the Nazi Charter) clearly set out the “end game” it was ignored and its sinister agenda calling for the destruction of the Jews and war was regarded as nothing more than rhetoric! In fact there were people in the United Kingdom and even the United States that fully supported the Nazis and even admired them. In the USA the Nazi Party flourished for a while and even held well attended public meetings! The message was clear, there was no need to worry and all the anger and hatred aimed at the Jews was just a passing fad!

Just sixty odd years later another like-minded organization arrived in Gaza with similar goals and rhetoric. It gave help to the Palestinian community there in the form of schools, clinics and general social relief. It murdered the opposition called Fatah and drove them out of town just like Hitler did and in essence bought the support and allegiance of the people. Everyone ignored its violent jihadist speeches at mass rallies that focused on the utter and complete destruction of Israel and its “Mein Kampf” (charter) enshrined the same focus. Even the international community has said very little about this focus choosing rather to “dress” Hamas up as a legitimate partner in the pursuit of peace.

History now instructs us that to ignore reality embodied in documents, books, charters and speeches is to do so at great risk and peril. The Nazi experiment left 53 million people dead all across Europe and Russia. Six million were Jews! Hamas, through its benevolence and hatred of Israel, has led the Palestinians down the same deceptive path but how amazing it is to hear the liberal left western media eulogizing the organization for its activities! They could hardly hide their glee when they announced during the recent war that after all Israel had done Hamas was still fighting back by launching missiles.

All the while the Charter of Hamas remains totally enshrined and continues to call for the total destruction of all of Israel. It also asserts that this is undoubtedly the will of Allah. So, in reality the nature of this struggle is not political but religious just as the struggle against Nazism was not political but religious. Under the surface of this devilish movement was a religious theory based on “Norse God belief systems’ that led them to believe that they were superior to all other people and were called to subdue and triumph over them. The Jewish people were of course the most underdeveloped people on the face of the earth and had to be removed.

Sadly, nothing has really changed; Hamas and their radical Islamic fellow travelers hold a similar belief system. They just live 60 odd years later and in a world that is not prepared to learn from history and that no longer knows or acknowledges the existence of good and evil! Hitler’s jihad against the Jews led to the death of millions of non Jews and the world must recognize that this attack against Israel today could have similar repercussions if it is not recognized for what it is. But, who will listen?

The Core Issues

What makes freedom loving western democracies attack a western styled freedom loving democracy called Israel in favour and support of a totalitarian, terrorist dictatorship called Hamas? Or, why is it that western democracies will not stand alongside Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, in its struggle against radical Islamic terrorists?

Hamas, an organization that by its words and charter denies the existence of Israel, has for near on five years since Israel withdrew from the northern part of Gaza, attacked the southern towns of Israel by raining down eight thousand missiles on the residents there. Two hundred and fifty thousand people have been held hostage by this menace. Many children have been traumatized by the barrage and lives have been lost not to mention the destruction to property. All eight thousand rocket attacks were aimed indiscriminately at civilians. The world was not outraged and in fact did nothing to halt this aggression. Now that Israel has finally stepped in to bring an end to this state of affairs the world has rushed to condemn the Jewish State!!

Have we missed something here or has the international community “kissed its brains goodbye?”

The answers to the above questions are the following:

1. The demographics of European western democracies have changed dramatically over the last two decades. Most of these countries now have large Muslim populations which are increasing all the time and which are very outspoken and even violent (as in Britain, Holland, Spain and France) in their support of Muslim dictatorships and terrorists. Thus to stand with Israel is to invite trouble in one’s own backyard.

2. Most certainly anti-Semitism is at play here. Critics of this statement will assert that criticism of Israel is legitimate and is not a manifestation of anti-Semitism. They are right! However, what else would lead western democracies to support a terror regime like Hamas? To put Hamas on an equal footing with Israel is downright outrageous. It is the same as placing Hitler and his Nazi regime on the same footing as the western democracies that confronted and defeated him some sixty years ago. This is madness…or…anti-Semitism!

3. The Bible, that is the Book upon which western civilization was built, warns of a day in world events when good will be called evil and evil called good. The emergence of secular humanism with its denial of good and evil and radical commitment to political correctness with man at the center of all things has produced a political culture in Europe chiefly that refuses to acknowledge or identify who the aggressor is and who the victim is. Both sides are always wrong and even in war both sides have to lose equal amounts of lives otherwise the response to aggression is “disproportionate force!! What nonsense. Just a few days before the end of the Second World War Allied planes bombed the city of Dresden in Germany which resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilians losing their lives in fire storms that were in every way apocalyptic and unimaginable. The world said nothing! This was “whole sale” murder on a scale never seen before and quite unnecessary as Germany had been defeated. Israel has done nothing like this. Her attacks on Gaza have been “surgical” in an attempt to minimize loss of civilian life. However, how does one deal with an enemy that will not confront you out in the open but hides amongst the civilian population and uses them as shields?

In closing; what of Egypt? This nation, at peace with Israel, has knowingly and willingly allowed the most sophisticated missiles to be, firstly, smuggled into its sovereign territory from Iran and then, secondly, to be smuggled into Gaza! How did this happen? Most important still, where is the condemnation of this from the United Nations, the European Union and the so called Non-Aligned nations? The silence has been deafening. No this condemnation is reserved for Israel!!

While loss of life is deeply regretted and war is most certainly a last option it must be said that Israel’s patience has been extraordinary. Hamas has led its people into this carnage because it will not move away from its core issue which is the total destruction of Israel. It acts as a proxy for Iran and that should tell us everything. Thankfully, there is a God in Heaven and He will have the last word!