Holy Convocations

Two recent church convocations have come to conclusions that are unbiblical but widely believed in Christian circles. The first was the special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Catholic Bishops. Speaking of Israel’s place among the nations they concluded that, “the Abrahamic Covenant has been annulled.” By doing this they can remove Israel’s divine right to the land of Canaan and to Jerusalem. Naturally, if this be true, then Israel enjoys no biblical significance, her modern day restoration is an accident of history and she takes her place amongst the nations of the earth like any other. God has no more purpose for her than He does for Zambia or Switzerland!

The second convocation was that of the Lausanne Conference of Evangelicals that gathered in Cape Town. They agreed entirely with the Bishops of Rome in that their conference statement noted that, ".....we strongly believe that the separate and privileged place given to Jewish people today or to the modern Israeli state in certain forms of dispensationalism or Christian Zionism, should be challenged, inasmuch as they deny the essential oneness of the people of God in Christ.”

Once again, simply put, this means that for these evangelicals Israel’s modern day restoration enjoys no biblical significance whatsoever. Christians can and should ignore it and move on to more important spiritual things. The Catholic Bishops were at least honest in that they recognized that to hold their position on Israel they have to define the “battle ground.” That is, they must declare the Abrahamic Covenant entirely obsolete and abolished by God Himself. There is just one problem for them in this regard and that is that scripture nowhere says it. It is an argument from silence!

In fact, if anything, the New Testament scriptures everywhere affirm the ongoing efficacy of this covenant even going so far as to declare that it cannot be annulled (Galatians3:17), that it constitutes an example to believers of God’s truthfulness and unswerving faithfulness (Hebrews6:13-20) and that the finished work of Jesus on the cross was to make good its promises (Galatians3:9; 13-14;). Indeed, if we are Christ’s we are “Abraham’s children according to the promise (covenant).” (Galatians3:29)

Moreover, I know of no Christian Zionist who affords a privileged place to Jews or Israel. If anything, the call of God over the Jewish people was never a “privileged place” but a place of servant hood, suffering and rejection for the sake of the world! As a gentile believer in Christ Jesus I would not want their role in history, but truly I have been eternally enriched by it because “salvation is of the Jews”, “we share in their spiritual things” and from them “Christ came who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

To assert then that, since Jesus’ coming, the Abrahamic Covenant has been abolished is quite frankly theological ineptitude! The scriptures nowhere support this theory. In fact, if accepted, these convocations are guilty of the very theological position that they claim to be against! That is, they are guilty of being dispensationalists because they endorse the movement of one plan of God to another throughout history. This is classic dispensationalism! We reject dispensationalism in all its forms because there has only and forever been one plan of God for the salvation of the whole world (Revelation13:8). This plan was unveiled and promised in the Abrahamic Covenant which, according to Paul was the first and foundational proclamation of the Gospel (Galatians3:8) The fact that this saving initiative also promised land as an everlasting possession to the Jewish people (Genesis17:8-9) has always “stuck in the throat” of many people and groups. (Nehemiah2:19-20; 4:1-3; 6:1-2)

The fact is all nations are blessed and saved by faith in the finished work of Jesus because of the peculiar servant role that Israel has played out on their behalf. A calling that Paul admits is irrevocable! (Romans11:29) For this role or call to be removed the Abrahamic Covenant has to be removed but, if that ever happens and it will not, God’s decision to save the world also has to be removed! It is worthy of note that, years after Israel’s rejection of Jesus Messianic credentials, the writer of the book of Hebrews holds up the Abrahamic Covenant to wavering believers as an example of God’s faithfulness to his word, character and promises.

The Lausanne Conference and the Catholic Bishops are not only guilty of dispensationalism but of also casting doubt over the character of God. They have thereby disqualified themselves from participating in one of the most remarkable acts of God in history and have failed to “rightly divide” the word of God. One wonders whether the pressure of being politically correct has caused them to do this?

It needs to be borne in mind that the position held by Christian Zionists today was also held by great Christian leaders throughout history including the Wesley’s, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Bishop Ryle of Liverpool, Sir Isaac Newton, the early church leaders as reflected by the documents of the early church and many thousands more.

That we are and all should be concerned about issues of justice and righteousness in the Middle East and elsewhere is a given. We should be committed to the “whole counsel of God” and are. However, I want to know why these church convocations have abandoned the people of South Sudan where two million Christians, in the last decade and more, were killed at the hands of Muslims and why they have said and done nothing about the “forgotten war” in central Africa that has thus far claimed the lives of four million people? Obviously righteousness and justice for them is a matter of “special selection.” Or, are these people left without hope because they are African?

Rev. Malcolm Hedding

The Ongoing Madness

The word most heard now or mentioned in publications concerning Israel is, “Isolation”. The now infamous Flotilla incident, which had more to do with an anti-Israel agenda than with humanitarian aid for the beleaguered residents of Gaza, has empowered the anti-Israel left and enabled them to make increased calls for Israel to be isolated. The enemies of Israel have used this incident to further broaden out their attack against Israel at every level. They are sadly supported by much of the global press and the ever vocal radical political left. As a consequence, labour unions, in many parts of the world, are refusing to off load ships with Israeli products on them and historical Christian Church Movements such as Presbyterians, Anglicans and Lutherans are intensifying their calls for disinvestment in Israel.

This “attack” is so widespread, sustained and sadly effective that the “average Joe” everywhere is buying into it or, because of pressure and intimidation, giving into it. The result is that organizations, like the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and others, that stand with Israel are being branded as misguided and viewed as suspect.

This is the climate in which we now operate. In short there is a sustained campaign to delegitimize and dismantle Israel and those who defend her are targeted in the same way. However, we are not moved or persuaded by public opinion but by the Word of the living God. We are thus convinced that Israel’s modern day restoration is not a political coincidence but rather evidence of God’s faithfulness to His word and promise made to Abraham some 4000 years ago. We will stand firm in our support of Israel and her right to exist in and enjoy the land that God forever gave her. (Genesis17:7-8) This includes proclaiming that Jerusalem is and should remain the undivided eternal capital of the Jewish people. Israel’s claims in this regard are beyond dispute.

However, the delegitimizing campaign against Israel has brought together radical Muslims and radical leftists in the western democracies. These are very strange bedfellows as Islam’s well documented abuse of women, honour killings, execution of those from its ranks who convert to other religions, and agenda to introduce Sharia Law wherever it gets a foothold are blatant contradictions of the left’s thinking and very public positions. So, why would “the left” turn a blind eye or tolerate such blatant contradictions of their philosophical world-view? The answer is simple; they unite with radical Islam in their hated of Israel and desire to see her removed from the Middle East.

So, what could be at the root of this mad hatred? Only one thing, anti-Semitism! The hatred of things Jewish is an old deadly malady of the human heart that is so intense that it will unite the most unlikely groups and people. This is a disease of choice. It is not a sickness but a deliberate decision to persecute, hound and destroy Jews. It involves people of all stations of life and thus is not a respecter of persons. The new target of those filled with this hatred is the “corporate Jew” or Israel. By this means they disavow ant-Semitism and affirm that their attack against Israel is legitimate because of political concerns. This is the big lie! These people hate all things Jewish, they propagate the age old lies of the Protocols of the Elders Zion and buy into anything that denies the Holocaust and they will not stop until they have achieved their goals.

Their narrative denies history, twists the truth and even denies any Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Nevertheless, the liberal left marches hand-in-hand with them! Meanwhile, smelling weakness in the American Administration, Ahmadinejad of Iran has stepped up his war against the Jews by prompting Hezbollah into armed conflict with Israel on her northern border and, on the web, he has initiated a new project that by the use of cartoons denies the Holocaust. The message is clear; the Jews were never exterminated by anybody but now they deserve it! When will the madness stop and who will step up to oppose it?

Shame on the World

The International condemnation of Israel over the interception of the Turkish ship the Mavi Malmara is clearly a case of, “don’t confuse me with facts because my mind is already made up.” Any fair minded person, after viewing the video footage, will concede that Israeli Commandos were definitely not boarding a ship of peaceful activists intent on bringing love and aid to the citizens of Gaza. On the contrary they were well armed individuals with every intention of inflicting bodily harm on the boarding Israeli soldiers who boarded brandishing paint ball guns! It has since emerged that a good number of these so called activists were in fact Islamic jihadists fully prepared to sacrifice their lives for this misguided adventure.

They in fact left statements to this effect with their families and friends and then, as they saw it, went off to wage war against Israel in the real expectation of dying and ascending immediately to paradise! Israel’s interception of the ship in question and indeed of the whole flotilla was perfectly legal given that ships of this nature have been used over the past months and years to attempt to ferry arms to Hamas and Hezbollah. The former has been branded a terrorist organization by the international community and the on going blockade of Gaza is in fact an international operation supported by Egypt and the USA.

Once again the radical left, mainly in Europe, and Muslims extremists have linked hands in order to recklessly stage a publicity stunt that had little to do with delivering aid to Gaza. Not only did this misguided adventure cost lives but it has exposed the anti-Semitic agenda of those who gave themselves to it. The rush of states like Turkey and the wider world, including the United Nations, to judge and condemn Israel before the real facts came out was little short of pathetic. Once again blind arrogance and hatred triumphed over reason.

Israel did what was right and indeed what every self respecting democracy would do in defense of its civilians and sovereignty. The failure then of the Western Democracies to stand up in defense of a more measured approach based on all the facts is evidence of the degree to which they have given in to the radical voices of hatred in their countries. Appeasement of these voices is a highway to disaster and it is slowly but surely eroding the freedoms that were won, especially in Europe, some sixty years ago, by the spilling of much blood. The winds of change are indeed blowing but if the West is not careful it will reap the whirlwind!

The Prime Minister of Israel was thus right when he accused the international community of double standards and of losing its way in terms of understanding the difference between good and evil. This hypocrisy is no more evident than in the attack by North Korea against a South Korean frigate which resulted in the death of forty-five South Korean sailors. Where was the condemnation, protests and outrage at this clear act of unprovoked aggression? No, all of this has been reserved for Israel who is locked in a life and death struggle with an opponent in Gaza that unashamedly calls for and works for her total destruction. An opponent that, without shame, has launched some 10,000 missiles at the Israeli civilian population in recent years.

It’s become popular to bash Israel and “play games” with totalitarian regimes in the Middle East including that of Gaza but in the end the truth of what really happened on the Mavi Malmara will and is being revealed for all to see. That is, to those who are not blinded by minds that are already made up! And by the way, in case you were wondering and average of 150 trucks pass from Israel into Gaza every day bringing much needed help to the people there.

Israel and Apartheid

Day by day the anti-Israel alliance, and sadly in collaboration with major church movements mainly from the historical Protestant world, is seeking to make the Apartheid State accusation leveled at Israel stick. There is more to this than meets the eye in that the real intention behind labeling Israel an Apartheid State is to remove altogether the Jewish State. The Apartheid State of South Africa was rightfully dismantled in the late nineteen eighties and early nineties. It was first discredited, then delegitimized and finally dismantled to the joy of the world and the enslaved black majority who had lived under and endured its brutality.

However, to describe Israel in these terms is, quite frankly, immoral and wicked and yet on the university campuses of the Western World this is becoming the popular thing to do. Radical leftist academics and politicians are teaming up with Islamic elements to pursue this goal. They want to equate Israel with the original apartheid state and thus demand that the world do as it did to South Africa; dismantle it! Most of these people know absolutely nothing about Apartheid but the word is extremely powerful since it conjures up notions of hatred, discrimination, brutality, racism and prejudice.

It is quite astonishing to witness how a lie told often enough can eventually be accepted as truth! Most of these people have no knowledge of the “inner workings” of the apartheid regime and couldn’t even tell you the basic facts about it. It’s just a very powerful weapon to use when discharging their hatred of Israel.

Essentially apartheid was a totalitarian system of governance, not unlike those of the Arab world today, where a minority population subjugated and enslaved the overwhelmingly black population. It was ideologically driven and was obsessed with racial superiority. The superior white population could not mingle with or even sit on a bench with the inferior black peoples. Even the education system was “dumbed down” for black people because they were mentally inferior and could not cope with the high levels of learning that whites could embrace. The towns and cities were “white by night” as all “blacks”, as they were called, had to be removed to their shanty towns that served as cheap labour ghettos for the nation. The black people could not vote, own property or even move freely in their own country.

Various instruments of state were used to ruthlessly apply the system of total and complete segregation and these included the police, the military and the judiciary system. In short, it was Aryanism in a new form!

There is absolutely nothing equivalent to this in the dispute that rages between the Palestinians and Israel today. Arabs, Jews, Christians and Palestinians share the same shopping malls, benches, hospitals, theatres, and in many cases, suburbs. The educational institutions do not have a “dumbed down” Arab/Palestinian curriculum and the privilege of voting is given to all. Israel has Arab Members of Knesset and Jews, Arabs and Palestinians often work together on construction sites, in businesses and in hotels etc. Most important of all is the fact that Israel is a democratic state, (not a perfect one), with democratic institutions and is not governed by a totalitarian minority!

It is also important to remember that there never was a Palestinian State in the region as even Jews were called, and registered as, Palestinian in 1948! The British government held mandate over the country and accepted the right of Jews to have a state of their own in what was their ancient homeland. Even the United Nations accepted and voted for this right. When Israel implemented this decision by declaring its existence she was immediately attacked by no less than five Arab countries!

This brings into focus the real nature of this conflict. That is, it has very little to do with politics or peace agreements but everything to do with theology! By this I mean a radical jihadist theology that considers the whole land of Israel and not just the West Bank part of the house of Islam. This theology dictates that all this land must be returned to this house by peaceful, political or violent jihad. So, when the Palestinians had everything they say they want now from 1948 to 1967 they neither protested against the illegal Jordanian occupation of the region nor even remotely demanded a state of their own. They did however found the PLO in 1964 charged with the distinct mandate of destroying the State of Israel. They subsequently launched a terror campaign to prove it and throughout the Oslo peace initiative era refused to remove the infamous “destruction clauses” from their charter!

The same jihadist theology drives Hamas, the Alaksa Brigade, Hezbollah, Ahmadinejad of Iran and all the rest. This has absolutely nothing to do with Apartheid! The state of Israel enjoys a Jewish majority; it is democratic and has demonstrated a willingness to make painful concessions in order to make peace with its neighbors. In all cases it alone paid the real price by giving up land. It even withdrew from Gaza to demonstrate its sincerity in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians. The trauma that the withdrawal brought to the people of Gaza and the wider nation was played out for the entire world to see on the international media. It was not good enough! So, the result was the, “same old, same old”. That is, within a short space of time ten thousand missiles, fired from the vacated territory, rained down on Israel’s civilians in the southern part of the nation. The world said and did very little but Israel is, of course, an apartheid state!

Over the years, and in response to one of the most ambitious peace initiatives in Israel’s short history called Oslo 1, 2, and 3, the Palestinians have opted for violence. This is called “Intifada.” Wave upon wave of suicide bombers attacked Israel from the porous boundary line between the nation and the West Bank. Men, women and children were indiscriminately murdered in buses, restaurants, hotels and shopping malls. To protect herself from these murdering intruders Israel built a barrier fence, which, in some more dangerous areas, becomes a wall. It is not built to segregate people or discriminate against them but to protect its citizens from attack. In this connection it has been highly successful though even Israel admits that it is regrettable. But, what would any other self respecting democratic state do? Nevertheless, the Apartheid accusers love to use the wall to further their accusation.

To presume, after all that Israel has been through in her sixty-two years of statehood, that Israel has no legitimate security concerns is madness. The Palestinians have time and again demonstrated that their strategy has not changed since 1964. In Johannesburg in 1994, after shaking the hand of Yitzhak Rabin on the lawns of the White House near the end of 1993, Yasser Arafat declared as much. Palestinian Media Watch has also repeatedly drawn attention to this fact. The liberal left and their fellow travelers conveniently ignore this fact. No sir, Apartheid is not the issue, the destruction of Israel is. Just this past week, the Syrian based Hamas leader stood shoulder to shoulder with Ahmadinejad of Iran and together they boasted that very soon Israel, in its entirety, would vanish from the map of the world. Theirs is a holy war but for the liberal left it is Apartheid and the truth is their radical positions have made them allies!

This same radical left group espouse democracy but in practice denies it. They will not allow Israeli academics, leaders or politicians to exercise their democratic right to free speech. Their intolerance knows no boundaries as they threaten and trash meetings in educational institutions in western countries that supposedly are there to educate within the context of democratic values. This is exactly what the apartheid thugs of the South African regime did. They violently brought public meetings to an end if anyone opposed their view of the world. They were scared to death that someone might just have a more truthful and compelling argument to theirs. The democratic rights they claim for themselves they deny others.

For sure the Palestinians have suffered and still do but to place the blame entirely at Israel’s door for this is folly. Their failed and corrupt leadership, missed opportunities and willingness to support conflict is also a crucial component in their suffering. Israel is no Apartheid state. She is a democratic state living under the constant threat of annihilation and thus seeking to balance her need to find a lasting peace with her neighbors with that of her security. Her regional experience has taught her that her security and very existence is the number one issue. After all, in all the so called peace plans presented to the region, she is expected to do all the giving with only verbal guarantees of security given by her interlockers. These have never amounted to much!

The truth is the Apartheid accusation is just another smokescreen in the war against Israel! I should know it because I grew up in Apartheid South Africa.

Malcolm Hedding.

Watch this interview of Malcolm dismantling the myth of Israeli Apartheid:



For more on the life and struggle of Malcolm against Apartheid, read this article from Jerusalem Post Christian Edition entitled "Still Fighting Apartheid" by Lela Gilbert.