Author: Geoff Henstock

Judging the nations which have divided God’s land

On By Geoff HenstockIn West Bank4 Comments

I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land. (Joel 3:2 ESV)

Joel 3 is a prophecy of the conflict that engulfs Israel at the time of the end when Gog and his allies invade and overpower the Jewish state, only to find themselves overthrown in turn by divine intervention. The prophecy says that “all the nations” will be involved in this judgement.

Zechariah also speaks of how “all nations” will be gathered to Israel for this judgement, and draws attention to the fact that Jerusalem will be central to this conflict: “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it” (12:3).

Joel 3:2 speaks of “all the nations” incurring the wrath of God for two reasons:

  1. They scattered the Jews among the nations. This has been fulfilled in the nearly 2,000 years that have passed since the Romans destroyed the Jewish state of Judea in AD 70.
  1. They have divided up my land. This is a more modern phenomenon, and may be regarded as having commenced in 1947 when the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine into two states, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs.

In 1947 the Jews accepted the partition plan for Palestine and went on to establish the independent state of Israel in 1948. The Arabs did not support the partition plan and launched a bitter war hoping to destroy the Jewish state at its birth. They failed in that War of Independence in 1948 and 1949 and in several wars since.

69 years later, the nations of the world in general continue to support the partition of the Holy Land into separate states for Jews and Arabs. Even the Israeli government officially endorses this view.

On 15 January 2017, the French government convened a conference in Paris to discuss the Middle East peace process. Attended by representatives of 70 nations (a significant number in the light of the seventy nations listed in Genesis 10, the number of Israelites in Genesis 46:25 and Exodus 1:5, and the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:8), the conference reiterated support for the so-called “two state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The United States was represented by outgoing Secretary of State, John Kerry, known for his animosity towards the Israeli government, but not by anyone associated with the administration of incoming President Trump. The United Kingdom attended as an observer only rather than as a participant. There were no representatives at the conference of either the Israeli government or the Palestinian administration.

Not surprisingly, the Palestinians supported the final communique of the conference and reiterated their view that Israel is the only impediment to a “two state solution”. It is also unsurprising that Israel expressed scepticism about the conference outcome. In remarks to his Cabinet after the conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:

“This conference is among the last twitches of yesterday’s world. Tomorrow’s world will be different — and it is very near.”

No doubt Mr Netanyahu was referring to the fact that in just a few days the new Trump administration will assume office in the United States. But like the words of Caiaphas in John 11:49-52, his comments could also be read as an unintended “prophecy” of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is interesting that, while supporting a “two state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United Kingdom was critical of the conference in an official statement issued by the Foreign Office:

“We have particular reservations about an international conference intended to advance peace between the parties that does not involve them – indeed which is taking place against the wishes of the Israelis – and which is taking place just days before the transition to a new American President when the US will be the ultimate guarantor of any agreement. There are risks therefore that this conference hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace.”

This conference in Paris is just the latest in a long list of ineffective initiatives to promote peace in the Middle East. More importantly, however, it is further confirmation of the truth of the words of Joel about all the nations being judged by God because of their determination to divide God’s land.

Will Israel Annex the West Bank?

On By Geoff HenstockIn Israel, West BankLeave a comment

Israeli Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, a leader of the Jewish Home Party, recently called on the Israeli government immediately to annex Judea and Samaria, which abut Jerusalem. This area, usually referred to as “the West Bank”, was captured from Jordan during the Six Day War in 1967. In Ezekiel 38:8 the area is referred to as “the mountains of Israel”.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett calls for Israel to extend sovereignty over Judea and Samaria

Approximately 450,000 Israeli citizens live in the area. Most of them are Jewish, while some are Arab citizens of Israel. At present, they live under the laws of the Palestinian Authority and the land they occupy is regarded by most nations as belonging to the Palestinians.

Mr Bennett’s extremely hawkish and provocative suggestion came in the wake of a recent UNESCO statement which denies any Jewish link to the Temple Mount. The Education Minister claimed that the UNESCO statement reflected “the failure of Israel to clearly express Jewish rights to the historic Land of Israel”. He went on to say, “That’s what happens when we don’t treat our own land as ours. The UNESCO resolution is an attempt to deny history. But you know what? You cannot change history. Israel is ours for well over 3,000 years. It will be ours –Jerusalem is ours – but it’s time to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria”.

In accordance with the confidence of the Israelis that is suggested in the language of Ezekiel 38, Mr Bennett dismissed concerns about the international opposition such a move would trigger with the words, “Don’t fret global opposition; annex Judea and Samaria now!” This bold position may have been strengthened by comments from Donald Trump’s camp in the United States Presidential election campaign. In June, David Friedman, Mr Trump’s co-adviser on Israeli affairs, said that Mr Trump does not believe Palestinian state. He went on to say that, if elected president, Mr Trump would support Israel’s annexation parts of the West Bank.

The Minister cited earlier precedents for such annexation, noting that, “Menachem Begin in 1981 did the same thing for the Golan Heights. [Prime Minister] Eshkol in ’67 did the same thing in Jerusalem. And there was always a world [that opposed it]. But there was the will power and the courage to do it – and we need to do what’s right for Israelis, for the Jews, and that’s the right thing.”

While not calling for wholesale annexation of Judea and Samaria, other Israeli officials have also spoken recently about increasing Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is establishing a committee to organize the legal status of land settled by Israelis in the West Bank. This is intended to resolve the concerns of residents of West Bank settlements that their land may be taken from them.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, a hard-line member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, in late October publicly promoted the concept of annexing a significant area in the West Bank. She said that, “The answer to the international struggle over Jerusalem is applying sovereignty over Ma’ale Adumim, which will guarantee Jerusalem will always remain united and develop”. Welfare Minister Haim Katz, also from the Likud party Ms Hotovely’s call for annexation.

Given the reluctance of successive Israeli Governments since 1967 to annex this territory it is unlikely that Israel would move to incorporate Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) into Israel. If it did so, it would need to manage the demographic challenge of several million Arabs who currently live there. Of course, circumstances can change very suddenly, especially in the volatile political climate of the Middle East, and the fact that there are senior Government Ministers willing to advocate for annexation confirms that it remains a possibility.

Whatever the legal status of Judea and Samaria might be in the future, what is certain from Ezekiel 38:8 is that this area will be the focus of the Gogian invasion. It could be that any Israeli move to seize even part of the West Bank could be a trigger that Gog might use to justify his thrust into the Holy Land.

Brexit and Israel

On By Geoff HenstockIn IsraelLeave a comment

The decision of the British people to leave the European Union (EU) reflects their perception that the EU has a negative impact on the United Kingdom (UK).  Few if any will have given any thought to the implications of that decision for Israel, but that it will have implications for Israel is certain; it is these that will be of most interest to students of prophecy.

It has long been recognised that the UK and Germany are Israel’s strongest supporters in Europe.  For that reason, Oded Eran, Israel’s former ambassador to the EU, said that from Israel’s perspective it would have been preferable for the UK to remain in the EU.

Mr Eran was not alone in this view.  Just a few days prior to the referendum, former UK Prime Minister David Cameron addressed a Jewish audience and urged them to vote to stay.  He asked them to consider the implications for Israel: “Do you want Britain, Israel’s greatest friend, in there opposing boycotts, opposing the campaign for divestment and sanctions, or do you want us outside the room, powerless to affect the discussion that takes place?”  That Jewish audience might have agreed with Mr Eran and Mr Cameron, but the majority of the electorate voted to leave.  The UK’s ability to support Israel from within the EU will come to end when she formally leaves the EU, which is expected to be in 2019.

Having lost the referendum, Mr Cameron resigned and was replaced as Prime Minister by Theresa May, but that does not mean that UK support for Israel has been weakened.  Mrs May, the daughter of Anglican vicar and a devout Christian, has visited Israel on several occasions, taking a particular interest in Israel’s high-tech industries.  As Home Secretary she was noted for her very strong stand against antisemitism.  Following the 2015 terrorist attack on a Jewish supermarket in Paris, Mrs May wore a sign declaring “Je Suis Juif” (I am a Jew).

Israel may expect the UK to remain a close friend in coming years, but the UK’s ability to temper anti-Israel sentiment in the EU will come to an end.  This will be seen as a mixed blessing by Israel.  A few days after the referendum, the UK’s ambassador in Israel, David Quarrey, reassured Israel that the UK would remain a friend and partner of the Jewish state.  He noted that the UK had been a friend of Israel before it joined the EU and would remain so after it left.

The UK is the world’s fifth largest economy and a significant trading power.  Its exit from the EU is likely to see the UK focusing more on markets elsewhere in the world.  This would include trade with other members of the Commonwealth but also with nations in the Middle East.  In that context, Israel already is the UK’s single-largest trading partner in the region.  Trade between the two nations, largely is in Israel’s favour, is predicted to exceed US$10 billion this year and is expected to keep growing.  It has been suggested that Brexit might enhance this trading relationship if Israel and the UK can put together a bilateral free-trade agreement relatively swiftly.

The positive and negative implications of Brexit for Israel mesh very well with long-standing interpretations of Bible prophecy which present the UK as a trading power offering support for Israel at the time of the end when she is threatened by Gog and his allies, which include European nations.  The use of the word “merchants” in Ezekiel 38:13 suggests it may well be bilateral commercial interests which influence the UK to express support for Israel at that time.  In all these things we can detect the hand of the angels manipulating world events in accordance with God’s plan and purpose.  Let us have the wisdom to heed the signs of the time and prepare for our Lord’s return.

Israel and the X factor in Australian Politics

On By Geoff HenstockIn Israel2 Comments

One of the big winners in the 2016 Federal election in Australia is the Nick Xenophon Team, a political party created by former independent Senator Nick Xenophon.  Mr Xenophon first came to prominence as a fervent campaigner for gambling controls.  Gambling often leads to significant problems for vulnerable people and his stance on the evils associated with gambling appealed to many in the community.

As first a member of the Upper House in the South Australian parliament and later as a senator in Federal parliament, Mr Xenophon expanded his platform by campaigning for a number of populist causes, portraying himself as the champion of the downtrodden and marginalised.  He is a strong advocate of domestic manufacturing and has argued for protection for industries and jobs perceived to be at risk from economic reforms and liberalised trading arrangements.

In the 2016 Federal election Mr Xenophon’s populist policies attracted considerable support and delivered his team several seats in the Federal parliament.  He now has more influence in Canberra than ever before, especially in the light of the tight outcome of the election and the finely balanced numbers in parliament.  Mr Xenophon’s support will be vital if the government is to remain in power and in its efforts to secure support for legislation it wishes to enact.  It must be expected that Mr Xenophon will seek support for causes he holds dear in exchange for his support of the government.

But what does this have to do with Israel?  More than you might have imagined.  While Mr Xenophon’s views on gambling and support for local industries are well known, what is less well-known is his fervent advocacy for the Palestinians in their struggle with Israel.  In August 2014, Mr Xenophon travelled to the Middle East as a guest of the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA).  While there, his itinerary involved mainly meetings with Palestinian officials.  His contact with the Israeli side of the conflict was confined mostly to meetings with extremist Israeli groups which are harsh critics of the Israeli government.  Mr Xenophon has donated funds to the AFOPA, an organisation which actively supports the boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement which condemns Israel and seeks to isolate the Jewish state from the wider world.

Mr Xenophon was one of the first signatories of what is known as the Canberra Declaration.  This extremely one-sided and poorly-informed document calls for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and its alleged blockade of Gaza.  His contributions in the Senate have reflected his support for this slanted view of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

In the Senate on24 March, 2015, following a meeting he had with the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Mr Xenophon made a speech which was highly critical of Israel, in the course of which he claimed incorrectly that:

Gaza has been living under an Israeli blockade since 2007 when Israel placed massive restrictions over movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza.

In that speech Mr Xenophon did criticise Palestinian forces in Gaza for firing rockets into Israel but his rhetoric was overwhelmingly anti-Israel.  He questioned the proportionality of Israel’s response to the rocket attacks from Gaza, ignoring the fact that this is complicated by Hamas’ policy of using civilian infrastructure and human shields for military purposes.  He also ignored the stringent border restrictions imposed on Gaza by Egypt.  It is likely that the omissions from that speech reflected the slanted information supplied to him by the APAN.

At a Senate committee hearing on 3 June, 2015, Mr Xenophon directly questioned whether recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is consistent with the Australian government’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.  In the light of Joel 3, students of prophecy have good reason to be sceptical of the two-state solution.  It should be recognised, however, that when an avowed supporter of the Palestinian side questions the legitimacy of the two-state solution they are really calling into question the concept of a national homeland for the Jews in any form.

On 25 June, 2015, Mr Xenophon addressed the Senate criticising the Attorney-General’s statement that “the description of East Jerusalem as ‘occupied’ … is freighted with pejorative implications, which is neither appropriate nor useful”.  It is clear whose side Senator Xenophon supports in the debate about the status of Jerusalem.  His position may be confirmed by the fact that, on 15 July, 2014, Mr Xenophon co-hosted a forum to mark the tenth anniversary of the International Court of Justice finding that Israel’s settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank are illegal.

It is hard to know how many of his colleagues in the Nick Xenophon Team share their leader’s views about Israel and the Palestinians, mainly because he has been very reluctant to allow them to speak for themselves.  It is known, however, that the Team’s lead candidate for the Senate in Victoria, Naomi Halpern, who is Jewish, has used social media to support the description of Israel as “a 68-year-old apartheid state”.

Since its creation as a Jewish state, Israel has enjoyed strong support from Australia.  While the electoral success of Senator Xenophon is unlikely to overturn completely Australia’s support for Israel, the government might be encouraged to tone down its advocacy for the Jewish state.  Ezekiel 38 portrays Tarshish and the young lions as mounting a somewhat muted response to the Gogian host which invades Israel at the time of the end.  One wonders whether the political influence of Senator Xenophon and his colleagues in the new parliament might extend to foreign policy issues affecting Israel and the Middle East.  We cannot be sure, but we may be certain that God is at work influencing the nations in unseen ways to ensure that His plan and purpose is worked out.  Should our Lord’s return be delayed we may watch with interest how the X factor influences Australia’s policy toward the Middle East.

Russia’s so called withdrawal from Syria

On By Geoff HenstockIn RussiaLeave a comment

In 2015 Russia surprised the world when it committed Russian troops and military hardware to defend the Assad regime in Syria.  With Russian assistance the Assad government was able to make substantial gains against the various rebel forces who had been threatening it.

Russia caught the world off guard again in March 2016 when it announced that its forces would be withdrawing from Syria.  Exactly what “withdrawal” means is hard to define.  It is true that many of the 4,000 ground forces that had been deployed have returned to Russia, but it also is clear that the Russians will continue to operate the airbase it built last year near Latakia as well as the naval base it has long held at Tartus (having inherited it from the former USSR).

Why did Vladimir Putin decide to withdraw (even if only partially) from Syria?  Presumably because he had achieved his objectives from his intervention.  And what has Russia achieved?  Firstly, it has saved the Assad regime, at least for the time being.  Secondly and more importantly, Putin has restored Russia’s superpower status by demonstrating its resolve to extend its geo-political reach into the Middle East.  Thirdly, Russia has frustrated the ambitions of Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to be the patrons of a reconstructed Syria.

It is clear that the Assad regime cannot hope to retain its hold on Syria in the long term; Russia’s involvement has ensured it will play a key role in determining who fills the vacuum when, finally, there is regime change in Syria.

While the United States and her allies vacillated with regard to Syria, Russia took decisive action which changed the course of the Syrian civil war.  In an article by Amotz Asa-el entitled “Russia’s Retreat? in the April 2016 issue of the Australia/Israel Review he made this observation which resonates with the scenario outlined in Ezekiel 38:

The region-wide impression that Moscow initiates and Washington responds, that the Kremlin impacts while the White House talks, and that Russia does not abandon allies the way Obama abandoned Egypt’s Hosni Mubarek, will constitute a major diplomatic challenge for the next American President.

While Israel has benefited from neutralisation of the Syrian army as a threat there is no guarantee that the forces which replace the Assad regime in Syria will be any more well disposed towards Israel than the current regime.  Israel has watched events in Syria closely to ensure that they do not impact adversely upon the Jewish state, and intervened at times when necessary to protect her interests.  She has also benefited from the Syrian civil war in terms of her regional position, in particular those nations which Ezekiel 38 indicates will be allied with Tarshish at the time of the end.  Amotz Asa-el made the point that, as a result of the Syrian civil war:

Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states appreciate Israel as a regional stabiliser, and as an ally in their confrontation with Islamism.  The war also made Ankara reconsider its anti-Israel U-turn last decade …

Putin’s involvement in Syria has, however, impressed upon Israel the fact that its relationship with Russia is now more critical and sensitive than it has ever been.  In that context it is interesting to note Israel’s reticence to criticise Russia’s intrusions into the Ukraine.  It also is interesting to see Russia’s continued interest in seeking to help Israel in its exploitation of the major oil and gas fields recently identified off the Israeli coast.  Perhaps most remarkably, Israel now regards Russia as potential peace broker with her enemies in the Middle East.

A mere 48 hours after Russia announced its “withdrawal” from Syria, President Rivlin of Israel made an unscheduled visit to Moscow, postponing a previously arranged visit to Australia to facilitate the trip.  At that meeting Russia agreed to two requests from Israel:

  1. That Russia continue its co-ordination with the Israeli Defence Force with regard to operations in Syria; and
  2. That Russia work to restore the UN peace keeping force that, prior to the Syrian civil war, helped to maintain stability on the Syrian-Israeli border.

Amotz Asa-el concluded his article with this paragraph:

The role of peacemaker which Putin is now in a position to play is hardly what his international image currently evokes.  Nonetheless, the world opinion that does not expect him to pacify enemies is the same world opinion that did not expect him to intervene in Syria last year, or to retreat from it now.

Russia has demonstrated its capacity and willingness to intervene in long-running internecine conflict in the Middle East.  It is not hard to imagine how Russia’s intervention in Syria could be repeated in the near future a little further south.  When she does, we might expect from the terms of Ezekie 38 that the powers opposed to Russia will be as flat-footed and muted in their response as they have been in the case of Syria.

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