The world seems to really dislike Israel and the Jewish people, be it the U.N's obsession to single Israel out while essentially ignoring far worse problems and perpetrators in the world. Or be it the scrutiny that those on the left regularly dish out to Israel, in the media or on university campuses.
The hostile attitude is manifest in the fact that anti-Semitic attacks and hate crimes are spiking in Europe, causing an exodus of Jews back to Israel. And the media ignores this while all other racial grievances become public issues and take media attention. Notwithstanding, Jews have been persecuted far longer and worse than any other ethnic group in history.
A spiritual cause
The amount of hostility towards Israel seems absent from any basis in reason. The very irrational aspect of it suggests this attitude has a spiritual cause. We know our spiritual adversary has relentlessly sought to destroy God's people in order to subvert His plan to bring about the Messiah previously; for example, Herod killed all the first born. But this animosity continues today, and it suggests God still has a plan for Israel; otherwise Satan wouldn't still be seeking to annihilate the Jewish people with such vigour.
In fact many consider the modern emergence of the state of Israel to be a prophetic fulfilment in itself. One can reference the prophet Isaiah: 'can a nation be born in a single day' (chapter 66, verse 8) as was modern Israel? Or the book of Amos which says 'I will bring back my exiled people to Israel...never to be uprooted again.'
Israel is surrounded by a sub-continent of enemies who predictably seek to deprive the Jews of the tiny slither of land they possess, of which they have ancestral ties, going back centuries before the Arabs even settled there.
The Jews have basically survived as an ethnic religious people and out lived every major empire in history, despite many attempts to destroy them. It seems God must have been involved in preserving a remnant for some purpose. The ugly face of history in its attempt to eradicate the Jews is now so routine and expected that Jews once again need their own nation for self-preservation.
A plot to take over?
You frequently hear about conspiracies that sinister Jews are plotting and scheming behind the scenes to control the world. And it is true that they are drastically over represented in prominent and powerful positions: from banking and finance to media and large corporations. They only hold these positions because the Hasidic Jew has a higher than average IQ compared with any other ethnic group in the world—another blessing from God perhaps.
Either way, this hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people alone is enough to make me seriously question the motivations of such attitudes and re-posture in defence of Israel. Not that Israel is blameless.
God said to Abraham: 'I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.' Conditions of righteous conduct weren't really given there. So, even though Israel is in unbelief at this time, we still need to bless them and share the gospel with them and not fall in line against them as the Church has done historically.
Amos is an evangelical conservative, who cares about where the world is going, and seeks to understand why it is happening, especially in light of prophecy and the spiritual powers behind the scenes. Amos currently lives in Auckland New Zealand. Amos pursues salvation for the lost, and considers himself a defender of traditional Christian values, liberal democracy and the historically unprecedented freedom and liberty established and defended by our forebears – which unfortunately, is gradually being eroded.
Amos Sale's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/amos-sale.html