Israel

To believe that God has a purpose yet for ethnic
Israel, as I do, is not necessarily to be a Zionist.
Lubavich, ultra Orthodox Jews are not Zionists. They
believe in no restoration to the land until Messiah
comes. Similarly, I believe Scripture teaches no
restoration to the land except for a repentant
covenant people. Israelis are not such a people. They
reject the covenant which is now in Christ. So the
State of Israel is not according to prophecy and
deserves no special consideration as part of God's
purposes. Christian support of Zionism is the biggest
stumbling block to evangelising Muslims. It should be
the cross, not Israel, that is the stone of stumbling.
I believe that Jews are both under the blessing and
the curse of the covenant.

Their continuing existence as a diaspora for 1935
years, unique in history, is testimony that God has
not left off his covenant blessings to them.

Their continuing persecution for all these years is
evidence they are under the covenant curses for
rejecting Messiah.

THIS LATTER FACT IS NOT A JUSTIFICATION FOR
ANTI-SEMITISM. It is for understanding it.

In common with all nation states I believe they have a
right to an existence in secure borders. I would apply
the same reasoning to Kurds and Armenians.

So I think they have to come to some peaceful
agreement with the Palestinians. But I am no Solomon.
Even he did not have wisdom enough to cut up the
baby, only to say it should be cut up. But I mean it
and he didn't.

I am British. With the island next to us as one of our
problems it does not become me to say how to divide up
Palestine. I do have more positive suggestions about
uniting Ireland :-)

BTW, part of the trouble with Iraq is that it is not a
nation state but an artificial construct like many
former colonies.