Dear John, Fay and Doves:

It appears to me that the conclusion I offered regarding the State of Israel is what has triggered some Doves into thinking I am anti-Semitic.  I think those who may believe so have reached an erroneous conclusion.  I would like to offer Ezekiel chapter 36 to clarify what I believe we should expect.

A widely-held view in American Christianity is that following World War 2, the Jews began returning to the land of Israel, and in May of 1948 the nation was reborn.  This, many believe, was the beginning of the "fig tree" generation and also the beginning of the fulfillment of the Ezekiel 37 "dry bones" prophecy.

We can properly ask, and should accept the Biblical answer to the question:  "Why did God remove His people from His land in the first place?"  The answer is explicitly given in Ezekiel 36:17-19 -

Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 

Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

The Jews profaned God’s Name and polluted God’s land by their idolatry, so God drove them off the land. According to verse 20 this did not fix the problem because Ezekiel continues, “When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name …” They needed more than just a change in location; they needed a change of heart.

This is where the promise of a return to the land comes in, but it’s a two-fold promise:

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 NKJV (emphases added)

God said He would 1) bring them back into His land and, 2) cleanse them from their filthiness. When He brings them back, He will also change them so they won’t have wickedness and idolatry in their hearts any more.

This, of course, invites an obvious question: has this prophecy of a restored Israel been fulfilled? For as we see, this promise has two parts, a return to the land and a new spirit. Not only do we expect to see the return of the Jews, but we also expect to see the Jews who return to be a broken and contrite people who walk in God’s statutes and keep His judgments. Just staking a land claim in Palestine and claiming Jewish heritage is not enough. Adopting the Jewish culture is not enough. Speaking Hebrew is not enough.

Now we may not expect that the Jews return on Monday, get sprinkled with clean water on Tuesday, and become as righteous as Noah, Daniel and Job on Wednesday. But the seeds of modern Zionism (an essentially political initiative) were sown in the late 19th century, and the “Jews” began returning sans repentir in the post-War years. The modern “State of Israel” has been around for over 70 years – almost two generations – and any honest observer must admit there is NO EVIDENCE that these people have God’s Spirit dwelling within or among them. Verse 31 says, “you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.” I ask again: is there any evidence that this has happened? Did the post-War Jews say, “we brought this on ourselves by our wickedness, but our God was merciful?” Or was it more like, “the Germans gave us a raw deal, and we deserve international sympathy and our own homeland.”

Now, are there some genuine Jews living in the land of Israel?  Most probably - but that is not the question.  My opinion is that the true Jews are now, as they have long been, an oppressed minority.  As a dispersed people, they are probably on both sides of the fence surrounding Gaza, as well as very probably in Syria, Jordan, Iran, etc.  That Turkish Khazars make up the majority of the people in the State of Israel who claim to be (and may believe themselves to be) Jewish is a scientifically established FACT proven and documented by Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson of Answers In Genesis.  This also is NOT "anti-Semitism."

Rather, it is IDENTITY THEFT on a grand scale, and just what Jesus warned us about in Rev. 2:9 and 3:9.  Satan is certainly behind this - Jesus called it a "synagogue of Satan" - and you would expect any deceit from Satan to be effective.

Feel free to disagree, do your best to prove me wrong.  But bring receipts and leave the slander behind.

Jesus is coming soon.  Hope to see you then.

Best,

Steve