Israeli-Arab unity prophesied in the Bible

Submitted by Michael S. (United States), Aug 19, 2014 at 18:32

Hello, Donovan

I have already said elsewhere, that Islam is not the only Abrahamic religion that, by its very nature, breeds division and war. The Jews fought intensely violent wars among themselves and with their neighbors, from the time of Moses until the arrival of the Muslims (Just before that, they had sided with the invading Persians in order to wreak revenge upon the Christians of Israel). The Christians fought the Crusades, of course -- not just against the Muslim Turks, Kurds and Egyptians but also against the Pagan Latvians and against their own Eastern Orthodox brethren (Fourth Crusade, 1204). They followed this up with the very bloody Roman Christian upon Roman Christian Albigensian Crusade, the Thirty Years' War and countless other outrages. The Muslims, for their part, have had nearly continuous warfare: Shi'ite against Sunni, Sunni against Sunni, and both against Christians, Jews, Hindus, Pagans and Buddhists.

The underlying problem of the Abrahamic faiths in particular, is that they all, in their multifarious branches, cults, heresies and denominations, all claim to have the one true path to the One True God. Add to this the modern atheists, themselves descended from the Deists and thence from the Catholics, who claim to have the one true path to the One True Nothing, and you have the currrent state of all Western Humanity.

The Bible mentions, in at least two places, a time to come when these various people of various beliefs and practices will come together. One is in

Zech 14

[16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
[17] And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
[18] And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
[19] This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

and Isaiah 19

[17] And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
[18] In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
[19] In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
[20] And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
[21] And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.
[22] And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
[23] In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
[24] In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
[25] Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Both these passages speak of the non-Jewish nations taking a part in, and being accepted within, some modified form of Judaism -- a temple-based Judaism, very different from the Judaism of today.

I think there are many Jews and Arabs even today, who would welcome this sort of fusion; but amont the Jews, I think those who would resist the most would be the very Orthodox Jews who control Israel's principal state religion. On the SECULAR level, there is much more hope -- as evidenced by the tremendous cooperation lately between the governments of Israel, Egypt and even the PA.

Time will tell.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".