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Israeli-Arab unity prophesied in the Bible

Reader comment on item: Admitting Israel's Unilateral Withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza Were Mistakes
in response to reader comment: As good as it it gets...

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.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (23) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Livni A Useless Idiot [122 words]DaveAug 10, 2014 13:25217066
The retreat from Gaza wasn't intended to bring about peace [128 words]Anon.Mar 25, 2014 18:50214007
the withdrawal was the right thing to do [64 words]Y Brandstetter MDDec 3, 2012 15:22201129
1Oren isn't wrong about one thing [192 words]Abu NudnikAug 5, 2009 12:20159688
As good as it it gets... [156 words]donvanMay 10, 2009 20:46155213
Israeli-Arab unity prophesied in the Bible [798 words]Michael S.Aug 19, 2014 18:32155213
religious wars... [116 words]donevanAug 22, 2014 12:03155213
What is "Western Civilization"? [113 words]Michael SAug 26, 2014 04:27155213
Islamism, the big nothing [344 words]Michael S.Aug 27, 2014 10:57155213
The Habitation of Devils [219 words]Michael S.Aug 31, 2014 16:52155213
Gaza should be used as an illustration of a Palestinian state [45 words]jennifer solisJan 23, 2009 03:36148814
1Kassams Shmassams [74 words]Julian SJan 21, 2009 09:04148635
Just another short sighted Israeli political hack/crook [666 words]Ken BesigMay 28, 2008 14:16130334
Reading your comments twice. [218 words]LynnMay 29, 2008 09:47130334
would you visit a doctor?... [119 words]yuval Brandstetter MDFeb 19, 2009 05:36130334
Listen up.... [133 words]donvanMay 12, 2009 09:44130334
Give them an inch. [28 words]LynnMay 28, 2008 14:08130333
Really? [45 words]MostafaJun 2, 2009 02:51130333
1Hmmm... [105 words]LynnJun 14, 2009 08:16130333
learning a lesson [71 words]Rebecca MouldsMay 27, 2008 23:04130254
Failure is "we" [379 words]Lame CherryMay 27, 2008 19:10130234
1Unilateral withdrawals. [31 words]M.D'SouzaMay 29, 2007 20:0895175
Coming around - albeit at a turtle's pace [29 words]David W. LincolnMay 28, 2007 16:1495046

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