Israel (13) - Removing the Barrier

Some Christians believe that the Palestinians should be expelled from the land, in the same way as the Canaanites were ousted. This view is wrong. God wants the Palestinians in the land, so that the can demonstrate the power of the gospel.

There is plenty of room in the land for both peoples, so the Palestinians do not need to be expelled. God is quite happy for refugees who fled their homes in 1948 to return and share in the wonderful things he plans to do there.

God intends to pour out his spirit on all the people in Israel, whether Jew or Palestinian. He will change the hearts of all people living in the land, so that they can live together in peace.

He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace… to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (Eph 2:14-16).

Jesus died to break down the hostility between racial groups. He loves to create united communities from people who were at war with each other. He intends to do this in Israel. When all groups in Israel, believe in Jesus and receive the gospel, the Palestinians,

will no longer be foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household (Eph 2:19).

Very few Christians believe that the Holy Spirit could achieve this. Most have never prayed for it to happen. Many Christians have moved to Israel to pray, but few have taken the gospel to the Palestinian people. That has severely restrained the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has broken down the “dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14). Therefore, it is ironic that the people of the messiah are building a “dividing wall of hostility” across the Promised Land. An even greater irony is that Christian America is funding the wall. They are actually opposing God plans and giving Israel a false sense of security. Their hope is Jesus, not a wall.