(Thus Saith the Lord)     Leviticus 25:23

"That which is built upon the land goes with the land". (a legal maxim)

The Jewish people have been custodians of sacred literature for centuries. The prophets of Israel recorded God's plan of redemption through His Chosen People. Without a doubt, the Land of Israel and its People, the Jewish people, are chosen. This causes a problem for many in the world and historically, in Christendom but whether it is accepted or not, the Land goes with the People and the People go with the Land. They must be inseparable as God has begun the process of restoration and return after 2,000 years of dispersion. They are on the way home! If the world could only understand God's eternal truths maybe enigmas might be resolved and negative connotations along with controversial reports on the Land of Israel diminished in the biased and opinionated headlines of world media. When read in light of God's Word and with perception through the power of the Holy Spirit, the clarity in understanding God's plans and purposes for Israel and the Land becomes more understandable.

Voices From Long Ago

When we speak of the uniqueness of the Land  we should meditate on the qualities of  holiness  and of being chosen. Holiness is the distinguishing quality which sets the Land apart from other lands. It is the key to why it is known as the "Holy Land". Recollections of Israel's scholars recall how learned sages of Israel would "kiss the ground of the Land of Israel, kiss its rocks and roll on its earth". (Rambam). "The Land of Israel should be cherished as it was chosen by God". (Midrash Tanchuma, Re'eh 8). "The Land of Israel is Mine and the Nation of Israel is Mine, it is fitting that I give what is Mine to those who are Mine". (Midrash Tanchuma ibid). "The Jewish people have not taken control or possession of a foreign land and we have not taken away property which is not ours. This is the inheritance of our forefathers...". (from Hasmoneans 1:15). These are heartfelt expressions which communicate the heart of Jews who carried the Land in their heart. In the past when Jewish people lived abroad and in preparation for their burial, they would seek a little bag of soil from the land to be placed in their graves. Even the envelope containing letters sent from the Land were treasured.

Claining Land on Earth

Moses traced the human race after the scattering of the people from Babel upon the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:8). They ended up in the land of Shinar. The reason the tower of Babel was built was not to literally reach heaven, the ancients knew better than that, but to build a platform from which to observe the heavenly bodies, practice astrology and worship the sun. God came down and scattered them and they were "...divided in the earth after the flood". (Genesis 10:32). They went by colonies everywhere taking possession of  land  insomuch as whole continents filled with inhabitants. Josephus records that some of the nations still retain the name which was given to them by their first founders who claimed land. At the same time the Most High gave the nations their own inheritance, He divided all mankind and set up boundaries for the peoples  "...according to the number of the sons of Israel". (Deuteronomy 3:28). The land which the Israelites would eventually occupy was previously known as Canaan. This was the land promised by God to Abraham for his descendants (Gen. 12:7). The descendants of Jacob (Israel) made their way back to Canaan, where Joshua conquered much of the Land known as the Land of Israel.

God put into Terah's heart (Abram's father) the desire to move his family and "...went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go intothe land of Canaan...".  (vs. 31). Then The Lord told Abram "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a Land that I will show thee...". (Genesis 12:1). When the Lord appeared to Abram, He said "...unto thy seed will I give this Land...". (Genesis 12:7). This was the first indication from God that He was giving a plot of land in the earth to Abram and his seed. God was giving the Land to a chosen race of people, the Jews, to possess. This Land belongs to the Most High (as does the whole earth). For His namesake it was to be possessed and kept. He holds the title deed forever. Every place where you set your foot will be yours...". (Deut. 11:23). This unique Land has been given a special destiny. One day the Messiah will rule and reign over the world from this geographical location. It IS God's Land but can we prove it to the deaf ears of mankind? So much controversy today over who owns it! Do we dare to speak up or shall we remain silent? "For Zion's sake, I will not keep silent" (ref)

Before the Jews Came Home

John Locke as his ship passed the Land said: "In the morning we kept by report...we made an anchor seven miles from shore...they returned not having seen tree nor house, nor spoken with any man...they thought they saw the hills of Jerusalem..". Herman Melville described Jerusalem: "...the color of the whole city is gray...". Mark Twain remarked "...a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds...a desolation...we never saw a human being on the whole route...hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country". St.Jerome bemoaned: "...I am no better because I live where I do (Bethlehem), no need for religious pilgrimage". Epiphanius of Salamis declared "..except for a few houses, and a little church of God...there's the upper room...(that is all).

After the Jews Arrived

Let's begin by looking at the size of this Land. It must be huge and diverse if God chose it!  Diverse it is with its desert conditions in the south and its snowcapped mountains in the north but huge it is not!  Israel's land is approximately 20,770 square kilometers. It lies on the Asian continent  and is the 152^nd largest country in the world with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria bordering it. Its longest river is the Jordan River. The country measures 424 km from north to south and at its narrowest point this is reduced to just 15 km. It is a fertile land and is a "good land" (ref)  and has blossomed "like a rose" (ref) since God's people returned to work the hard soil. It has a central highland region and a desert in the Negev. Topographically, it parallels other regions of the country, with lowlands in the west, hills in the central portion and the Nahal HaArava (desert).

An Interesting Thread

Biblical symbols seem to be woven through the Land. A satellite view Israel reveals a three sided outline. (Bible scholars, both Jewish and Christian, are quick to point out that the number three is very important in the Bible and its meanings numerous). It's famous sea of Galilee is harp shaped (like a kinor which in Hebrew means harp). God's fingerprints can be pressed into the Land. Another satellite image shows the topography of the Land and the perfect Hebrew words "Ki-Luz-HaShem-Efraiyim" engraved into the shadows of the mountains. The words seem to have been written there since the creation. According to the site Luz is precisely over the location of present-day Beth-El.  in Deuteronomy 12:5 says "...only at the place that HaShem, your G-d, will choose from among all your tribes to place His name shall you seek out His presence and come there". Etched forever in the hills and valleys just north of Jerusalem is also the name of HaShem, YHVH. Is this a coincidence? Only the Creator could inscribe His Name upon the Land like this. We are also told that the name Ephraim is written precisely where the borders between Benjamin and Judah on the south and Ephraim on the north were located. (Whose Land is Israel/freerepublic.com). It indeed is a Holy Land.

The Loaded Question

And so one might ask "Whose Land is It?" The Islamic world says "it is ours and always has been". Christians say "it is our spiritual home". The Jewish people say "it was given to us by God Almighty". Then God proclaims: "The Land is Mine " Practically, the people who were to possess it were given an edict by God Himself. Why do they have to possess it? The answer lies in a spiritual meaning for even though the "earth is the Lord's and everything in it...". (I Corinthians 10:26)  God calls a particular piece of ground His.

The Great Land Grab

If the Land belongs to the Creator of the Universe, then why is the creation (mortal human beings)  attempting to take Land that God chose away from Him. Even if they could, this is foolish. (Psalm 2; Isaiah 14:25; Jeremiah 2:7; Joel 3:2). The Land is sacred soil. All nations who would  usurp it or divide it is on a collision course with Him. "...I will enter into judgment against them (the nations) ...for they...divided up My Land."  (Joel 3:2). "...This is my resting place forever..."". (Psalm 12:13-14). The Muslim world cannot accept the existence of a Jewish Land in its midst. It is a jab in the ribs even though some scholars say that Islamic scripture does accept a Divinely ordained bond between the Jewish people and the Holy land.

A Beacon of Hope

"The oldest and most popular book on earth, the Bible, tells the history of our nation, not that of any other nation. And that book has also told the world about a land that God selected, was begat at the beginning of time, as the homeland of the Jewish people" Sondra Baras, August 11, 2009, CFOIC Heartland News. The Land of Israel is a beacon of hope to the Jewish people.  It should also be a source of inspiration to Bible believing Christians for out of its soil sprung our faith. We may live in the nations but our roots are in the Land. Our roots are embedded in the soil of this consecrated place. If the Church truly is a defender of truth we need to stand up for what we believe. Sondra Baras is right when she says  "...that book has also told the world about a Land that God selected...". It is time to take a stand on God's pledge to Israel and no longer remain apathetic and silent.

The Heart Of The Issue

A war of global proportions will be fought over this Land. Jerusalem, a revered place in the Chosen Land has spawned a religious fanaticism in the Arab world unmatched anywhere. A tiny 15-hectare area is coveted. Temple Mount is the heart of the issue as it exists at the prophesied spot of the throne of the Messiah who will rule the nations as "Jerusalem is destined to be called the throne of the Lord" (Jeremiah 3;17). The Jewish people are holding on to the Chosen Land and City and are aiding in the establishing of God's Kingdom on the earth.

God's Permanent Love

God expresses His Heart by telling us the Land is "...engraved upon the palm of My hands..." (Isaiah 49:16) There is a difference between writing and engraving. When one writes, the surface upon which one writes and the ink which one uses remain two separate entities. In contrast, when letters are engraved in stone, the writing and the stone for a single entity; they are inseparable and permanent.  He also has promised to defend His Land and His People (Zechariah 12) when the nations come against it in the latter days. He also warns that He has a score to settle with the nations who have divided HIS LAND (ref).

The idea that God has a special relationship with the nation of Israel is offensive to Islam. Israel feels like a spear in their side. Why should God regard one nation out of many that now inhabit the globe?. Why should the Jews survive when so many other nations have perished? He is sovereign.

The return to the land is no accident of history but Divinely providential.  It is the deliberate involvement of a  covenant-keeping God to protect His Great Name. The next time we read an Israel bashing article in our local newspaper or on the internet , we need to thank God for His Divine Decree that will never be rescinded. Israel has to go on protecting this Land as Land can never be produced, it can only be possessed. Israelis have always paid a heavy price to defend it!  Our duty is to stand for truth with His People and to remember that which is built upon the Land goes with the Land. The world needs to understand this. "God is not a man that He should lie..."

(Numbers 23:19) and what He has spoken, He has spoken: THE LAND IS MINE! Four little words that convey a powerful message.