What is your view of the Land Give Away?

What is Tzedakah Ministries' position about the present leadership [of Israel] giving land away to appease the Muslim world? Is God going to sit still when they give away the "Holy Mountains of Israel?" What will the wrath of God be upon those nations pushing for the giveaway of the covenant land? - Dr. Gayle, Oklahoma

Talk about a loaded question. Is there a way to answer this landmine of a question without offending someone? Probably not! However, the only way to answer it is through the words of the Bible and so that is how it will be answered.

First, the Holy Land belongs to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For while Abraham had two primary sons - Ishmael and Isaac - the promise of the Covenant was destined for the son of Sarah and not the son of Hagar. With that being said, we must recognize and affirm that God loves and cares for the children of Ishmael and His salvific gift of the Cross was for both of Abraham's children and for those of us as well who are not Jewish.

Again however, Genesis 12, 15, and 17 specifically state that the land belongs to the Jewish people. For a more detailed Scriptural explanation of this truth, go to the "Tzedakah Moment" archive (www.tzedakahministries.org/tzedakah_archive.htm) and check out the three-part series called "Whose Land Is It ... Anyway?"

To summarize the three-part series, the Scripture clearly teaches that the Covenant begins and ends with the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-11)). Abraham obeyed and left the land of Ur but there were times when he tried "to help God out" (i.e., Lot, Hagar/Ishmael). Genesis 17 is when God reveals the whole nature of the Covenant plan to Abraham and that the miracle of the birth of Isaac to a 90-year old woman is a part of it. This covenant is recommitted in Genesis 22, 25:19-34; 26:18-25; and 35:1-15 and clearly shows the lineage of the Covenant is through Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, the land belongs to the Jewish people.

Now as to the other part of the question(s). I do believe that God will judge the leadership for trying to find peace at the expense of the promises of God. Human peace is fleeting. The peace which God promises and ordains is eternal. Trying to appease those who have no real concern for Israel will only lead to further concessions and further strife - internal as well as external. If you doubt that statement, just ask Ehud Barak why he is still not the prime minister of Israel.

I want to be careful with the last part of the question because I do not want it to be interpreted in a way that I do not intend. Instead I will answer it from a historical perspective. What has happened to every modern nation (after AD 1400) that has caused loss or damage to the Jewish people? Great Britain in 1290 expelled the Jewish people from England and almost immediately went through the trauma and crisis of King John and King Richard. During the rule of Oliver Cromwell, the Jews were allowed back into the land and for almost 300 years, the sun "never set on the Union Jack." In 1938, Great Britain through the White Paper rejected the Balfour Declaration of 1918 and since then the country has experienced a steady decline in world influence. In 1492, Spain expelled the Jewish people from the land and were leaders in the Inquisition in which thousands of Jewish people were killed. In 1588, Great Britain destroyed the Spanish armada and Spain has never regained its world prominence. For hundreds of years, the Jewish people of Poland were given relative freedom and power and Poland while being a pawn between East and West was still considered one of the intellectual giants of Eastern Europe. In 1939 when they were invaded, the Polish people turned a blind eye as 3,000,000 of their fellow countrymen were led to the slaughter and for that they endured 45+ years of Soviet occupation. I could go on but I think you know what I am inferring with my answer. God does remember those who hurt the "apple of God's eye."