THE SIN OF DIVIDING THE HOLY LAND

THE SIN OF DIVIDING THE HOLY LAND
by Alan Yusko Jan 1997

Today the tiny nation of Israel is in the world news almost on a daily basis. Whenever something happens in Israel the event makes front page news. Currently Israel and the PLO are engaged in some kind of land-for-peace dealings. The goal is to give up land in order to live in peace with enemies comitted to your destruction. Land-for-peace sounds good but really doesn't make much sense. However Israel is desperate for peace since they have been at war off and on since they became a nation in 1948. The end result is land is being handed over to temporarily appease their enemies. This is actually dividing the Holy land of Israel and committing a grave sin.

This tract will explore who really owns the Holy Land and who has rights to the land. We will also show that the world will be brought into judgment for the sin of dividing the Holy Land. We will also look at the returning Jew to the Holy Land and how that fits in with Bible prophecy. Finally, we will see that Israel will be protected from destruction by her many enemies.

The following is the central verse of this tract:

Joel 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and PARTED MY LAND.

Notice the end of the verse. The term 'parted my land' deals with dividing up the Holy Land. This is happening right now where a parcel of land is given to the PLO for a false peace. In return the PLO just demands more and more land - for the sake of peace... The other alternative is war and Israel has been clearly threatened. Despite knowing the goal of the PLO (the destruction of Israel), the Jewish government continues on a crazy land-for-peace dealing. All this goes on with tremendous pressure from the world to give up land for peace.

The process of land-for-peace began with the Labor government. They were a complete gutless government who gave the sworn enemies of Israel everything they wanted. The government was even ready to give up the city of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. However an election was held and the Jewish people voted them out of office and put the Lukid party into power. Even though the elections were close, by removing the Arab vote the statistics show that the Jews voted in majority against the Labor government. The newly elected Lukid party started off as a hardline government but now has begun to buckle slightly and is also giving up land-for-peace to the enemies of Israel.

Today the land of Israel is being divided for the supposed cause of peace. It is interesting that the world finds this policy acceptable as long as it happens to Israel. However the nations of the world would not be too pleased if "land for peace" happened to them. For example what would the United States do if Russia demanded Alaska to be given up in order to maintain peace and avoid a destructive war? Would the USA give up Alaska? What would happen if China demanded Hawaii in order to maintain the peace with the USA?

Israel is alone in the world. Surrounded by enemies and currently not believing in their God, they bow down to the demands of their enemies and the world. This certainly will not continue forever as parting the Holy Land is a sin against God. It is a sin so great that God will judge the nations for doing it. In Joel 3:2 God listed two sins of the nations which will bring on Divine Judgment: 1) "whom they have scattered among the nations," 2) "and PARTED MY LAND". This tract will focus on the sin of parting the Holy Land of Israel. We continue by asking the question:

WHO OWNS THE HOLY LAND?

Who really owns the land which Israel currently occupies. Does the title deed go to Israel & the Jews? Or does the title deed go to the Arabs? The Bible is very clear as to who owns the Holy Land. The owner is God Himself. The title deed of the land belongs to the God of heaven and earth. Since God is the owner of the land, He gives it to whomever He wills. He has given that land to the children of Israel to live. Through sin and disobedience they were previously scattered from the land. However the dispersion was only temporary and they were allowed back on God's Holy Land. The last dispersion lasted 2000 years but the Jews are coming back to God's Holy land to live. Hence the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948.

Thats quite a claim, isn't it. God owns the Holy Land! Let me show you the proof from Scriptures. While reading the below list of Scriptures look for the phrase "MY LAND" and see who is talking. It can be easily recognized that it is God talking and He is refering to the Holy Land as MY LAND:

2 Chronicles 7
19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of MY LAND which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it [to be] a proverb and a byword among all nations.

Isaiah 14:25
25 That I will break the Assyrian in MY LAND, and upon MY MOUNTAINS tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

Jeremiah 2:7
7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled MY LAND, and made mine heritage an abomination.

Jeremiah 16:18
18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled MY LAND, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Ezekiel 36:5
5 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed MY LAND into their possession with the joy of all [their] heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.

Joel 1:6
6 For a nation is come up upon MY LAND, strong, and without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

The above verses are pretty clear. God is speaking and the Holy Land is HIS land. Even though Israel lives on God's Holy land, the land still belongs to God.

The following verse describes the coming Russian invasion into the land of Israel (which is future from our present time). As you read the verses notice that God still uses the term 'MY LAND'. Also notice that Israel is back living in the land during this time.

RUSSIAN INVASION... STILL FUTURE...

Ezekiel 38
14. Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against MY LAND, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Verse 16 states that the invasion is against 'my people of Israel' and it will occur in 'My Land'. The "MY" refers to God who is the owner of the Holy Land. Israel is the people whom God has given the land for habitation. Israel has the right to live in God's Holy Land. In fact God is now in the process of bringing the Jewish people back to live in His land.

THE RETURNING JEW TO ISRAEL - DIRECT FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY!

The Jews are coming home from the 4 corners of earth. This is happening TODAY! God is bringing Jews home to Israel from every nation after being scattered for almost 2000 years.

Isaiah 11:11
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Notice in the above verses that the children of Israel will be brought back to the land of Israel from:

- Various nations (Isa 11:11)
- Islands of the sea
- Four corners of the earth (Isa 11:12)

(This didn't happen in the Babylon dispersion as they came back from one country, Babylon!). But now since the 1900's God has been bringing back the Jew from all over the world (every nation)! We have a direct fulfillment of the Word of God going on in the world right now and anyone with eyes can clearly see it.

Hosea 3:4
4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim:
5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Hosea is interesting. It sure describes Israel for the last 2000 years. They have been desolate with no Temple, no sacrifice for sin, and no king. We are living in the days of verse 5 (afterward) when God is bringing. them home to Israel. When will it occur....in the latter days (we are NOW in the latter days)! They will also accept their Messiah at the end of the 70th week or the time of Jacob's trouble (the Tribulation period) when the Lord Jesus returns to earth and sets up His Kingdom.

Where shall the children of Israel come from when they are restored to their land? From one nation (Babylon) as in the first captivity of Israel? No, they will literally come from the four corners of the earth!

Isaiah 43
5 Fear not: for I [am] with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

The Jew will come from all over the earth! From the north, the south, the east, and the west is where God will bring the returning Jew back to Israel. This is happening right now as God is calling the Jew back home to live in HIS LAND.

Ezekiel chapter 38 describes the coming invasion against the land of Israel by the army to the north (Russia and her allies). Below we see that it will occur in the latter years..... (we are in the latter years now)!

Ezekiel 38
1. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 AFTER MANY DAYS THOU SHALT BE VISITED: IN THE LATTER YEARS THOU SHALT COME INTO THE LAND [that is] BROUGHT BACK FROM THE SWORD, [and is] GATHERED OUT OF MANY PEOPLE, AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL, WHICH HAVE BEEN ALWAYS WASTE: but it IS BROUGHT FORTH OUT OF THE NATIONS, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

Notice that they will come into the land of Israel in the latter years (verse 8). Today, the time that we are now living is the latter years! That time period refers to the time before the end of this age. (NOTE: even though this age is ending...there will be other ages. The world will never cease to exist!) This invading army from the north shall come into the land of Israel that: 1) is brought back from the sword and the land was wasted (desert, etc), 2) The people of the land have been brought forth out of the nations! That is happening right now! The land is being reclaimed by the Jew and is blossom like a Rose. Trees, fruits, and vegetables abound in Israel. This was not the case for the last 2000 years when the land was made into a wasteland & desert. But now that God is bringing the Jew back to His Land we are witnessing God's land respond by blossoming like a rose. Secondly Ezekiel 38:8 also mentions that the people have come forth out of the nations (plural). The Jew is returning home from all over the world as we have already mentioned.

ISRAEL IS PRESERVED FROM DESTRUCTION BY HER ENEMIES

As we have shown Israel is returning back to God's Holy land to live once again. They certainly will not be returning to the land to be destroyed by all the surrounding enemies. God will preserve the nation of Israel from destruction:

Jeremiah 31
35. Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, [and] the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts [is] his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, [then] the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

According to God, the seed/nation of Israel is very safe from destruction. God's preservation is why the nation exists today and is back in the Holy Land. God is still working with the children of Israel and they will not and cannot be destroyed any bloodthirsty enemies.

FUTURE EVENTS:

We have seen that the Holy Land belongs to God. He has given it to the children of Israel and is currently in the process of bringing them back to their homeland. There are many interesting prophetic events coming up in the near future.

- Watch for Israel to begin rebuilding their temple. The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Current events will change at some point in time to allow the construction of the Temple that was destroyed almost 2000 years ago.

- The Rapture of the Church. All true Spirit-reborn believers will be removed from earth and taken to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus. This event must occur before the anti-Christ comes to power.

- After the rapture the anti-Christ will rise to world power. He will sign a 7 year agreement with the nation of Israel. At the middle of the 7 years he will enter the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and there proclaim himself to be God. The anti-Christ will then demand worship or death from the inhabitants of the earth.

- During the 7 year period God will judge the world. These judgments are described in the Book of Revelation as the seven seal judgments, the seven trumpet judgments, and the seven bowl judgments.

- At the end of the 7 year period the Lord Jesus will return to earth. He will return in a visible and physical manner at the climax of the battle of armageddon. The Lord will defeat the anti-Christ and his followers.

- The Lord Jesus sets up His 1000 year kingdom which will be populated only by those who are saved and survived the 7 year tribulation period.

- The Lord Jesus will rule and reign from Jerusalem which will be the capital of the world.

- After the 1000 Kingdom of God is finished God will judge the unsaved at the Great White Throne judgment. Finally God will create a new heavens and a new earth totally free from the stain of sin for His saved people to live throughout eternity.

The above is a very brief summary of the coming events according to Bible prophecy. The carving up and dividing of the land of Israel is part of Bible prophecy. It will bring on God's judgment for dividing His Holy Land. The current events of today are showing us that division of God's Holy Land right now. Israel and the Arabs are carving up the land under great pressure from the nations of the world. This trend will continue. In fact when the anti-Christ comes to power he will continue to divide and partition God's Holy Land. See the following verse describing the activities of the anti-Christ:

Daniel 11
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge [and] increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, AND SHALL DIVIDE THE LAND FOR GAIN.

Verse 39 indicates that the Holy Land will continue to be divided under the reign of anti-Christ. Actually the very fact that is being divided right now is fulfillment of prophecy. The division of the Holy Land will continue into the reign of the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ will do the division for gain or his personal benefit.

CONCLUSION: THE FINAL BATTLE

God's Holy Land will continue to be divided from now through to the reign of the anti-Christ. As a result when God judges the world one of the reasons will be the division of His Holy Land.

Before the Lord Jesus returns the nations of the world will gather together for war. That war is known as the battle of Armageddon. God will bring all the nations of the world to a war in Israel. Below is Scriptures describing this war:

Joel 3
1. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly [and] speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken [it].
9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17 So shall ye know that I [am] the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

At the battle of Armageddon the Lord Jesus will return to earth. He will defeat the enemies of God, judge the nations, and setup His 1000 year Kingdom with the capital in Jerusalem. This tract has shown that one of the judgments upon the nations is the sin of dividing God's Holy Land. That sin is occurring in the world right now.

We live in the days when the events related to the end of the age are being setup for fulfillment. Soon these events will happen and soon the Lord Jesus will return. As we see all these events in preparation we should look and rejoice for our redemption is drawing near!

Luke 21
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Revelation 1
1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:

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