Who are the Palestinians?
When judging today’s world conflicts, reviewing history is a good idea. The historical record can help us better understand the present. Both the Bible and secular history identify the Palestinians as ancestors of the ancient Philistines an enemy of Israel as far back as the 18th century BC. “And Abraham lived as a stranger for a long time in the country of the Philistines.” (Gen. 21:33-34) The Philistines were originally a war-like nomadic people who moved up and down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt to Syria eventually settling in lower Judea where they live at present (The Gaza Strip). The Philistines did not recognize the God of the Bible, instead, they worshiped “Beelzebub, “Lord of the Flies.” (2 Kings 1:3) . Today, Palestinians worship the god of the Quran rather than the God of the Bible. The most notable Philistine of them all was Goliath the Warrior Giant. “Then said David to the Philistine, thou come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.” (1 Sam:17: 43-51)
God made an agreement with Abraham, the father of the Jews. If Abraham continued to walk before God and keep his faith, God would make him the father of many nations. “This is my part of our agreement: I will make you the father of many nations.” (Gen. 17:4) The covenant would include a parcel of land. “On that day, the Lord made a promise and an agreement with Abraham. “I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the River of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.” (Gen. 15:18) (From the river to the sea) The promise would be everlasting and include all descendants of Abraham. “This agreement will also be for all your descendants. It will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.” (Gen. 17:7) The Jews are not a nationality they harbor every type of ethnic group there is. They are a single classification of people all their own. Jacob was Abraham's grandson and the first Jew. God changed his name to Israel. “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel,” he who strives with God.” (Gen. 32:28:) Because God changed his name, his descendants became a unique class. One of a kind without an ethnic classification.
Because Abraham was obedient, God promised him that all the nations of the world would be blessed through his seed. Jesus Christ was the only begotten son of God and is the Word of God in the flesh. The Word would pass through all generations. “Through your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have heard and obeyed My voice.” (Gen. 22:18) The world conflict we witness today is the age-old battle of good against evil. It is a spiritual battle that plays out in a material world. Three-quarters of the world worships the likes of Beelzebub, while the remaining quarter worships “The Lord of Hosts”. Jesus was triumphant when He died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose again victorious on the third day. This fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham, “Through his seed all the world would be blessed”. If you haven’t received Jesus as savior, you can today. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom.10:9)
