The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
OUR VIEW
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:59 PM
OUR VIEW: Monday Was Historic Day For America, Israel and The World, But A Greater Event For People Of Faith
In that moment, the United States made history as the first nation to recognize the legitimacy of the new Jewish state. And now, 70 years later to the day, the U.S. is making history again as our great nation again legitimized and backed the State of Israel, our ally and friend, by moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital.
Only God could work this out to coincide with the 70th year anniversary of Israel becoming a nation again after two separate dispersions. The miracle of Israel surviving these 70 years speaks to God's faithfulness in protecting this nation from more obstacles and attempts to destroy her than any other nation in history!
Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is a promise that was made to the
American people and Israel in 1995, when Congress voted almost
unanimously to locate our embassy in the capital of the Jewish state,
just as we do in every other nation in the world.
Today is a historic moment. We are thankful to President Trump for
making good on a promise that his predecessors chose to ignore.
Yet, while the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is a game-changer
on the world stage, it is uniquely important to American Christians.
Although imperfect, like any nation, Israel is a representation in the
Middle East of the ideals and principles that we hold dear as
Christians. It is much more than a political performance; it is about
giving Israel the respect it deserves as a nation that is dedicated to
democratic ideals.
Israel stands for human rights. Israel cares for the least of these.
Israel is inclusive. Every Israeli is supported and represented,
regardless of whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Christian, male or
female, young or old.
Women have been an integral part of the modern State of Israel since its
beginning. Golda Meir, the original “Iron Lady,” served as minister of
labor and foreign minister before becoming Israel’s prime minister in
1969. She was Israel’s fourth prime minister and the third female prime
minister in the world, and she led Israel during the Yom Kippur War in
1973.
Israel has always prioritized diversity within the Knesset, its
120-member unicameral parliament. Women and minorities – including Arabs
and Druze – have been represented in the Knesset since its inception.
Today 33 members of the Knesset are women and 18 members are Arabs.
The Israeli people have proven their dedication to upholding justice and
always working towards improvement.
After the fall of the Soviet Union Israel became a destination country
for trafficked women, and prostitution became a prominent issue. Because
of this, in 2001 Israel was ranked as a Tier 3 country for human
trafficking on the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report
– the worst possible ranking.
The Israeli government took definitive action against sex traffickers,
working to protect women and children and bring criminals to justice.
For six years in a row, Israel has been ranked a Tier 1 nation in its
efforts to combat human trafficking, signaling its success in fighting
this grave injustice.
Although it receives little recognition on the global stage, Israel
continues to go above and beyond in its service to the world. Last
summer, Israel unveiled Operation Good Neighbor, the secret operation it
had been conducting in Syria to keep starvation away from thousands of
Syrians while also providing free medical care. The Good Neighbor is an
appropriate name for Israel.
Since its beginning as a small nation in the midst of the Middle East,
Israel has been committed to wide-reaching humanitarian relief and
global development. Despite animosity from much of the world, it
continues to always be a helping hand, often providing the first
responders to natural disasters – whether they be earthquakes in Haiti
and Japan, or Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
In 2016 the United Nation’s World Health Organization recognized the
Israeli Army’s field hospital as “number one in the world.” The U.N. has
been known for having a negative attitude towards Israel, but it could
not ignore the humanitarian efforts of Israel. The nation’s army field
hospital is regularly sent abroad to provide aid at natural disaster
sites.
Beyond the political things that make Israel who she is, it is also the
birthplace of our Christian faith. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is
Jewish, springing from the lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Bible, we
call the Word of God, was written by Jewish writers with the exception
of one. The Apostles were Jewish. The covenants listed in God's Word of
prosperity, blessing, grace and salvation are all covenants God made
with the Jew first, then the Gentile.
When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth, He's returning to Jerusalem, the CAPITAL of Israel, and in many ways the Capital of the WORLD. He's not returning to Rome, Washington D.C., London or Paris. He's returning to Jerusalem!
I feel blessed to be alive today and witness this prophetic event. I feel blessed to have President Trump as our President who has shown greater moral clarity more than any other President in the past what true United States support of Israel looks like. I feel blessed to know that even though the heathen will rage and imagine a vain thing, God is in control on this May 14, 2018. Only He could orchestrate the past 12 months where so many dates converged into this prophetic sphere of powerful history.
Those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse her will be cursed. I pray the nations of the world will take notice of what the United States did today and enter into that blessing. If they prefer to remain outside the scope of blessing, then so be it.
America brought on blessing today and it's only going to get better because of our stance with God's chosen people.
I salute President Trump for his courage, along with his son-in-law Jared Kushner and wife Ivanka who have played a huge role in making this happen.
May God bless both nations and protect them from harm. Today the term "God bless America," took on a whole new meaning. It became a reality.
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Christopher McDonald, Publisher, Editor in Charge
Great Smoky Mountain Journal
