TITLE:
The People, the Land, and the Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God
AUTHOR: Various contributors (edited by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser)
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI:
Kregel Academic, 2014, (352 pages).
The Middle East continues to be a hotbed of violence, terrorism, and war. Central to the ongoing conflicts is the nation of Israel. In an increasingly unfriendly Arabic neighbourhood, coupled with direct declaration of war by various Islamic terrorist groups, Israel walks a fine balance between defending their people and their land, and inflicting damage on their neighbouring countries. At the same time, people wonder whether there is more to learn about the people of Israel, the land and the future of Israel. In the West, watching the news sometimes leaves one feeling a bias toward the Palestinian causes, and how Israel often appears to be the bully and instigator of violence. What if the present state of rising violence in the Middle East had all been predicted in the first place? What if Israel is more important than simply a nation that several radical organizations and countries are seeking to exterminate? What if God's plan for Israel remains vital for the Middle East situation? Is there a biblical perspective of the Palestinian issue? For the eighteen scholars, theologians, professors, pastors, and authors, the answer is a firm yes. With so many different perspectives, several top theologians and scholars, both in the USA and Canada have come together to offer the public what they deemed as the biblical perspective of Israel and how the biblical prophecy is being fulfilled. These scholars affirm several things:
- God loves both Israel and people in Palestine; Arab countries
- People often fail to examine what the Scriptures say about the ongoing Middle East crisis
- The Iranian nuclear threat is real
- Biblical prophecies (not only Ezekiel 37) do speak into the present climate of hostility and promise
- Many Jews continue to differ in their perspectives of the Person of Jesus
- There are many reasons for hope
- The Church is called to embrace the whole house of Israel as well as their neighbours in love
