Christians outside the Dispensationalist echo chamber of the [u]nited States tend to view the nation-state of Israel and her wars in a different light than those here in the States.
In England Father Andrew Phillips writes, ‘As for Israel, it is bankrupt, its economy is in tatters and hundreds of thousands of Israelis are fleeing, especially to Cyprus, Greece and the USA. Who wants to live in Israel now?’
The synod of bishops of the Albanian Orthodox Church recently issued a terse statement condemning the war in Gaza:
The atrocities in Gaza, with tens of thousands of victims, mostly innocent civilians, children, the elderly, the sick, are causing deep suffering. There is a need to achieve an immediate ceasefire. The parties involved must show prudence and reasoning, prioritizing the value of each human being and peaceful coexistence over continued violence with incalculable consequences. Repeated retaliation does not solve the problem. All major powers must contribute to the way out of this catastrophic human and ecological tragedy.
And the Patriarchate of Antioch, practically in the backyard of Israel, also minces no words in its opposition to Israeli brutality:
At the invitation of Patriarch JOHN X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and in the presence of the Antiochian Metropolitans of the Archdioceses in Lebanon, a meeting of the Orthodox Ministers and Members of Parliament was held to discuss the dire circumstances that Lebanon and the Middle East are going through.
The participants condemned the war waged by Israelagainst Lebanon and its citizens, accompanied by assassinations, killing of innocent citizens, destruction, forced migration, and displacement. They called on decision-makers in the world to work for stopping the on-going killing that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.
. . . The participants called for an immediate ceasefire, and to work for a just peace, respect the sovereignty and unity of the Lebanese territories, observe and implement the international resolutions by all parties.
The participants appealed to the international community to hasten and stop the massacre of the Lebanese people and to extend a helping hand to the Lebanese government in order to promote stability in the country and provide relief to the afflicted people at the beginning of winter.
. . . The participants launched an appeal to the world to stop fueling the criminality that affects the Lebanese people by drying up the flow of weapons that kill Lebanese citizens.
The participants reiterated their commitment to work towards establishing peace in Lebanon and providing all the requirements for a decent life for its people, who deserve a secure and prosperous life.
False teachings in the uS, Israel, and other Western countries cause spiritual blindness, discernment is lost, and wrongdoers are lionized as heroes as a result. Dr Michael Hoffman explains a bit:
The conflation of Zionism with Judaism is the real act of intimidation. Atrocities perpetrated against Palestinians and Lebanese are being committed in the name of “the Jewish state of Israel,” a phrase that is a disingenuous linguistic trap.
The Zionist entity in the Middle East violates Talmudic injunctions by its very existence; it is not theologically Judaic from the point of the view of Judaism’s holiest text, the Talmud Bavli. In Ketubot 111a one encounters the “Three Oaths” taken when the Jews went into exile after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
They are: “One, that Israel not ascend the wall; another, that the Holy One adjured Israel not to rebel against the nations of the world; and another, that the Holy One adjured the gentiles not to oppress Israel too much.”
These Talmudic halachos forbade Jews from engaging in collective political organizing and the use of military force. For 1300 years an overwhelming majority of all rabbinic authorities upheld these prohibitions. It was only when the Zionist ideology came to the fore in the early 20th century that they were abandoned, or subjected to a reinterpretation that nullified them.
Moreover, as authentic followers of Jesus know, Christians are the true Israel, the genuine descendants of Abraham, and the inheritors of the Bible’s covenant promises (1 Peter 2:9, Gal. 6:16, Romans 9:6) to be a blessing unto humanity (Gal. 3:8).
A little reading through Church history would help Christians understand that the Jewish people ain’t their best buds in Middle East. Some examples from the Lives of the Saints:
-Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord
When the Savior began to proclaim the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His Apostle. Later, he was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem.
Saint James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). In his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many Jews to Christianity. Angered by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill the holy bishop. They led him up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked him what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle bore witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Enraged, the Jewish leaders threw him off the roof. He did not die at once, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D.
-Hieromartyr Judas, another Bishop of Jerusalem:
THE APOSTLE St. James and his brother St. Simeon were the two first bishops of Jerusalem; thirteen bishops who succeeded them were of the Jewish nation; the last, called Judas, seems to have been crowned with martyrdom among the Christians whom Barchokebas massacred in 134.
. . .
The rest is at https://web.archive.org/web/20241101114400/https://identitydixie.com/2024/10/27/voices-to-heed-on-israel/.
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Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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