Israel’s Independence Day is a day of joy and wonder — but not without a mix of other emotions. Many see the events of 1948 as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, or the Zionist dream come true as the Jewish people finally have a homeland once again after two millennia in exile.
However Israel’s independence came at a great cost, and the day before Independence Day Israel marks Memorial Day to remember the 25,648 fallen soldiers and thousands of terror victims who have lost their lives in Israel’s struggle to exist. There have also been painful losses for the Palestinians, leading them to declare that date a catastrophe — a “Nakba” as it is expressed in Arabic. Many still refuse to accept the Jewish state and continually fight against it with all their might. In some ways the War of Independence is still going on.
The resurrection of Israel
For generations Jewish people declared “Next year in Jerusalem!” at the end of every Passover seder, and for 2,000 years those words seemed like an impossible pipe dream. Prayers have been going up three times a day for the entire time in exile, asking God to regather His scattered people and to restore His holy city. Israel’s time out in the nations has been punctuated by persecution of varying degrees of severity, culminating of course in the Holocaust. Though the establishment of a Jewish homeland began long before that with the Balfour Declaration back in 1917, the near annihilation of the Jewish people was somehow a catalyst, and the dam finally broke. God’s hand that had scattered the exiles turned to regather them back to the land of their forefathers. Finally, Jewish people could live freely and safely in their indigenous homeland.
It was decided that the day before Israel’s Independence Day would be Memorial Day to mourn all those killed in terrorism and war, both soldiers and civilians. Sirens sound throughout the country, this time to call the people to stand in silence and remember the dead, rather than rush for shelter. Israel has been at war almost consistently, defending itself against all the surrounding nations that are infuriated that an autonomous Jewish state exists in their midst. Once a land has been conquered by Islam, it is considered unconscionable that it should be retaken. This, along with the satanic urge to eradicate the chosen people, is the real root of the conflict.
Was it a disastrous mistake?
With all the continuous violence and bloodshed on every side, some claim that Israel’s Independence Day was a day of disaster. Certainly, around 750,000 Arab Palestinians who lived in what is now Israel today were displaced — either leaving on the basis of orders from Arab armies telling them to leave while they wiped out the Jews and assuring them that they could return once the war was won, or forced out of their homes by Jewish militias — both of these things happened.
A police report from Haifa dated April 26, 1948, corroborates the claim that Arab armies from the surrounding nations were systematically evacuating Palestinian Arabs and ordering them to leave:
“At a meeting yesterday afternoon Arab leaders reiterated their determination to evacuate the entire Arab population and they have been given the loan of ten 3-ton military trucks as from this morning to assist the evacuation.”
They were expecting to quickly crush the Jewish militias and return to normal. Instead, those who followed the orders to evacuate found themselves stranded outside the country, creating the never-ending refugee crisis that has been cynically exploited as a weapon against the Jewish state.
On the other hand, Arab Israeli believer, Dr. Ayman, describes some of the horrors his own grandparents experienced at the hands of Jewish forces in 1948. After Arab militants beheaded a Jewish man and played football with his head, Jewish fighters came and shot many in the village of Eliaboun in cold blood, including Dr. Ayman’s grandfather, leaving those who survived deeply embittered against the Jewish state for generations. It was only when he saw the Jesus film that Dr. Ayman realized he had to forgive all that had happened, and learn to love instead.
There are many such stories of atrocities on both sides. God knows about it all and was a witness to all that happened. It was a catastrophe for thousands of people who lost their homes, their loved ones, and even their lives. Was Israel’s reestablishment really the will of God?
Understanding the purposes of God
“For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers. Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.”” (Jeremiah 16:15-16)
In very many places, the Scriptures prepare us for the fact that God was always planning to bring His people back to His land. It is the opposition of God’s plans that has caused all the bloodshed and heartache.
Not only was Israel a safe haven for Jews fleeing the Holocaust, but with anti-Semitism spiraling out of all control around the world again in our days, many are packing their bags even now, to escape while they still can. They are being hunted and hounded back to the Land of Promise, just as the Bible said.
Yeshua is not returning to a Judenfrei Palestine, despite the calls from the river-to-the-sea brigade. He said He would not be back until His own people, Israel, welcome Him with the words, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39)
God is gathering His people, putting them in place, just as He promised, and lining events up for the glorious return of the Messiah. However, this isn’t really about Israel — it’s about the God of Israel, and all those of this land who are not Jewish are also part of His end-time plan:
“So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 47:21-23)
Israel’s Independence Day was not a mistake — it’s part of God’s unfolding plans on the earth. The birth pains may be severe, and the Adversary is violently opposing the divine plan every step of the way, but God’s purposes cannot be stopped. Those who try will only hurt themselves.
These conflicting realities, the joy and the sorrow, the bitter grief of Memorial Day and the jubilance of Independence Day, come uncomfortably together. We can recognize that many Jews and Arabs have lost so much, but still celebrate the miracle of Israel’s rebirth as part of God’s divine plan for Jews, Arabs, and all the families of the earth. And remember — God hasn’t finished yet.
