I devoted my most recent blog entry, The UNoccupied Land!, to the fact that the world is once again blaming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for being the source of its problems. In their eyes, Israel is to blame not only for terrorism within its own borders, but also for global terrorism; if it weren’t for Israel, the “Palestinian” people would have a country, and Jihad would not have permeated every Western society on the planet.

A key foundational aspect of this lie is the belief that Israel is an unlawful “occupier” of the Land, and that Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) are “occupied territories”. The world continually chooses to ignore the historical facts, and continues to believe those who ignore the truth, thereby effectively rewriting history!

As I wrote in my last blog, the covenant people, Israel, inhabit the Land of Promise today; it’s time to dispel the myth of “occupation” and instead, start to work towards a more promising reality for all inhabitants of the Land, Jew and Gentile alike.

As for those who are of the world, I have no expectation of them to see the truth or even to take their stance in accordance with the truth. They are spiritually blind, and the fact is that blind people can’t see! However, I hold followers of Yeshua the Messiah to a different standard, for they have the revelation of the Holy Spirit! It is tragic to me that many in the Body of Messiah have been deceived in believing the lie of “occupation”. My dear brothers and sisters, this cannot be if one truly understands Scripture and really knows Messiah Yeshua. We need to make a choice – God or the world – there is no middle ground when it comes to this issue!

With that said, as I read the Bible, I sometimes find unfortunate and critical mistranslations, which can explain at times the fact that even those who mean well, and read their Bibles, can be deceived.

For example, Genesis 31:3 contains a subtle, yet crucial few words that most English Bible versions mistranslate:

“Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” Genesis 31:3

If one translates this scripture directly from the Hebrew, it should be translated as: “Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your native Land or homeland, and I will be with you.” Genesis 31:3 (my translation directly from the Hebrew)

The difference here is very important, as the popular translations are missing the words, “and to your native Land”. The Bible clearly states that God tells Jacob to return to the Land of his fathers, i.e. Abraham and Isaac, and also to his land. This is clearly recalling the unconditional promises that He made with Abraham, as well as affirming that the Land now belonged to Jacob.

One can’t ignore the truth of God’s Word; one can’t ignore the facts from God’s Word; one can’t pick and choose with what he agrees from God’s Word; and one cannot manipulate God’s Word to fit his own belief and theology.

My dear brothers and sisters, we are not just followers of the Messiah! We are also children of the King; we belong not to ourselves, but to HIM. His will overrides our will; His Word rules our hearts; His plan reigns sovereign no matter how our flesh feels. We can submit to this, or fight it. The choice is ours to make.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran