Joel Rosenberg is currently here in the Philippines. Yesterday, he had lunch with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, together with Filipino Pastor Peter Tan Chi (senior Pastor of Christ Commission Fellowship), Israeli Pastor David Ortiz, and the Epicenter conference team.
The Epicenter team posted their summary of the meeting from their perspective (meaning, nothing from the President of the Philippines) and two things caught my attention.
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But before I share it, for those who do not know him, Joel Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihan (2002), The Last Days (2003), The Ezekiel Option (2005), The Copper Scroll (2006), Epicenter (2006), and Dead Heat (2008). (You can read more here: About Joel Rosenberg.)
Now the meat, the first one:
I added my thanks in both areas, noting that in 1939, then-President Quezon offered safe haven to 10,000 European Jews trying to flee the Nazi Holocaust. While only about 1,200 were able to make it here before the country fell to Japan, it was still tremendous offer. Then, on November 29, 1947, the Philippines gave the decisive final vote in favor of the Partition Plan at the United Nations. I noted that this gave the way to the creation of the modern State of Israel and thus the Philippines helped fulfill Bible prophecy. The Philippines was the only country in Asia to voted for Israel, and the only Catholic-majority country to do so.
Majority of the Filipino people have no idea of that historical event and the part of the Philippines in the **re-**founding of the State of Israel. I personally do not remember it was mentioned in our History classes, I only encountered it after I did deeper history research about modern Israel and the greatest President of the Philippines - Manuel L. Quezon.
With all respect and deference, I asked the President in light of the strong historic ties between the Philippines and Israel to please graciously reconsider the vote the Philippines cast at the U.N. against Israel last fall over the Goldstone Commission Report. The U.N. resolution that passed asked the Security Council to consider war crimes charges against Israel because of the Gaza war. It did not, however, even mention the word “Hamas” or note Hamas’ terrorism or the fact that Operation Cast Lead (the war in Gaza in January 2009) was not an offensive action initiated by Israel but was a response to 12,000 rockets and missiles fired by Hamas terrorists from Gaza at the innocent civilian population in southern Israel over the course of many year. Israel responded when the U.N. wouldn’t. The issue will come back up for discussion in the U.N. in February and I shared that many Christians around the world will be praying that the Philippines reconsider their position and find a way to reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defense, while also expressing compassion for the Palestinians suffering under Hamas rule in Gaza.
A great request and a worthy one. In my view, as a One-God Apostolic Pentecostal Christian, we should be praying and siding with Israel. Israel is God’s physical chosen people, going against them is going against the Creator of the Heavens and the earth.
Remember the infamous Six-Day War? Israel stood alone (in Human perspective) against the strong alliance of her neighbors, and yet they won and even regained and acquired lands. Spiritually, God and His angels joined the war, just like how it is today with us, the Church - the spiritual Israel.
But this is where the world is headed - the world is going to unite against Israel. That will possibly result to the fulfillment of the remaining few prophecies we’re still watching - we know it as the Armageddon.
Let’s all pray for Israel and the Palestinian people who are under the rule and control of legitimate and obvious terrorist organizations. And let’s pray for our own Nation and the Filipino people that we all wake up and see the reality of world and who Israel is.
God Bless!
You can read the complete account here.