Monday, August 4, 2025

A GIANT SPIRITUAL MOMENT

On Tisha B'Av, the 9th day on the Hebrew calendar month of Av, I had a spiritual revelation that I wanted to document in order to remember and build on it in future study and meditation. I also want to share it. 

For me, a spiritual revelation is the culmination of long periods of searching, learning, and connecting insights from scripture, tradition, and personal experience. It is a bit like assembling a complex puzzle, each piece—sometimes seeming random or disconnected at first—begins to form a coherent, illuminating picture. 

The Old Testament contains many complex, symbolic, and prophetic pieces that can be puzzling on their own—like separate pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The New Testament is often described as the "decryption key" or "decoding key" for understanding the Old Testament because it reveals fuller meaning behind many of the Old Testament's messages, prophecies, and laws. 

When a moment of clarity arrives, it brings a uniquely deep sense of satisfaction, peace, and even awe. I feel as though I am glimpsing truths that transcend individual parts, making the whole even more amazing.  

Given the complex interwoven nature of such a process, it is very hard to write an explanation that is clear and concise enough for the reader.  So please give me grace and allow me to entertain you with my wild ideas. 

I will preface this by saying, I am not alone in the sense that mankind, more specifically Israel is on the verge of a giant spiritual moment


God Has Foreknowledge

One of the words used to describe God is "omniscient." This means God is all-knowing, possessing perfect knowledge of everything: past, present, and future. Because of His sovereignty—Adonia has an eternal plan and purpose, so nothing surprises or is hidden from Him.

It is fair to say that God knew the prophet Jonah better than Jonah knew God. While from God's very first word to Jonah, "Arise," Jonah knew God would have mercy on the people of Nineveh, the Assyrians. God knew the whole story when he picked Jonah. Which is to say that God had a plan for Jonah and for the Assyrians even after the Book of Jonah concludes. 

The Book of Jonah is a Warning to Israel

The bible clearly shows that God warns people to give them an opportunity to change their minds, repent, and turn from their sinful ways. This divine warning is a demonstration of God's patience and mercy, allowing time for repentance rather than rushing to judgment. Two such examples: 

  • Jeremiah 18:8 (ESV) -- "If that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned."
  • Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV) -- "Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?’"

These verses reflect God's desire to give humanity opportunities to repent and be saved rather than be destroyed. His warnings serve as acts of grace, inviting a changed heart and restoration.

The Book of Jonah is one of the most well-known books that touch deeply on themes related to atonement. It powerfully illustrates God's mercy, repentance, and forgiveness—key components of atonement theology.

Some key points about atonement in Jonah include:

  • Jonah’s story highlights God's willingness to relent from judgment when His people repent, showing divine compassion and mercy (Jonah 3:10).
  • The theme of repentance (teshuva) is central; Nineveh's collective turning from evil leads to their salvation and sparing from destruction.
  • Jonah himself struggles with this mercy, illustrating human resistance to God's grace and the universal scope of divine love extending beyond Israel.
  • The book is traditionally read on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) in Jewish practice, underscoring its lessons on sin, repentance, divine forgiveness, and renewal.
  • Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2) is a profound psalm of distress and deliverance that Christians believe foreshadows Jesus’ suffering and the atoning work.

Thus, Jonah embodies a narrative of God's gracious atonement—inviting sinners to repent, offering forgiveness, and revealing God's justice accompanied by steadfast love.

"He left them and went away." When He returns, He will come to judge the world. 

The Book of Jonah is widely regarded as one of the greatest stories of repentance in the Bible. It powerfully portrays the mercy of God extended to even the most unlikely and undeserving people when they genuinely repent.

So it stands to reason that the Book of Jonah has important relevance to end times and a world facing judgment.  

What Are We to Conclude After the Book of Jonah Concludes?

Jonah 4:5-11 -- Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth (Sukkah) for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant (kikayon) and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

There is so much I want to say about these verses, but I have to be painfully brief and to my point in order to finish the revelation I am trying to summarize. So I will simply say this about my interpretation of those versus in chapter 4.  

Firstly, God is the author and finisher, and He appointed the "great fish" that saved Jonah. 

Jonah 1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

The Book of Jonah is like a long parable and the images are metaphors. 

Jonah is Israel. The Sukkah is the tabernacle that the Israelites built for the Tablets of Testimony which Adonai gave Moses on top of Mount Sinai. The kikayon plant that shaded Jonah and saved him from his discomfort represented Adonai's manifested glory or presence among His people in the wilderness, known as the Shekinah, which is Hebrew word that means "that which dwells." 

The "worm" in Jonah 4:6-7, as well as Psalm 22:6, is specifically called a tolaath (תּוֹלָע). This word, often translated as "worm," actually refers to a specific type of insect, commonly referred to as the "crimson worm" (Coccus ilicis). It would leave a crimsom stain on a tree as it gave up it's body to feed it's young for approximately 3 days. This particular "worm" produced a vibrant red dye that was used to color fabric, including the scarlet cord, a Tikva, that Rahad hung out her window for Joshua to see so he could spare her and her family from the destruction of Jericho. The crimson worm was used to make the die for the scarlett thread that was tied on the scapegoat and the ancient temple door.

If you apply these interpretations to chapter 4 of Jonah I think you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the Book of Jonah including why the story ends with God pitying the great city of Nineveh and implying to Jonah, in the closing question, that the people need instruction.  They did not know the Torah. Consider how Jonah responded to God’s question. 

History tells us something important about Jonah and God's plans for both him and the Assyrians. History shows that Jonah stayed in Nineveh. His tomb is there. 

Jonah is traditionally believed to be buried in the city of Mosul in Iraq, which was historically known as Nineveh—the ancient Assyrian capital to which Jonah was sent. The tomb, also known as the Shrine or Mosque of the Prophet Jonah (Nabi Yunus in Arabic), stood on a mound called Nebi Yunus. 

The tomb of Jonah is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as Jonah's burial place.  Bringing Jew, Christian and Muslim together is an image of "One Man" unity which has end times implications. 

The mosque and shrine were historically significant and a site of pilgrimage until they were largely destroyed by ISIS militants in 2014. Archaeological excavations beneath the site uncovered Assyrian artifacts and structures, underscoring its ancient heritage connected to Nineveh.

As we know, God had mercy on the people of Nineveh because they repented the moment they were warned of their impending destruction. Unlike the people of the city of Sodom who were not spared!  

What Came of the Assyrians? 

God had a plan for the Assyrians which would unfold approximately 100 years later at the walls of Jerusalem with King Hezekiah. 

As I see it, the sparing of Nineveh is part of a divine plan not out of love for Assyria itself, but so that the Assyrians might be preserved to fulfill God’s purpose as an instrument of judgment against Israel and Judah for their sins, as emphasized by later prophets like Isaiah. 

Isaiah prophesied about an Assyrian attack on Jerusalem. From the early chapters of Isaiah (especially chapters 7–12) through chapters 36–37, Isaiah warned the leaders of Judah about the impending danger from Assyria due to their lack of trust in God and their political alliances. When the Assyrian king Sennacherib ultimately invaded Judah, Isaiah both described and predicted the siege and devastation of many Judean cities, leaving Jerusalem as the final target.

Isaiah also prophesied that the Assyrians would not succeed in capturing or destroying Jerusalem itself. In Isaiah 37:33, God declared through Isaiah that the king of Assyria "will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it... He will go back the way he came". This prophecy was fulfilled when, after threatening Jerusalem, Sennacherib's army withdrew following a divine intervention. Thus, Isaiah’s prophecies included both the real danger and partial fulfillment of Assyrian conquest, as well as God’s promise of Jerusalem’s deliverance during that specific campaign.

Consider the implication of foreknowledge: Nothing is hidden from God: Not Jonah's actions and not the future Assyrians actions. God’s mercy in saving Nineveh is therefore seen as preparing Assyria to carry out the role ordained by God. God shows mercy to Assyria so they can be preserved to fulfill this role, showing both justice and mercy simultaneously.


Point of Fact

While Assyrians originally worshipped their native gods, they became one of the earliest peoples outside the Jewish world to convert to Christianity, believing in Jesus as the Messiah. Their conversion traditionally dates back to the first century AD, very soon after the time of Jesus and his apostles. Today, modern Assyrians are almost entirely Christian. Evidently, the story of Jonah was an influence. This suggests to me that God’s plan for the Assyrians, as well as Jonah, extends long past the story we read in the Book of Jonah. Clearly it does since he was used by Jesus as "the sign."

Thus, Jonah’s mission to Nineveh and their repentance fits into a broader biblical theme: God’s sovereignty extends even to future enemies, using them according to His purpose. The sparing of Nineveh following their repentance is consistent with this plan, which aligns with the Messianic and prophetic reflections connected to Hezekiah’s time and the Assyria threat.

The Connection to Tisha B'Av

The story of Hezekiah and the sparing of Jerusalem is related, in a thematic and historical sense, to Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem and both Temples.

Tisha B'Av is a day that commemorates numerous Jewish tragedies, particularly the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is a solemn fast day marked by mourning practices and reflection on Israel's suffering and exile. Hezekiah's story of deliverance from the Assyrian siege, where Jerusalem was miraculously spared, is part of the broader historical and prophetic context surrounding Jerusalem's trials and the recurring cycles of destruction and deliverance that Tisha B'Av mourns and contemplates.

Importantly, the Sabbath before Tisha B'Av, called Shabbat Chazon, includes prophetic readings from Isaiah, who lived during Hezekiah's time. Isaiah’s vision speaks about Jerusalem’s desolation and eventual hope, reflecting on the same era of Assyrian threat and divine deliverance that Hezekiah experienced. This sets the tone for mourning Jerusalem’s destruction but also anticipates future redemption.

The Story is Deeper Still  

There is a well-known tradition in Jewish texts—particularly the Talmud (Sanhedrin 94a)—that asserts King Hezekiah was almost appointed as the Messiah. According to this tradition, after Jerusalem was miraculously spared from the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, God was prepared to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib the embodiment of Gog and Magog (apocalyptic enemies). In this passage the Gemara elaborates on the "eight names of Hezekiah are as it is written: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele Joez El Gibbor Abi Ad Sar Shalom” The phrase "Pele (1) Joez (2) El (3) Gibbor (4) Abi (5) Ad (6) Sar (7) Shalom (8)" is a Hebrew phrase from Isaiah 9:6, meaning "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  

In Jewish tradition, interpretations vary, with some seeing it as referring to King Hezekiah or as a description of God's attributes. Christians reading this will no doubt recognize the Messiah, Jesus, in those those attributes. (Could this event be tied to one of the times Jesus refered to in Luke 13:34?)

The Talmudic sages say that Hezekiah failed to sing praises or offer a thanksgiving song to God after the deliverance, so Messiah's presence was not revealed and the future Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem was put in motion.

The logic given in these traditional sources is that singing praise and gratitude to God following a miracle is a sign of righteous leadership and messianic potential. For example, after the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang praises, which was a model of appropriate response to salvation. Hezekiah, who experienced a similar deliverance, did not respond with song and praise, and therefore, according to the Talmud and rabbinic commentary, the messianic age was not realized in his time. 

I liken this missed opportunity to the scene with Moses who fails to "speak to the Rock" and the belief that exists that God/Messiah would have been revealed had he done so.  We know that Moses paid a high price for denying the Israelites. 

Hezekiah's failure to praise God for sparing Jerusalem was a "giant spiritual moment" and mistake.

Because of this omission, the Talmudic theory is that messianic era did not begin with Hezekiah, and future history, including tragedies such as the destruction of the Temple, unfolded instead.


Christian traditions do not hold Hezekiah as the would-be Messiah, but they do view him as a type (or foreshadowing) of the coming Messiah. 

Jonah Foreshadows the Messiah

In the Gospel of Matthew 12:42, Jesus presented himself as “one greater than Solomon.” 

I mentioned above the the Book of Jonah was like a long parable. Parables transmit understanding of wisdom. King Solomon, renowned for his God-given wisdom, conveyed understanding through concise, memorable sayings—proverbs. These proverbs provide practical instruction for living wisely and righteously, addressing many aspects of daily life and the human heart. Jesus used parables. The Hebrew word for proverb and parable are one in the same -- mashal (מָשָׁל). Parables hide profound truths in everyday imagery, requiring listeners to engage with faith, openness, and contemplation (Matthew 13:10–17). Through parables, Jesus invited his hearers to grasp the mysteries of God’s kingdom—wisdom not just for right living, but for understanding divine grace and salvation.

There is an end times implication in the Book of Jonah. In Matthew 12:41 Jesus says: "The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."

This statement points to a future judgment day when the repentant Ninevites, historically outsiders and enemies of Israel, will testify against the generation of Israel in Jesus' time for their unbelief and refusal to repent despite Jesus' greater revelation. The people of Nineveh responded to Jonah's call with repentance, turning from their evil ways, while many in Israel rejected Jesus, who came with an even greater message.

The idea that the Ninevites stand in judgment of Israel is a strong theological theme in the book of Jonah and subsequent prophetic reflections. The Ninevites, despite being Assyrian enemies known for their wickedness and oppression of Israel, repent sincerely and quickly when Jonah warns them of God's impending judgment. Their genuine repentance contrasts sharply with Israel’s repeated failure to heed God's calls for repentance over long periods, leading to Israel's eventual judgment and exile by Assyria itself, whose capital was Nineveh.

The Problem with Saying "Never Again"

I want to challenge a famous expression that Jews use. Jews say "Never Again." The problem I see with this phrase is that I think it implies too much that man is in complete control, and that God isn't a factor.  

The concept of "never again" is a powerful slogan and ethical directive, most famously associated with the remembrance of the Holocaust and Jewish history. 

"Never again" emerged after the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Survivors, Jewish leaders, and the wider world embraced the phrase as a commitment to ensure genocides like the Holocaust would never be allowed to happen again. It is a rallying cry. We have to do our part!  

By the same token, saying "Never Again" is also like saying we will never let Tisha B'Av happen again. If we are in God's hands, Tisha B'Av is in God's hands. Who are we to say that Tisha B'Av can never happen again? If God spares Israel, like He spared Jerusalem during Hezekiah's time, will Israel sing praises God? 

Never Again Is Now

I'd posit that Israel is facing a similar moment now with historic spiritual parallels and significance.  Israel's enemies, Hamas, Syria, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran surround Israel and threaten it's destruction. Like the Assyrians at Jerusalem during Hezekiah's time.

Israel has a secular majority. While religion plays an important public and political role in Israel, many Israelis—especially in major cities like Tel Aviv—live largely secular lifestyles with Jewish identity expressed more culturally or ethnically than religiously or spiritually.

The war with Hamas appears to be coming to a close. Hamas soldiers are coming up from the tunnels and surrendering their weapons in large numbers. This started happening literally in conjunction with Tisha B'Av!  President Trump and several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, have also just demanded at the same time that Hamas give up it's weapons, control of Gaza and hand over ALL the hostages!  

Who will Israel praise?! 


WARNING

After the Holocaust, during the Nuremberg trails, one of the chief prosecutors, Benjamin Ferencz, gave a stark warning to the world about the consequences of unchecked hatred. Ferencz famously, and I believe prophetically, said that the world could not withstand "another Holocaust." 

Jews are living in a world of unchecked hate, and not just the hate of non-Jews. There is the hate by Jews of Israel's Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. There is hatred by Jews of Jews who support Donald Trump, who supports Israel. I think their is the kind of "Baseless Hate" that is attributed by the rabbis to causing Tisha B'Av. 

If we continue to hate one another, rather than love one another, and we fail to praise God for miraculous protection, the final Tisha B'Av may be close at hand. We should take a lesson on repentance from the Ninevites, otherwise they  may stand at our judgment.  

Throughout History 

The bible is made up of multiple stories of God trying to guide and instruct us on a righteous path back to Him.  One can imagine God weeping over all the times we were so stubborn and would not let God gather us to himself.  

The big question I see facing the Nation of Israel, including Jews around the world, is whether the Nation of Israel at large will praise God for the miraculous protection Israel it has recieved since October 7th 2023. If we don't, Israel may face the final Tisha B'Av when we will be faced with such utter destruction that we will say what is written:  

Psalm 118:26 (ESV) -- Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Conclusion

Israel is at what I am calling a "Hezekiah moment." The Nation of Israel and Jews collectively must sing praise to God for His protection. Isreal must shout a mighty Hallelujah for the protection the nation has recieved from it'senemies during present wars. Israel must acknowledge "Salvation is of God!" (Jonah 2.9). The miraculous protection Israel has experienced is beyond Israel's weapons and warriors alone. Israel should show the world that "Salvation belongs to the Lord" by giving all the praise to Adonia. This is something Jew, Christian and Muslim will appreciate. 

Psalm 150:1-6 (ESV)
"Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"

Israel is nearly at a Hezekiah moment. Victory is at hand for Israel in the current war. Woe to Israel if it fails to sing songs of praise that satisfy Adonia.  

Friday, August 1, 2025

VIOLENCE HAS TO BE ENDED

David & Goliath

Remember the bible story of "David and Goliath." The ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines migrated from the area of ancient Greece to the coastal area of Gaza on Israel's southern coast in roughly the 12th century BC.  The inhabitants of Gaza have been enemies ever since. 

Before King David, Gaza is where the biblical Samsom was taken captive and put in shackles in the 11th Century BC.  Samson is written about in the Hebrew Book of Judges.

Judges 16:21-30 -- And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.


David’s sling defeated Goliath, the giant Philistine, and when the shepherd boy grew up and became King, he returned to settle the score with the Philistines. 1 Chronicles 18:1 in the Hebrew bible states that David defeated the Philistines and captured their chief city, Gaza, incorporating it into the Israelite kingdom. 

Israel Has Long Been Dealing with Cursed Gaza

In the 8th century BC., the biblical prophet Amos prophecied:
 
Amos 1:6–7 -- So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds.”

In the 7th century BC., during the reign of King Josiah of Judah, the prophet Zephaniah prophecied that "Gaza shall be deserted." (Zephaniah 2:4) 

In the mid-6th or early 5th century, Zechariah prophecied that Gaza would "writhe in anguish" because its "hopes are confounded" it's leaders would "perish" and Gaza would be "uninhabited." (Zechariah 9:5)

Hamas is Wrongdoing and Wrongdoing is Hamas

The coastal area of Gaza has been a curse to the Israelites for almost 3100 years. Hamas took that curse down to the next level, figuratively and literally. Hamas built a 450 mile hellacious tunnel system underneath virtually all of Gaza.  That's larger than the NYC subway of 245 miles or London's subway of 250 miles. Hamas's subterranean transportation system was only for their evil intentions, hiding and transporting terrorists and storing weapons.  

Everything Hamas does for killing Jews and destroying Israel. Palestinian women and children be dammed! 

"Israel protects it's civilians with missiles. Hamas protects it's missiles with civilians." 

The greatest tragedy is that Palestinian children have been taught to desire to kill Jews from the time they can walk. Jew hatred is a cancer in the Nth stage by the time a boy is 15 years old. All Hamas has to do is hand him a rifle and point him toward Israel. 

The Name "Palestine" Haunts Israel

After the ancient Romans destroyed Jerusalem, demolished the Temple and scattered the Israelites, the Roman Emperor added insult to injury by renaming Israel to "Philistia,” after the the Israelites' ancient enemies the Philistines. 

Like the Romans, the actual "Colonizers," Europeans, want to take a portion of biblical Israel and rename it "Palestine" after our ancient enemies from 3100 years ago. 

Enough Is Enough 

Those days are over and Israel has had enough! No more renaming.  Israel is not going back to boundaries mandated by Britain, France or any other foreign country. 

No more taking away or giving away the Land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which Joshua and David battled for, won and united into Israel nearly 3000 years ago.  

No more "West Bank" which is part of ancient Judea Samaria and was fought for and won back again, along with East Jerusalem and the Golan when Trans-Jordan, Syria, Egypt attacked tiny Israel in the "Six-Day War" of 1967.

No more Palestine. It is all Israel. Gaza is and has been part of Israel since David slew Goliath. Israelies have fought and bought their biblical lands since David purchased the threshing floor from Arunah the Jebusite to build an altar.

In the Book of Samuel (2), King David replied to Araunah: 

“I will buy them from you at full price. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 silver shekels, built an altar to the Lord there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord answered David’s prayers for the land and the pestilence on Israel was averted. (2 Samuel: 24-25 isv)

Israel has paid a high enough price for it's homeland.  It is time to rid Israel of the pestilence that is Hamas permanently. The violence, Hamas, has to end. Hamas, violence, has to be ended!

Isaiah 60:18: "No longer will violence [hamas] be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise". 

Am Yisrael Chai! 

Son of Hamas Founder



Wednesday, July 30, 2025

AN EYE FOR AN EYE


Rewarding Hamas with a "state" is most assuredly NOT a solution!  Tried that. For all intents & purposes that was that is how we got the problem with Gaza.  That history is over and Israel is not going back. 

When Trump said that the Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated, the world was shocked. Even Israelies were shocked.  For pragmatist who know history, that shock lasted less than a day. 

Trump is correct. What's shocking is he said the quiet part outloud.  Because he is the President and because he is "Trump," his statement carried enough weight that leaders in Israel were given a window of opportunity to seriously consider that option.  The more they did, the more it made sense, a lot of sense. 

As more Israelies were waking up to the fact that "Two States" was never a solution, the Palestinians shifted their focus to promoting the "World-wide Intifada" that they have been chanting about since October 7th! 

The big question is, what should come of the Palestinians in Gaza, or any Palestinians in Israel who refuse to live peacefully and cooperatively with Israelies in the State of Israel, including Judae Samaria?  The answer is in the bible. 

The bible provides a code for justice. One of the best know examples of fairness or a measured response is found in the Torah. 

Leviticus 24:20 esv -- "If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him." 

Deuteronomy 19:21 esv --"Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

Efforts are being made by Israel to expell Palestinians who refuse to live peacefully in Gaza, which IS in the state of Israel, to Arab countries. Israel has never done this, but is there any precedent for doing this? Would this be fair?  The answers are  Yes and yes! Consider these facts:

Jews have been expelled from or forced to leave numerous countries across different regions throughout history. 

Europe

  • England: 1290, Jews expelled by King Edward I; only allowed to officially return in 1656.

  • France: Several expulsions, notably 1306 and 1394, with Jews not allowed back until the late 18th century.

  • Spain: 1492, Alhambra Decree by Ferdinand and Isabella; most Jews expelled.

  • Portugal: 1497, forced conversions and expulsions.

  • Sicily & Southern Italy: 1492 (Sicily), multiple persecutions in southern Italy; expulsions and forced conversions.

  • Hungary: Multiple expulsions: 1349, 1360.

  • Austria: 1421, Vienna Gesera; Jews expelled.

  • Germany (various principalities): Numerous expulsions in the Middle Ages, especially during the Black Death period (1348–50).

  • Russia: Jews barred until 1772, then restricted to the Pale of Settlement; expulsions from various towns continued through the 19th century.

  • Lithuania: Expelled in 1495, allowed back in 1503.

  • Other: Flanders, Belgium (1125); Nuremberg (1499); Milan (1597).

Middle East and North Africa

  • Egypt

  • Iraq

  • Syria

  • Lebanon

  • Libya

  • Yemen

  • Morocco

  • Tunisia

  • Algeria

  • Iran

Though some of these (especially Morocco and Tunisia) did not conduct official expulsion edicts, large-scale violence, persecution, or state-sanctioned pressure led to the dramatic reduction or effective elimination of Jewish communities, especially from 1948–1970. Examples include:

  • Iraq: 1950–51, virtually all Jews forced to leave following public anti-Jewish violence and legal restrictions.

  • Egypt: Suez Crisis 1956, Jews expelled and assets confiscated.

  • Libya: 1948–67, Jews forced to leave, final remaining Jews by 2003.

  • Yemen: 1947–50, almost entire Jewish population evacuated, especially during Operation Magic Carpet.

  • Syria: Pogroms and repression, mass departures after 1947–48 and later.

  • North African nations (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria): mass emigration under pressure between 1948–1970.

Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

  • Poland, Lithuania, Baltic States: Mass deportations by Russian Empire in WWI and Soviet Union during WWII.

  • Soviet Union: Mass deportations to Siberia and Central Asia during WWII, especially of Polish Jews.

Asia (outside the Middle East)

  • Afghanistan: The last Jews left by 2021.

  • Somalia: The last community disappeared by 2010.

Central and South America

  • Guatemala: Expulsion of the Lev Tahor Jewish sect from San Juan La Laguna in 2014 (not representative of broader historical expulsions).


This list highlights recognized mass expulsions; Jews also faced numerous forced removals and exclusions from cities, regions, and territories not listed here due to my query's global focus. Expulsions typically occurred in periods of religious, economic, or political upheaval and were often accompanied by violence, property confiscation, and forced conversions.


Last but not least, under the Oslow Accord, Israel itself expelled, under force, the Israelies living in Gaza from Gaza. Israelis were expelled from Gaza in 2005 during the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip. This unilateral withdrawal involved dismantling all 21 Israeli settlements in Gaza. Israelies were forced from their homes, farms and businesses. The graves of deceased Jews in Gaza were even. exhumed. 


Fairness can be measured another way.  There are 17 Muslim-majority countries in the Middle Eastern, covering a total land area of roughly 7.3 million square kilometers (about 2.8 million square miles). There are approximately 49 Muslim-majority countries worldwide as of 2025. There is one Jewish state in the world covering ~21.6 square kilometers. 21.6 compared to 7,300,000!  


Back to the question of what to do with the Palestinians in Gaza. Considering how Jews have ɓeen treated for thousands of years, I think the question answers itself.  The answer is "an eye for an eye."


Is there room for forgiveness? Should any Palestinians be aloud to stay or come back to Gaza? Absolutely.  There are plenty of examples of repentance in the bible as well.  But don't expect that from any Hamas members or it's supporters!  They don't have a speck of remorse in their body. If they can they will do October 7th again & again. They even say so themselves!!  That is why relocating most Palestinians is the only plausible path toward peace in Israel. Heaven knows Jews are in need of peace. 


Of course the true Hope of Israel is the Messiah, who "is 2000 years old." (Stated in Israel’s national anthem, HaTikvah.)  Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord and will usher in the days that Prophet Isaiah wrote of in chapter 11. 


Psalm 118:25-26 -- Save us, we pray, O Lord!

O Lord, we pray, give us success!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 🙏