Questions From Special Live Broadcast

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.This week we revisit some of the questions that were phoned in during our broadcast.Here’s T. A. McMahon:

Tom:

Again Dave referring back to our earlier program which we did live.We went for two hours and didn’t have a chance to get in all of the questions, answer either all of the email questions and so on.So I’ve got a few here.Here’s one:Why would the leaders of the free world (i.e. Bush, Blair, the Pope) mislead the public by saying that Islam is a peaceful religion?Does the threat of death from the Islamics carry that much weight or are they just misinformed?

Dave:

Well that’s a good question; I mean maybe you don’t want to say that it’s anything but peaceful because you could become a Salman Rushdie, who’s been in hiding for what, 12 years with a price on his head?I don’t recall any great Islamic scholar, this man, or anyone else saying, “oh that was not proper to threaten with death so that Rushdie has to go into hiding.You shouldn’t do that.” No, that is Islam.Muhammad said if they give up their faith kill them.This is Muhammad!Not only did he say it, he practiced it.So how...?

Tom:

It’s being practiced today.

Dave:

Exactly, so how…?

Tom:

In some Arab states.

Dave:

So how anyone can say Islam is a peace-loving religion—Tom, that’s propaganda.It simply isn’t true.Not only on the basis of the Qur’an and the Hadith, but on the basis of 1300 years of history.

Tom:

The sayings of Muhammad—it’s all there.Now, I just want to tell our listeners out there that anybody objecting to these things—the name of the program is “search the scriptures daily.”Now what we’re trying to encourage—and you say well wait a minute, this has to do with the Qur’an and this has to do with Islam.You won’t find that in the scriptures.Then what we’re asking caveat emptor, “The buyer beware.”Check things out.Don’t just believe what you’re hearing out there.…a history book Dave.On our program you quoted from Will Durant and what you’re saying is a matter of history.

Dave:

Right, exactly.So not only check us out, but check these statements out as well.

Tom:

Okay Dave, I’ve got another question here.

Dave:

Another email?

Tom:

Another email.

Dave:

A lot of emails.

Tom:

Yes.During my Sunday school class yesterday, a woman who read a book by a Palestinian Christian said that the Jews were out of God’s will when they took Israel by force in 1948.What are your comments on the subject?

Dave:

First of all, they didn’t take Israel by force in 1948.The land, so-called Palestine, which was once the land of Israel, became the land of Palestine.We don’t have time to explain that, I think we have before, was partitioned by the United Nations.UN Resolution 181, November of 1947.They gave 18%, a mere 18% to the Jews, and 82% to the Arabs.By the way, Jordan annexed almost all that territory that was supposed to the Palestinian state.There was no Palestinian state before.Jews and Palestinians (so-called) were living together.So this is land that was given to the Jews by the United Nations.It was agreed upon.Furthermore, way back in 1917 the League of Nations had promised to give them all, because it was recognized that historically this was the land of the Jews.They had occupied it for 3000 years!No one else had.And the Arabs that moved in, they were immigrants.This was the Jews land, alright? And then the British under the mandate the Balfour Declaration and so forth, they misappropriated this land.They began giving it to the Arabs, allowing Arabs to come in.They cheated on the immigration statistics and so forth.So first of all, this is the land that God gave to the Jews way back in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.Now, what happened?Well, Time Magazine even and I’ve quoted it a number of times—Time magazine said if the Arabs had not attacked the Jews, they would have been living in their own Palestinian state for the last 40 years.The Jews did not attack the Arabs. The Arabs attacked the Jews.The regular armies of six Arab nations with overwhelming power, numerical in superiority and so forth, they came and they were going to wipe out the Jews.Annihilate them, just finish them off forever.That is still the goal of the PLO that was the goal of Nasser; that has been the goal of the Muslim nations from the very beginning.So how a person could say the Jews attacked and took over and occupied territory—the territory they took—they took it in self defense against an enemy that had sworn to annihilate them.They were given such a narrow strip of land, it was indefensible.They had to take some high ground.Why not take the Golan?They are lobbing rockets down on you, they come charging down—this is a staging area, and then they attack with their tanks down there, so Israel in self-defense took the Golan.They have radar up there; they have a buffer zone so at least they have some warning.This is an enemy that has sworn to annihilate them that will never give this up.But pretends peace in order to get territory inside Israel.Israel doesn’t make any threats.You don’t find Israeli terrorists going and attacking the Arabs.All Israel wants to do is live in peace.They are trying to make peace, so how this person could come up with a question like that is beyond my comprehension.

Tom:

Well, again I’m quoting from the question that the Jews were out of God’s will when they took Israel by force in 1948.

Dave:

They didn’t take it by force.

Tom:

But Dave, they are out of God’s will when they give away the land.When they compromise.

Dave:

That’s exactly right.

Tom:

Because it’s the land God had given to them and they’re accountable; they’re responsible.

Dave:

Let me quote Leviticus:25:23The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
See All... again.God says the land is mine; it shall not be sold forever.And yes, the Jews are out of his will when they are trading land for an enemy that has sworn to exterminate them.