In the following video clip from MEMRI, we find Mohammad Ahmad Husein, the present Grand Mufti of Jerusalem enthusiastically quoting the hadith of the gharqad tree. This is the hadith that speaks of Muslims committing a genocide against the Jews in the last days, according to Husein, specifically in the land of Israel. This is a very popular hadith among Palestinian Imams, and is quoted and expounded upon quite a few times throughout the Charter of Hamas. This would be similar to giving a place of prominence to calls for genocide throughout the US Constitution. Of course, the left endlessly seeks to brush this hadith aside merely as an obscure reference found in the charter of Hamas that has little relevance to most modern Palestinians. But they fail to recognize how significant it truly is in driving much of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How can Israel make peace with someone who believes that they have been given a God given mandate to kill them? Simply stated, without repentance, containment is the only solution. And for this, the Palestinians suffer. I repeat, when the Palestinian leadership does not renounce, but instead enthusiastically supports such calls for genocide, the Palestinians suffer. Palestinian children suffer. But no one blames the Palestinian leadership who are the true oppressors of their own people. No one blames Islam, which is the true source of racism and hatred and violence.
Meanwhile the anti-Zionist Christians at the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference will say nothing of this. They will simply moan about living in the oppressive shadow of the wall. No one will validate the fact that the Israelis were forced to build the wall to protect themselves. Nor will one hear anyone at Christ at the Checkpoint lamenting the fact that Palestinian Christians must live in the truly oppressive shadow of Islam. Instead Islam will be praised. Of course, this is the normal mode of operation for so many anti-Zionist “peace-activists.”
As such, we are not surprised in the least bit to find the anti-Israel activist and Anglican vicar, Stephen Sizer enthusiastically buddying up to the Grand Mufti only weeks after Husein made this hateful speech. Of course, if any of these so-called peace activists were genuinely concerned with peace and justice, they would vigorously confront Husein and the Palestinian leadership to their faces concerning their adamant determination to foment genocide.
One final point. Stephen Sizer is the author of the book, Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon? The title is fairly self-explanatory. In a nut shell, Sizer argues that Christians who support Israel are essentially going to cause Armageddon. Ironically, Sizer rejects the belief that a future Battle of Armageddon is even spoken of in Scripture. But when Sizer gives hearty support to those whose souls are filled with precisely the kind of “everlasting hatred” and brazen religiously inspired racism that the Bible says will actually produce the actual Battle of Armageddon, he is, according to himself, a “peace-maker.” To be clear, my purpose here is not to be snarky in my comments. Its simply that any effort to accurately describe the thought process of many of the leading voices of the growing anti-Zionist movement is so hypocritical and contradictory that it naturally will come across as sarcastic. In conclusion, remember to pray for both Israel, and the Palestinian people, especially Palestinian Christians, but also remember to pray for those like Sizer who have allowed themselves to become vessels for the corrosive propaganda of bigotry, racism and hatred.
29 Responses
I am praying for Pastor Sizer, that his eyes are opened to the soon Coming of our Glorious King and our obligation to our brother Jacob in the time of his trouble. Jesus does not mince words about the fate of those who do not repent.
“But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 24:48-51 NRSV)
After watching the video, the usual YouTube selection appears, amongst which was this scoffing clown. I’d seen him before popping up on various conspiracy-type videos (and I’m not wholly averse to all conspiracy theories). He’s Jewish, as I understand, and would certainly make a fitting addition to the motley shower at Christ at the Checkpoint. Amazingly, people take him seriously — the comment sections of his YouTube videos are packed with Israel-haters and the like. …In fact, the comment sections of many YouTube videos feature antisemitic remarks. Armies of people now believe that the world is controlled by a Jewish/Zionist conspiracy. …Unbelievable.
I just hope it all ends soon: only Jesus can sort this mess out.
He’s an Eastern Orthodox Priest or Monk unfortunately. Are you sure he’s Jewish as well?
Joel,
I have been following some of the comments at the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. Do the Christian anti-Zionists not believe that God made an everlasting covenant with Israel? Where do they believe the Jews should live, if not in Israel? Aren’t their views really apostasy? Is this part of the “falling away” that Jesus warned about?
I have been viewing the video-taped sessions of the convocations at the.mysteryofisrael.org. In the September 2013 gathering, a dear brother gave a powerful presentation on “The Everlasting Covenant”. He recently gave the same presentation at a church in Georgia in February of this year. It is so clear to me that the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference is a perfect example of Psalm 2, which this brother highlighted in his presentation.
“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
“Brother Nathanael” claims he is Jewish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eb9bXwKXXw&list=PLFFB05929141EE377
Hi Joel,
Here is a short article on anti-semitism in Ukraine. Do you believe President Putin really care about the Jewish People or just using it against the West.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-envoy-rejects-putin-claims-about-anti-semitism-in-ukraine/
Joel:
Yeah, he’s Jewish, but he’s nuts: apparently his real name is Milton Kapner and he first gained public attention when he was living in his car and hanging around a synagogue, whose congregation took pity on him and helped him — but he was apparently such a troublemaker that they told him to sling his hook in the end. The Orthodox Church distance themselves from him too and say that he isn’t really a monk.
He calls himself a street evangelist: you can see him in action here. From the footage online it’s clear he’s a lamp short of a menorah, but people seem to pay heed to the loon and his antisemitism. (His YouTube channel has nearly forty thousand subscribers.)
What a world…
BJ and Alisa,
I am not informed enough to be able to meaningfully comment concerning anti-Semitism in Ukraine, or Russia…
It sickens me when I see these so-called men of God standing united with leaders of an anti-Christ ideology.
It is an old accusation, Joel, and frankly the lazy believe it, because they don’t want to dig to see the shallowness of the argument.
Meanwhile, Caroline Glick is receiving warm receptions (her publicists have clearly earned their pay cheques, because she isn’t wasting her time amongst the fence sitters and those hostile to Israel).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFo08XQicJg
The best resource I have seen for getting educated in this area is a video by Caryl Matrisciana titled “EXPOSING CHRISTIAN PALESTINIANISM”. Well worth the $24.95.
Link is here: http://www.caryltv.com/dvd-previews/211-exposing-christian-palestinianism
Enjoy!
-Paul
http://www.HarpazoTV.com
Joel,
I dont know if this is the appropriate place to post my personal dialogue with someone that is clearly antizionist but I was hoping to get your thoughts. My heart is troubled by his last statement after reading your books Islamic antichrist and mideast beast I can see how muslims, antizionist christians, and many others will fall to the deception of the antichrist when he appears.
2 Thessalonians 2
2 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ[a] had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin[b] is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God[c] in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
**Below are his comments only and i am posting to get feedback
Last time I checked Hitler was dead and european Khazars are free to practice their adopted faith of Judaism. I think its time to go back to their lands of true origin. I am propaganda resistant and this is why I know and say this :). NAZI germany fell a long time ago…no excuse….GO BACK.
Its ironic that you mentioned Ethiopian Jews because they actually are descendants of the real Israelites but notice they are not invading palestine.. BTW the arab palestinians are the dscendants of the children of Israel. They are mixed arab and israelite stock. The fact that they are Muslim and christian doesnt change that. Netanyahu Ehug BOROG shimon perez Sharon and all the other terrorist are polish russian german ukranian hungarian…..cmon man …who is the victim of propaganda ?
The problem with the genetics is that these fake european jews…who are actually Khazars came and invaded a land on the premise that their ancestors are from there. It turns out this is total baloney so even if that reason was acceptable to you to steal palestine then guess what it is false. ISRAEL the blaspheming terrorist state must go. The christians that support it will feel God’s wrath along with them. Read Numbers 31 and you will see what terrorism is and what binds the christian fundamentalist and Israelis.
Jesus would order the destruction of the so called Nation of Israel if he were back NO DOUBT.
Brandon,
(1) Obviously has never been to Israel. (3) As such, gets many facts brazenly wrong. (3) He is painfully arrogant.
Personally, I avoid folks like this.
Joel:
Yes, that’s a big subject, with very deep roots. I was just reading about the Cossack leader Khmelnytsky and his rebellion — he and his men slaughtered tens of thousands of Jews, endeavouring to ethnically cleanse Ukraine, since the Jews had strong ties with (and were often representatives of) Ukraine’s Polish overlords. In Ukraine, Khmelnytsky is generally regarded as a hero to this day (statues of him all over the place, etc.). To the Jews of Europe he is of course a Haman figure.
It’s interesting that this self-same slaughter in Ukraine brought about a crisis in European Jewry which led Jews to seek their Messiah desperately, and to the rise of the greatest (and worst) false Messiah, Zevi, ‘enthroned’ in 1666. The consequences of this disaster are affecting the world even now (just as the consequences of the Bar Kokhbar rebellion are felt to this day).
…As for Brandon’s antizionist fruitcake, why is it that these people think that the God of Israel would supernaturally preserve a bunch of usurping Khazars from the ‘true’ Jews around them? 1948, 1967, 1973… These folk are, as Brandon’s interlocutor helpfully admitted, “propaganda resistant” (i.e. effectively inoculated against the truth): with them, reason availeth naught. Joel’s right — best avoid.
Joel and Paul,
Thank you for the advice. We work together and I will be praying for his hard and calloused heart to be made into flesh. I felt most of our conversations about this subject matter were getting no where.
Yeah, and Jimmy Carter is a “peace maker” too. Oh boy! “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces”. Mat 7:6 If it don’t walk and quack like a duck, it is not a duck. Come quick Lord Jesus! 🙁
Hi Joel,
We have been following your online Ministry for about a year and have learned a lot in that time. One thing I can say is for a young fella you sure have tough skin. Keep doing what God has you doing. Hebrews 11:6 says God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Israel is still God’s chosen people, and always will be. Thanks be to God that He extended salvation to all of mankind, if they believe in Jesus Christ! Jesus’ commandment to “love thy neighbor” includes both Israeli Jews, and Palestinians. I applaud you Joel for reminding us to pray for both groups. I would like to quote two important texts to “Christians” like Stephen Sizer. The Hadith that the Grand Mufti quoted is clearly the opposite of good.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21 (KJV)
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matt 22:37-40 (KJV)
Joel,
What do you think will start WW3? Does Russia and Ukraine ave anything to do with it?
Here is an interesting video showing the trap that the Muslims have fallen into.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJWeN7P-BuY&feature=player_detailpage
Dear Joel,
Reading your article above, I couldn’t help but remember your writing in Islamic Antichrist which states that Deception is allowed in Islam. You’re absolutely right that everything is good in the Bible is bad in qur’an and vice versa. Just out of curiosity, have you ever read a book “Islam Dismantled ” written by Sujit Das? It’s a real eye opener.
Hi Joel I’ve emailed you over the last 24hrs about an interesting issue I used one of the email addresses not on this site. I know you have a strange filter on the email address that sends my, infrequent emails to your spam box 😉
Hello All:
I apologize for the off-topic post, but here’s a recent article on the current deteriorating situation in Libya (I couldn’t find a recent, related post). It will be interesting to see if the Egyptian leadership begins to bolster the failing Libyan government, considering their mutual concern over groups like Ansar al-Sharia.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/three-years-after-gaddafi-libya-is-imploding-into-chaos-and-violence-9194697.html
Gabe
And here is a VERY relevant post via MEMRI on You Tube, posted today. Made by a central committee member of the “moderate” Fatah movement which the U.S. supports politically/financially.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRaKwJu_2Fk
Gabe
Given the US habit of backing the wrong horse in the Middle East, I can’t help but think that Caroline Glick’s newest book turns things on their head (when I opened the book, the jacket was right side up, but the book was upside down, and I was looking at the index).
Expecting those who want to be identified as Arab to get along with those who want to be identified as “Arabic speaking Israelis”, I expect this to take place when people successfully hold back the tide.
The dangers of perceived weakness.
The latest exhibit is this tweet: Amir Taheri @AmirTaheri4 Mar 18
Tehran media celeberate Putin’s “victory” in Crimea as defeat for US.. Ayatollah Khatami asks:Do we need talks with “dying Great Satan”?
So, is Obama using the rope-a-dope strategy that Cassius Clay used in boxing?
An imperialistic European dictator moves into a nearby country, and suddenly all of the Jewish residents have to register themselves and their property. Hmmm, where have we seen this before? Disturbing…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/
Blessings to all,
Gabe
Joel Richardson, the quote “oh Muslim, behind me hides a Jew, come and kill him” quote comes from a Hadith, not the Qur’an, specifically from the collection of Sahih Muslim Book 41, # 6981. The Hadith, needless to say, is a favorite of Islamist anti-Semites like Hamas and others (it’s in the Hamas charter).
However, this is not a commandment for Muslims to kill Jews. It is, in fact, a description of an extremely obscure event that will supposedly occur at the end of time when a “False Messiah” will supposedly be followed by a group of hypocrite Muslims, Christians and Jews who do not believe in their own scriptures. The specific identity of these Jews is revealed in the same Hadith Sahih Muslim Book 40, # 7034; they are “seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan (Iran) wearing Persian shawls.”
These hadiths are recorded in the “Books of Tribulations and Portents of the Hour” of the Sahih Muslim and Bukhari collection, which, frankly, are a kind of Muslim apocrypha, and contain a lot of weird and obscure predictions and prophecies, the source and meaning of most of which is simply unknown, and were probably particular to events or circumstances of the time (8-9th century) when these were written.
So what can we say of these hadiths? First, that it is NOT a scriptural commandment of Muslims to kill Jews. The Hadith is recorded in the “Books of Tribulations and Portents of the Hour” and not in the other books of legal punishment. It is not a legal injunction, such as those forbidding Muslims to kill, steal, lie etc.
Secondly this is a Hadith, which are oral sayings of the Prophet Muhammad written a few centuries after his death, and many of which are of varying credibility and authenticity. The various sects of Islam disagree on much, but all all prominent Ulema agree that the Qur’an alone is the word of God in Islam, and that any Hadith that in any way contradicts a Qur’anic commandment or is not supported by the Qur’an is null and void. Period.
Qur’an Suras 2:256 and 109:2—6 confirm absolute freedom of worship, and forbid forcible conversions:
“There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.” (2:256)
“I do not worship what you worship. Nor do you worship what I worship. Nor will I ever worship what you worship. Nor will you ever worship what I worship. To you is your religion, and to me is my religion.” (109:2-6)
Also, Sura 5:48 confirms that all faiths who worship God must do so in their own way:
“For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny—all of you—then He will inform you of everything you had disputed.”
Though the Qur’an enjoins all to accept Islam, Sura 5:69 confirms that all Christians and Jews who obey their scriptures and live righteous lives will go to heaven:
“Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the converts, and the Christians; any of them who (1) believe in GOD and (2) believe in the Last Day, and (3) lead a righteous life, have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.”
This is confirmed in Sura 2:62, 3:199, and 22:17.
For a comprehensive discussion of Jews in the Qur’an and in Islam, here is an excellent essay “The Abuse of Islam as Part of the Demonization of Israel” by my friend Sinem Tezyapar for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. http://jcpa.org/the_abuse_of_islam_as_part_of_the_demonization_of_israel/
Robert,
First, Sinem and Adnan disagree with you in that they say that the Hadith is not even a valid hadith. Second, it is not merely about a small group of Jews following the Dajjal, but a much more comprehensive statement. This is how it is widely interpreted throughout the Muslim world, and of course a Grand Mufti will carry far more influence than a young Turkish woman, no matter how articulate. How Adnan’s people interpret it, though welcome, is much more of an anomaly. I have discussed it personally with Adnan in his home. Also it is no more valid for Sinem or Adnan to say that this is a perversion of Islam than for me to say that it is the embodiment of Muhammad’s legacy, who bragged about driving every last Jew out of Arabia. NO matter how one might quote select passages from the Qur’an from the Meccan period of Muhhamd’s life, they are abrogated by the Medinian verses which over-ride the previous:
The Qur’an casts the Jews as: (1) accursed people, (2) who are inherently stubborn and unbelieving, (3) who Allah has caused to be hated (4) who work to cause corruption in the earth, and (5) who Allah doesn’t love:
The Jews say that Allah’s hand is fettered. But it is their hands that are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. But both Allah’s hands are spread out wide in bounty. He gives as He wills. That which has been revealed to you (Muhammad) from your Lord is certain to increase the stubbornness and unbelief of many of them, and We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection. As often as they light a fire for war, Allah extinguishes it. They works for corruption in the earth, and Allah does not love corrupters. (Qur’an 5:64)
Regards