“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem….” – Psalms 122:6 (NIV)

The tragic events taking place as I write this piece are devastating, not just to Israel but the whole world and certainly to the peace of mankind.  Picturing Gaza as a separate country having invaded Israel, wantonly killed innocent civilians, even capturing many and taking them to Gaza to continue, one can only assume, committing horrific and barbaric actions upon the Jews taken.  A holiday weekend with celebrations infiltrated by gun wielding Muslims with cries of “Allahu Akbar” opening fire and with bloodthirsty devotion to their task murdering children and young adults.  With no care for mankind family homes were invaded and residents slaughtered and made captives.  Men, women and children on the streets of Tel Aviv unexpectedly faced Palestinian terrorists and met their demise by being strafed with bullets from crazed shooters, to lay dead in the streets.  This is the actions of those filled with such hatred, incentivized by Islamic ideals and encouraged to destroy what they consider non-believers.  This is awful. 

What does “Allahu Akbar” really mean?  To a Muslim it means ‘praise to God” or “thanks be to God,” but make no mistake, their God is not God.  It is the fallen angel, Satan, and they have become terrorists directed by their Scripture, the Quran, to kill in the name of Allah.  

The Quran has 123 verses that call for fighting and killing anyone who does not agree with the statement, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” Jews and Christians are specifically included among such “infidels.”

The Quran’s Sura 5:33 says about infidels, “They shall be slain or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off.” Sura 9:5 says, “Slay the infidels wherever you find them … and lie in wait for them … and establish every stratagem (of war against them).” Sura 47:4-9 promises paradise to whoever cuts off the head of an infidel.  This supports the claim by many called ‘Islamophobes’ that Islam and its adherents is not a religion of peace, and that ‘terrorism’ is a word most associated with the action of Muslims, from Iran, from Palestine, from Afghanistan, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah and many who have immigrated to democratic countries in Europe, in France, Germany, Belgium, as well as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, even Great Britain, and other areas whose populations of Muslims have increased significantly. They are foreign elements many who were never taught the true meaning of a civilized world, but were taught from their Emirs, Imams, and other religious leaders to hate.  The majority were never exposed to the Bible, even allowed to possess a Bible or read it, and experience the answers the Bible offers to how to live a peaceful life, predestined by God to be children of God and inheritors of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but grown to know only the dictates of manmade laws. 

In the United States we will see more as the open borders embraced by Democrats and the Biden Administration have created fissures in our sovereignty that have Islamic terrorist invaders taking refuge, illegally mind you, until the day they can impose their “Allahu Akbar” will while wielding the sword of Islam over a country whose founding fathers embraced the biblical God, not Allah.  Our freedom comes from God; Allah despises freedom.  

Gaza, an area of about 140 sq miles, bordering the Mediterranean to the West, Egypt to the South and Israel to the East. It is long, 28 miles, and narrow, 4 and 8 miles in sections. Palestinian nationalism arose after the Suez-Sinai War (October 1956) when occupied by the Israel Defense Force (IDF).  The Israeli troops occupied the area until 1957, the UN after, followed by Egyptian forces. Another war, 1967, brought on a reoccupation by the Israeli army.  Never wholly peaceful Hamas was born in 1987 in the strip and has been at war with Israel ever since.  The West Bank is larger. Hamas does not control the West Bank, but Fatah.  Fatah and Hamas are in conflict, politically and strategically, Hamas is more terrorist oriented than Fatah. Fatah factions in Gaza were ousted in a civil war in 2008 by Hamas. From the WSJ (10/8/2023), “A spokesman for Hamas, Ghazi Hamad, told the BBC that the militant group (sending rockets and invading Israel) had received support from its ally Iran for its surprise attacks on Israel.  Others have helped too….”

Israel has declared war on Hamas, and thus Gaza.  Is it time to eliminate Gaza entirely?  Certainly its 2 million resident would be in jeopardy.  How many are complicit and willing to fight Israel is an unknown.  Many are innocents and would prefer no war, even peace.  But that is an unknown. We know Hamas is encouraging them to do battle with their neighbor, and possibly even conscripting them to commit violent acts as martyrs of Allah and poisoned by a dictatorial male dominated ideology (Islam) masked as a religion. We also know that after October 7 (2023) a large crowd of Palestinians gathered in the square in Gaza City to view videos made by Hamas of their barbaric exploits into Israel. And what did they do. When scenes of murderous acts against a Jew appeared, they cheered, raised their arms in solidarity with Hamas. She, stabbed, or burned, the demise of a Jewish neighbor was celebrated by the Palestinians. They are not all innocent.

There is a recording artist today, Tyler Childers, whose songs are oriented in faith to the triune God, the Biblical God. One lyric (the song: Way of the Triune God) goes, “…I do not need the laws of man to tell me what I ought to do….” This offers compelling truth in that God’s laws should be sufficient. The laws of man are reminders and in many cases restrictions, but tell humans what, if you think clearly, are already known to man. There are indeed those that need to be told what not to do, and punishment is necessary to keep others safe from their destructive natures. Many prefer to go against God’s commandments, as they prefer a selfish way of life and do not want to be reminded of what they should not do. We are born with a sinful nature. But like a radio beacon from heaven we receive in our hearts and minds the truth. Islam is total resistance to the truth of God, created as a man-made religion; relate it to Muhammad as he is considered its founder, inspiration. But there were those after Muhammad, Caliphs, followers, that added to the dictates, man made dictates, that included much of what was transcribed and incorporated into the Quran, the guide book of hatred by terrorists, and many Muslims. There are peaceful Muslims, but are they too silent, too cowardice to defend what they believe from the autocratic well funded abhorrence guided war mongers against peace-loving infidels whose religions are other than Islam, or not at all?

If Israel invades Gaza, to free captured Israeli’s, and to quell the onslaught against their country, it may be time to not just occupy, but to eradicate. Move those seeking a more peaceful life to the West Bank, not controlled by Hamas, and make the rest of Gaza a cemetery or a garden where no terrorist Islamist is every permitted again. Refugees from Palestine in the past were not accepted by other Islamic nations, such as Saudi Arabia. You can ask why, a question for which I do not have an answer. But Iran has plenty of room and should be receptive to refuges, those who prefer to live under the flag of a terrorist nation, a nation currently aiding Hamas. And also supporting Hezbollah, who has offered support for this war with strikes from Lebanon, to the north.

Butchers from Afghanistan have offered American weapons from the multi-billion dollar cache left by Biden. ISIS seeks to join as they are devoted to killing infidels and a borderless world all for Islam. Other areas of the world with a blood-thirst against Jews, anti-semites, even funding sources from Americans that declare Palestine should have its own State are voicing support for Hamas. This is a war against democracy and freedom. And what about the recent release of $6 billion by Biden to Iran.

Support Israel. This is their 911. What Hamas, with Iran’s support, is doing is unforgivable.

Grace and Peace.

by Thomas W. Balderston

Author and Blogger

Books include: Wake Up, Wake Up, The Testament of a Layman; The Proven God; The Damascus Quran, a Novel; The Wonder of Terra.