June/July 2002

Dear ones,

As usual, there is much to share, and too little space, so let's begin.

A HEALTH PROBLEM AND UNRESPONSIVENESS
In late April I had a health crisis, involving a head injury and a cardiac problem. As a result, I have been unable to work as usual; that is why this newsletter is going into the mail late, and why I cannot answer mail. To make things more difficult, I still have an overdue book to finish I am improving, and soon will be back to normal; but in the meantime, I will read your mail, but will not be able to answer.

WHAT IS PALESTINE, AND WHOSE IS IT?
What is Palestine, and who is a Palestinian? Whose land is it, and who is invading whom? Let's go back about 3,500 years and see how it all began.

About 1,500 BC God gave to the Jews the area which, much later, would be known as Palestine. The Promised Land, then called Canaan, was populated by 7 pagan nations who were conquered and driven out as the Jews, led by God, settled the land. Those pagan Canaanite nations the Israelites conquered and displaced no longer exist; they are today simply extinct-- in every sense of the word. The Jews lived in the land for the next 900 years.
By about 600 BC most of the Jews had been carried off into captivity by the Assyrians and Babylonians.
About 500 BC the Jews returned to their Promised Land, and were controlled by Persia, and then Greece, until the area was conquered by the Romans.

In 63 BC the Promised Land of the Jews became a Roman colony, and they called the area "Palestine" (Palestina). The name has stuck. The Romans derived the name from the people called "Philistines," who then lived along the coast of Israel's Promised Land. Under the Romans, "Palestine" was a geographic area that they ruled; it was a region, not a culture.

Are today's Palestinians descended from the ancient Philistines? Definitely not. The people now calling themselves Palestinians cannot claim any descent from the Philistines, neither genetic nor cultural, for the real Philistines were not Arabs-they were Phoenicians. The Phoenicians, a Semitic people, migrated into the coastal area from the north and east. Being a seafaring people, they settled only a narrow strip along the Mediterranean coast, strategically located on the trade routes between Egypt and Asia. The area known in the Old Testament period as Philistia is today called the Gaza Strip (for ancient Gaza, one of the principal Philistine cities, which still exists there). The Phoenicians also settled the kingdoms of Tyre and Sidon, farther north on the coast; these were also strategic coastal centers of shipping and trade. The ancient Philistines fought, periodically, with the Israelites around them; prominent among their Israelite enemies were Sampson and David. The Philistines no longer exist.

Jewish Revolt and Banishment. Following Jewish revolts against Rome in the 1st Century AD, many Jews were driven from Palestine and scattered over the Old World in a great dispersion (diaspora). To spite the Jews, the Romans changed the name of Jerusalem (to Aelia Capitolina), and Jews who remained in Palestine were forbidden to enter their ancient capitol on pain of death. By the end of the 2nd Century the Roman colony of Palestine included only a scattering of Jews, along with Samaritans and Arabs; much of the area was a wasteland. This situation continued until the final collapse of the Roman Empire in the early 7th Century.

Muslim Conquest. In the middle of the 7th Century, Muslims led by Mohammed invaded from Arabia and controlled the area for the next 400 years.

During the Middle Ages, the area was controlled alternately by Christian Crusaders and Muslims.
Conquest by the Ottoman Turks. In 1516 the area was conquered by the Ottoman Turks (Muslim, but not Arab), and they held it for 400 years.

During World War I, the British, under General Allenby, defeated the Turks and assumed control of the area, calling the entire area by its Roman name, Palestine.

In 1917 the Balfour Declaration, acknowledging the Biblical mandate, established Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people. Although founded on Scripture (Exodus and Joshua), this was a political move by the British to court Jewish support during the war. Following WW I, the League of Nations gave the British permanent control of Palestine (along with Egypt and Iraq) as a British protectorate, and this arrangement continued until after WW II. The area of the Jewish homeland given by the British included the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza, land on both sides of the Jordan River, and the part of Syria known as the Golan Heights. The entire area was assigned to the Jews, including Transjordan (which is now the Kingdom of Jordan). Thus the Jewish homeland of 1917 was essentially the original area - the Promised Land -- given to the Israelites by God in 1500 BC.

In 1922, the League of Nations reduced the size of Palestine, making the area east of the Jordon River a separate protectorate, still under Britain; this region was called Transjordan. The British ruled this desert area through Arab tribal sheiks.

In 1923, the League finalized the recognition of Palestine as the Jewish homeland, and Britain began to allow immigration of European Jews into Palestine. The British encouraged representative government, and a parliamentary government was set up, protecting the rights of both Jews and the Arabs who were living there; however, the Arabs rejected both the concept of representative government, and a Jewish homeland, and intermittent conflict began.

In 1939, in an effort to placate the Arabs, the British enacted restrictions on Jewish immigration, to last 5 years. This abrupt policy change was published as a "white paper" by the government of Neville Chamberlain, the great appeaser; it essentially gutted the Balfour Declaration of 1917, and provided for a complete halt to Jewish immigration at the end of the 5 years. At the same time, Chamberlain was also appeasing Hitler, trying to buy "peace in our time"; six months after issuing his white paper on Palestine, WW II had begun, and Chamberlain was out of office in disgrace. During those war years the British turned away many Jews fleeing Hitler's "final solution," and found themselves increasingly unpopular with both Arabs and Jews.

The UN Enters the Picture. Following the close of WW II, the United Nations entered the picture and overrode both the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations mandate. The UN carved up Palestine, giving most of it to Arabs, with Jerusalem in the midst of Arab territory, but under UN control.

In 1947, the UN approved nationhood for the bizarre sliver of land left to the Jews. The Jews accepted the plan, but the Arabs rejected it, and conflict began afresh.

In 1948, under the UN mandate, tiny Israel declared itself an independent nation and the last of the British withdrew to the coast; the next day the surrounding Arab nations attacked. When the war ended in 1949 Egypt held the Sinai and Gaza, Jordan held the "West Bank" and Syria held Golan; Israel held the rest.

In 1949, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which had never before existed, was created by the UN out of whole cloth, from what had been the British protectorate of Transjordan. Its boundaries are artificial, and are still disputed by its Arab neighbors. Having been given what is now called the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and the eastern half of Jerusalem, the Jordanians drove all Jews from that area and destroyed their synagogues.

In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was organized in Cairo; one of its 3 stated purposes is the destruction of Israel as a nation and the killing of all Jews there. In spite of occasional public claims to want only a peaceful settlement, its stated purposes remain the same, and the terrorist killing has continued.
In 1967, tiny Israel was again attacked by the surrounding Arab nations and, against all odds, conquered them all. At the end of that Six Day War, Israel had recaptured Sinai, Gaza, the "West Bank" (Judea and Samaria) and the Golan Heights above Galilee.

War Between Jordan and the PLO. In 1970-71 the PLO, operating from east of the Jordan River, fought with the Jordanian army for control of the immediate Transjordan, intending to make it a "Palestinian homeland." Jordan said, in effect, "Never," and attacked the PLO. Although the PLO terrorists were supported by Syrian tanks, they were defeated by their Jordanian brothers, and driven from Jordan. With Syrian support, the PLO settled in Lebanon.

The PLO in Israel. More recent negotiations have seen the PLO headquarters established in Israel and given increasing concessions as part of a futile "peace process." In this process, Israel has given away more and more of its land, in return for empty promises of peace, as the PLO demands more and more, and the terrorist killings continue.
Today. The current situation should be common knowledge, in spite of the anti-Israel propaganda poured out daily by the establishment media.

Possession by Conquest. In order to understand all this, one last point needs to be made: it is the principle of possession by conquest. It is an historic, universal, principle of human affairs (and please don't talk to me about "international law"-there's no such thing except in the rhetoric of politicians and the longings of globalist dreamers) that territory obtained by conquest in war is the possession of the conqueror. If the "Gaza Strip," the "West Bank," and the Golan Heights aren't rightfully Israel's, then we must give Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California back to Mexico. In fact, Israel has a much more legitimate claim to the Arab-occupied land within its borders than the US has to its own states. Palestine was given to the Jews by God in 1,500 BC, by the British in 1917, and the League of Nations in 1923. In 1948-49 and 1967, they recaptured it by military conquest in wars they didn't start. No one gave us the territory of the USA; we just took about two thirds of it, and bought the rest. Think on this.

Summary. In summary, in 1917 the British gave back to the Jews essentially what God had given them in 1500 BC. In 1922 the League of Nations took away the land east of the Jordan River. Under the British the Jews were willing to share the land with Arabs, under democratic, representative government; the Arabs said "No!" After WW II the UN took away almost all of the land and gave it to the Arabs; they still weren't happy, and attacked. The Arabs lost some of what they had been given. In 1967 they attacked again, and lost still more. They, of course, still want it all; but, we must ask ourselves, honestly, whose was it to start with, who has a legitimate right to it, and who is occupying whose territory? And even if Israel resumes control within its current borders, she still won't have the Sinai and Transjordan, given to Israel in 1,500 BC and again 1917.

Today, we are besieged with propaganda calling the Israelis invaders of their own land; we hear of "occupied territories," "the West Bank," and "the Gaza Strip" as if they were foreign countries. These terms, I believe, are illicit and their use deliberately deceptive;* I can find for them no basis in history, nor in current reality.

What is a Palestinian Today? It is critically important to understand that what the anti-Israel voices call a "Palestinian" is simply an Arab. He originated in Arabia, descended from Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar; he speaks Arabic. There is no such thing as a Palestinian culture**, nor a Palestinian history, nor a Palestinian language. Yasser Arafat is not a "Palestinian"-he is an Egyptian*** terrorist. His terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization dates only from 1964.
If any group has a right to the name "Palestinian," it is the Jews. During WW II, the Jews fought alongside the British as the Palestinian Brigade. Prior to 1948 there was a Palestinian Symphony Orchestra (Jewish), and a Jewish newspaper called the Palestine Post. While the Jews were fighting for the Allies as the Palestinian Brigade, the Arab leaders were in Germany, making plans with the Nazis to kill all the Jews.

And, finally, it is my hope that this will make the current situation more clear and breathe the fresh air of truth into the prevailing propagandized confusion. This deadly situation is overcharged with emotional sloganeering and blind accusations; it cries out for two commodities in extremely short supply these days: published facts, and common sense. That this may provide some of both, is my prayer. (Numerous, Incl. Encyclopedia Brittanica/World/Nobel Foundation)

CHRISTIAN ARABS IN ISRAEL
In the long article above, in the interest of brevity, I dealt only with Zionist Jews and Muslim Arabs. There is a third group in the area, however, one that is never mentioned in news coverage or political statements. This group is that of the Arab Christians, and in the Arab-Israeli conflict, these Christians have been displaced and brutalized by both Jews and Muslims. Some of these Arab Christians can trace their local church histories back to apostolic origins in the 1st Century. On this subject, I recommend the book "Blood Brothers," by Elias Chacour with David Hazard (the "with" means that David actually wrote it), Chosen Books/Zondervan, Grand Rapids 1984. David is a trusted friend, and this book will enlighten and, probably, amaze you.

DOUBLE-MINDED FOREIGN POLOCY
Many have been dismayed and disappointed to see Pres. Bush pressuring Israel to give the PLO more land, in exchange for a promise not to blow up any more innocent Israelis. This is, it seems to me, the exact equivalent of Bush's saying to Osama Bin Laden, "We will give you California if you will promise to be nice, and stop flying airliners into our buildings." But is this Bush's foreign policy? No….he has declared all-out war on the terrorists. If all this makes sense, I have missed something important in the discussion. (Jas 1:8)

LIFE LESSON
If you give a bully half your lunch money, he will only take the other half, and he still won't be your friend.

WHY THE MUSLIM SWORD AND CRESCENT MOON?
Have you ever wondered why the universal symbols of Islam are the crescent Moon and sword? The meaning of the sword is pretty obvious; Islam was born in military conquest, and has historically made converts with the sword. Mohammed said, "The sword is the key of Heaven and Hell." But why the crescent Moon? Before founding Islam, Allah, a pagan Moon god, was Mohammed's family god; it was Allah, the Moon god, whom Mohammed chose to be the one god of Islam. But why a crescent? I don't know, but have a theory: a full Moon in outline could be mistaken for just a circle; but a crescent Moon is recognized everywhere as the Moon.

IS JERUSALEM A SACRED CITY TO MUSLIMS?
Muslims today, and their apologists, tell us that Jerusalem is sacred to the three great monotheistic religions: Jews, Christians and Muslims. But, although Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible more than 800 times, it is not mentioned in the Koran even once.

A POINT TO PONDER
The word, love, the absolute theme of the Bible, does not appear even once in the Koran.

WHO ARE THE GOOD GUYS IN ISRAEL?
Are the Israelis perfect? Definitely not. Have they done bad things? Sure; and I for one don't intend to forget what they did to our sailors and Marines on the USS Liberty in 1967. But the Israelis are not committed to killing all Arabs, they have bombed no Arab shopping centers or school buses, they have hijacked no Arab airliners, they have murdered no Arab Olympic athletes, and they have crashed no hijacked airliners filled with innocent people into Arab cities. They seem to wish only to be allowed to live in peace in what appears to be their rightful homeland. While Jews who live in Arab countries are decidedly unwelcome, cannot be citizens, and are subjected to special taxes, such is not the case with Arabs living in Israel. In Israel, Arabs can become Israeli citizens (many are already), and they enjoy a standard of living and civil rights unknown to Arabs in most Arab countries. Some Israeli Arabs are members of the Knesset (Parliement). If a Jew (or you or I) should even enter Mecca, it brings the death penalty-just for being there. You won't hear much about this in the establishment media. (Various)

THE UN AND ITS BITTER FRUIT
The United Nations continues to bear bitter, poisonous fruit. How could it be otherwise, when at its roots it is an organization that not only denies Christ, but denies the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Good fruit cannot spring from rotten roots. At the UN's recent summit on children, the US delegation was able to keep some of the most radical language out of the final declaration However, the UN Children's Fund continues to publish and distribute a sex education book for children which advocates abortion, homosexual behavior, and bestiality.(CBN)

ABERCROMBIE AND FILTH
Abercrombie and Fitch (better called "Abercrombie and Filth"), has come back in this Summer's catalogue, which they themselves label as "XXX," with even more nudity, men in bondage, and sexually explicit text. After one supposed decision to temper the catalog's sex promotion to children, they have come back raunchier than ever, including a line of thongs (if you don't know what that means, ask your children) for little girls (8-10), with large labels on them like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink." Not only does A&F shamelessly market sex to children, they also support the effort in legislatures to have the age of consent for sex lowered to include children. If you allow your children to buy A&F garments, or possess the catalog, then you are responsible for the bitter fruit it produces.(FRC/ANS)

MARTY'S CORNER
The whole world is crazy. For days that was the only thing that came to mind when thinking about what to write in Marty's Corner.

When I read that all entering "freshpersons" at the University of North Carolina will be required to read the Koran, that some public schools are banning such games as catch because it excludes the children who don't have the ball (think on that), that aborting babies is called a "choice," that homosexual priests preying on children are protected by the church, that anti-Jew feelings are on the rise in educated circles again--only 60 years since the holocaust, that church leaders proclaim Islam is just another way to worship the "same God"…well, it does seem that the whole world is crazy.
But wait! I received a package late in the week from someone in Vidalia, GA whom I'd never met. I knew that a work team from Vidalia had just gone on a mission trip to the remote area of Honduras where our son Jeff is a missionary doctor. The especially bought mailing box had lots of shredded paper to protect the small gift inside. The gift (a Mother's day remembrance) was wrapped with a piece of foam taped together with masking tape and my address on the masking tape. Jeff had given it to the work team member who mailed it to me when he got back to the states. The man had obviously taken time and effort to carefully protect it and mail it to me as if it were a pearl of great price.
His loving care of the gift demonstrated that the whole world wasn't crazy…just those lost and undone souls who promote idiocy. I was reminded that we are to carefully protect the priceless gift of eternal life that Jesus has given us and we need to deliver it in the best possible package to the whole world…now!

"FEEDING THE MOUTH THAT BITES YOU," CONT'D
It is a fact that money spent by American oil companies on Arab oil (especially that bought from Saudi Arabia) is used to fund Muslim schools in this country (which produce terrorists), and to fund directly the Muslim terrorist groups carrying out Jihad ("holy war") against us (the USA), and the non-Muslim world, especially Christians. In the last issue I identified the major oil companies that buy crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the other oil-rich Arab states; I also named some which do not buy Arab oil. The figures came from the US Dept. of Energy; the figures are for the most recent year (Sept 2000 to Aug 2001). Since then, a helpful friend who reads The Good Word has told me that she had read that the story was a hoax. As a result, I have done further research in the matter and find that the story, as reported in the last issue, is essentially valid.

"Essentially?" Yes, for I must say that the issue is a bit complex. For example, Shell technically bought very little crude from Saudi Arabia last year; however, Shell owns 50% of Motiva Enterprises LLC, Saudi's largest customer. Shell now co-owns Motiva, with Saudi Refining, Inc. Motiva, co-owned by Shell and the Saudis, operates 4,800 Shell stations and 8,200 Texaco stations. Chevron, the largest single buyer of Saudi crude among the familiar brands, recently merged with Texaco. So, it isn't as simple a picture as one might wish; however, when sorted out and shaken down, the result remains the same as that reported in the last issue ("Feeding the Mouth that Bites You"): The gasoline retailers who bought the most Arab oil in the most recent accounting year are Shell, Texaco, Chevron, Ashland-Marathon, and Exxon-Mobil. Those who bought no Arab oil in the most recent accounting year are Citgo, BP (British Petrolium)/Phillips, Sunoco, Conoco, and Sinclair. The decision as to which gasoline you buy is, of course, entirely up to you; but as for me and my house, we choose not to "feed the mouth that bites us." (WND/Sierra Times)

MILESTONES
Born 18 Mar - Shelly Renae Kinnin at 2 lbs.,14 oz. to Jerry & Shirley Kinnin, Winchester, Ky. (She is growing and doing well.)
Died 25 Apr - Norma Faye Cochran, Marion, Ky. (Norma was my former secretary.)
29 Apr - James W. Johnson, Marion, Ky., a longtime friend.

CHRISTIAN CHILDREN & PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Do your children attend church and Sunday school regularly? Good. Do they also attend public schools? Cause for concern. According to a study announced by Issues in Education, children who attend church and Sunday school regularly, but also attend public schools, face a 70% probability that they will eventually abandon their Christian faith. This should give us pause. (Calvary Satelite Network/www.issuesineducation.org)

HOME SCHOOLER WINS WORLD GEOGRAPHY BEE
Calvin McCarter, a 10-year-old Michigan home-schooler, won National Geographic's Geography Bee 22 May in Washington, DC. Out of five million competitors, the field was narrowed to 55, then to 10. Four of the top 10 finalists were home-schoolers, including 1st and 3rd place winners. The competitors were in grades four through eight, and the winner received a $25,000 college scholarship. (AP)

"BLESS GOD, AMERICA!"
A friend of ours, Fred Yocum, has had a great idea. While most Americans, since 9-11, are thinking, and singing, "God bless America," Fred believes a better approach would be, "Bless God, America!" So, he has designed a sign saying that, complete with American flag. It is 4" X 7"on a flexible magnet backing, and can be placed on cars, refrigerators, or anything else metallic. Fred has had these manufactured, and they can be bought for personal use, or in quantity for resale in fund-raisers, etc. Unit price is $1.25 for 1,000 or more, $1.67 per 500, $2.00 per 100, and $3.00 ea for fewer than 100. 10% of all sales will be donated to missions. You can contact Fred at 4206 Mann Lake Rd, Metropolis, IL 62960, (618) 564-2524, or by e-mail at fhyocum@hcis.net.

FINAL WORD
Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and he makes beautiful things out of broken pieces.
You are precious,

ENDNOTES
*Some journalists are not deliberately deceptive; they simply believe the party line of establishment journalism. They are sincere, but sincerely wrong.

**Although Arabs have lived in Palestine for 2,000 years, some of them fine, peaceful people, and some of them even Christians, there is no established Palestinian culture in the sense of that of the British, French, Germans, Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese, etc.; any claim to a separate culture and heritage, however tenuous, could date only from 1964 when the PLO was organized.

***Although Arafat has at times claimed to have been born in Jerusalem, and at other times in Gaza, he was actually born in Cairo in 1929, and was educated at Cairo University. In addition to being the only person ever to address the UN with a pistol on his hip, he is also unusual (if not unique) in that, although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, he has never yet submitted his requested biography to the Nobel Foundation. If there is nothing to hide, why hide it?

(Sources: AFAJ-American Family Journal; AFRN-American Family Radio News; ANS-Agape News Service; AP-Associated Press; BP-Break Point; C-Charisma; CBN-Christian Broadcasting Network; CR-Congressional Record; DR-Drudge Report; EP-Evangelical Press; Fox (Fox News); FRC-Family Research Council; GN-Good News Magazine; HC-History Channel; Ins-Insight Magazine; LAT-L.A. Times; Mil-Military Magazine; NR-National Review; NW-Newsweek; NYP-New York Post; NYT-New York Times; PWB-Pastors' Weekly Briefing; RTLB-Right to Life Education Foundation Bulletin; USAT-USA Today; USNWR-U.S. News & World Report; VOM-Voice of Martyrs; W-World Magazine; WND-World Net Daily; WT-Washington Times); WW-Washington Watch.