The Balfour Declaration

The Balfour Declaration

Tomorrow the United Kingdom and Israel, and many more people all around the world, will celebrate the issuing of the Balfour Declaration on the 2nd November 1917. This declaration undoubtedly paved the way for the establishment of the modern day state of Israel in 1948 and so consequently some have called it Israel’s birth certificate. The Balfour Declaration came about because of a process, wrought by God Himself, whereby great Christian leaders of Britain, over a period of some two hundred and fifty years, had not only by their preaching brought millions into the Kingdom of God but they had also prophetically spoken of the soon coming restoration of the Jews to their ancient homeland. Their voice had reached into the very halls of British political power and consequently when Chaim Weizmann requested that Britain should look favorably upon the establishment of a Jewish homeland in what was then known as Palestine the response was positive.

There are of course some Christians, who will not be celebrating tomorrow because they have fallen victim to the theological error of Replacement Theology. They see absolutely no biblical significance in the Balfour Declaration and the restoration of Israel and in fact greatly lament these things. In this they are certainly allies with all those who seek to dismantle the Jewish State. For them the great Christian leaders, who paved the way for this declaration to be issued, were deceived! In this regard they are speaking about:

  • John and Charles Wesley
  • Bishop Ryle
  • Charles Haddon Spurgeon
  • Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Now just think of it: These four mighty preachers, who led multiple thousands to Christ and who greatly impacted all the corners of the world, were in fact given to deception when they proclaimed the biblical truth of Israel’s coming national restoration! I think not. They knew full well that God is faithful to His promises made to the Jewish people in the Abrahamic Covenant, which promises He has never altered or reneged on, and that when He said the land of Canaan would be given to the Jews as an everlasting possession He meant it (Genesis 17:7-8). These “nay sayers” assert that Israel’s many sins have disinherited her of these promises and now they are a forsaken people as regards their national destiny. They are wrong, indeed very wrong because the Prophet Jeremiah states:

“For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, by His God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin. -Jeremiah 51:5

The God of the Bible has corrected and judged His people Israel but He has never forsaken them and withdrawn His promises to them. He will honor all that He has said in His word and the Balfour Declaration is evidence of this. The God of the Bible acts in history through godly men that will pursue His purpose for their generation (Acts 13:36) and this is precisely why the Balfour Declaration was forthcoming. We rightly then rejoice in it for herein we do see the goodness and faithfulness of God. May God be praised!

Malcolm Hedding.

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