Dear Editor,

1) I believe that there is only one true and living God and that he “made the heavens and the Earth and all that there is in it” and therefore he is sovereign. (Psalm 24: 1)

2) I believe that God created man(kind) in his own image thus, mankind has a God with whom there is a relationship. God has a covenant relationship with Israel. (Genesis 15: 18)

3) I believe the Bible is the authentic word of God, written by men when they were inspired by God. (II Timothy 3:16)

4) I believe God called a man, Abraham, and made a covenant with him and his descendants for the land of Caanan forever. (Genesis 12: 1-7)

5) I believe that God himself fixed beforehand the exact locations and times where Israel would be placed among the nations. (Acts 17: 24-26)

6) I believe the land of Israel was named when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel (wrestled with God/ a prince with God). (Genesis 32: 27-30)

7) I believe God led Jacob/Israel and his family of 70 people to the land of Egypt to form/protect them as a nation. (Genesis 46: 26-27) God told them that they would be there for 400 years but after that he would take them back to Caanan/the Promised land. (Genesis 15: 13-14; Exodus 33: 1-2)

8) I believe the land given to Abraham and his descendants was later given to Jacob’s posterity. This land would later be called Israel, which was the new name God gave Jacob after his wrestling with him during the night, and refused to relent when he was fearing to meet his angry brother Esau after 20-odd years outside the land. (Genesis 32: 22-32)

9) I believe God clearly gave the boundaries/borders of the land of Israel. This land given to Jacob/Israel would stretch from the river (wadi) of Egypt to the Euphrates river. (Genesis 15: 18) The boundaries of the land were later described in more detail in Numbers 34: 1-12.

10) I believe that Jesus, our saviour, became man and entered planet Earth to save us lost mankind was born in Bethlehem, in Israel, was crucified on a wooden cross, paying the price for our sins, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, in the land of Israel. He arose from the dead and ascended into heaven from the Mount of Israel, east of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. To which he will one day return to rule the whole world from there his capital city. The Scripture (in Zechariah 8: 3) has God saying that: “I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city and live there. It be known as the faithful city. Maybe the most forceful statement from God about the land of Israel being given to Israel forever is found in Amos 9: 4-15 “I will bring back the captives of My people Israel. They shall build the waste cities and in habit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them. I will plant them in my land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the Lord Your God.”

What is it about these certainties of scriptural statements that the nations cannot understand?

Elaine Huie-Cooke

c/o lcookemia@gmail.com