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Chapter 11: The Sphere of Influence that Sykes of
England and Picot of France wielded
over the Middle East and the International Community at the end of World War
I can be compared to the Vine of Sibmah that the Prophet Jeremiah spoke of in
Jeremiah 48:32 whose Tendrils of Influence stretched across the sea Spreading
its Poisonous Influence, thus ruining many Vineyards in the Middle East both
then and now in 2024. Jeremiah 48:32 32
“O vines of Sibmah, I will weep
for you More
than the weeping of Jazer [over its ruins and wasted vineyards]. Your
tendrils [of influence] stretched across the sea, Reaching
[even] to the sea of Jazer. The
destroyer has fallen On
your summer fruits and your [season’s] crop of grapes. Amplified
Bible The Poison of the Sykes-Picot Agreement that spread throughout
America and the International Community influenced the thinking of the
International Community as well as the Middle East because of the Worldly
Mindset of the West – all who lusted for power. Hence, France and England had the blessings
of the International Community to move the ancient landmarks in the Middle
East – boundaries and landmarks determined by God. Deuteronomy 32:8, Acts 17:26 What!
It’s 2024 and even today the Poison from the Sykes-Picot continues to spread
throughout the world. Once
again in 2024, the International Community wants
Israel to move their boundaries and give all of East Jerusalem to Gaza as the
Capitol of the Palestinians. Woe to
the International Community, including America, who is trying to force Israel
to change the boundaries of the Promised Land – land God gave to the
Israelites on Promise and the International Community who wants Israel to
give up Jerusalem to Gaza and their mercenary army, Hamas, for a Palestinian
Capital. What! America
Wake Up – Hamas, Gaza’s mercenaries, were not justified in attacking
Israel on October 7, 2023 simply because they want Jerusalem as their
capital. Insanity! That would only be adding to the evils of
the numerous agreements added to the vanities and falsehoods of the
Sykes-Picot Agreement that moved the Ancient Landmarks at the end of World
War I. America
Wake Up – Jerusalem is land
that God gave to Israel! 2 Chronicles 6:1-6 1 Then Solomon prayed, “O LORD, you have
said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. 2 Now I have built a glorious Temple for
you, a place where you can live forever!” 3 Then
the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him
and gave this blessing: 4 “Praise
the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father,
David. For He told my father, 5 ‘From
the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a
city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be
built to honor My name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead My people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for My name to be honored,
and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’” NLT The Poisonous Vines of the Sykes-Picot
Agreement are continuing to spread their poison because
no nation has ever laid Axe to the Roots of the Sykes-Picot Agreement: No
one speaks of the Sykes-Picot today; however, that Agreement is at the “root”
of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East because no one has laid axe to
the root. But, cursed is the one who
moves his neighbor’s landmark and those who encourage them to do so.
Deuteronomy 27:17 Cursed
is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark – Deuteronomy 27:17: The evils of the numerous agreements added
to the vanities and falsehoods of the Sykes-Picot Agreement that moved the
Ancient Landmarks, have multiplied until their sins could drag wickedness
behind them like a cart with a rope made up of their falsehoods. (Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 5:18) Woe to
those like France and England who added sin upon sin – who added one
agreement after another to the Sykes-Picot Agreement: Over
time, the evils of numerous agreements were added to the vanities and falsehoods
of the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The
Sykes-Picot Agreement was only the first of what would lead to a series of
many other agreements and treaties in an attempt to try and resolve the
conflicts created by the Sykes-Picot Agreement – to no avail. And, the problems created by the
Sykes-Picot Agreement still have a bearing on the Middle East. Their perseverance in adding one agreement
to another agreement only complicated matters in the Middle East; they only added
sin upon sin. (Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah
5:18) The new deals, declarations, and treaties
bore little resemblance to the original map drawn up by Sykes and Picot. However, their map is still viewed as the
root cause of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East over the borders they
redrew. Thousands have shed their
blood and died on the borders drawn by Sykes and Picot, and the battles and
shedding of blood are ongoing. Even as
I write this book, Hezbollah is breathing out warnings that it is only a matter
of time before they cross the man-made borders between Lebanon and Israel –
Hezbollah breathes out the threat they are ready for war. As late as 2024 Hamas and the Palestinians
demand that Israel surrender Israel to the Palestinians. The Sykes-Picot Agreement was a Cursed
Document: There is no doubt that the Sykes-Picot Agreement
changed the course of history! The
Sykes-Picot Agreement was/is a “Cursed Document.” England and France stole land that belonged to
other nations and they moved the ancient
landmarks and boundaries pre-ordained by God.
Woe to those who move the ancient landmarks because Scripture reveals
that cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone. (Deuteronomy 27:17) Deuteronomy 27:17 17 'Cursed is the one who moves his
neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!' NKJV Deuteronomy
19:14 14 “When you arrive in the land the
LORD your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal
anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark
their property. NLT Proverbs 22:28 28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your
fathers have set. ESV Proverbs 23:10 10
Don’t cheat your neighbor by
moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless
orphans. NLT “No Integrity of Heart”: The Existing Boundary between Israel and
South Lebanon was doomed to failure from the very beginning because it was
opposed to the borders God had pre-ordained for Lebanon and Israel by men
like Sykes and Picot – men who had no Integrity of Heart History bears witness that no one has prospered
under the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which
begs the question: Why not? History
bears witness that unlike King David, who led Israel with integrity of heart,
Sykes and Picot were men who did not care for the people living in the Middle
East and used their power to enrich both England and France at the expense of
the people living in the Middle East.
Because they lacked integrity of heart, Sykes and Picot were able to
change the course of human history in the Middle East. Psalm
78:70-72 70 He
chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. 71 He took David from tending the ewes and
lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people,
Israel. 72 He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.
NLT The prosperity of the people committed to
his charge was always King David’s focus, and rightfully so. If only Sykes and Picot had been like King
David who cared for the people and led them with the integrity of his heart.
(Psalm 78:72) If only Sykes and Picot
had used their power and performed their task of governing faithfully and
guided those living in the Middle East by the skillfulness of their hands –
like those under King David – those living in the Middle East would have prospered
under the Sykes-Picot Agreement. If only America and the International
Community had been like King David who cared for the people and led them with
the integrity of his heart had stood up to England and France and said:
No! But then again, history bears
witness, the International Community gave their blessings to England and
France because that was their heart. For
Israel and Lebanon the Demarcation Line may as well not even exist: Why should anyone be surprised that Israel
and Lebanon cannot reach an agreement on where the borders between their two
countries should be drawn? To those of
us who are led by the Holy Spirit, it wouldn’t make sense if Israel and
Lebanon did accept the present-day land border drawn up by those who did not
have Israel’s best interest at heart.
No one should be surprised
that the existing boundary between Israel and south Lebanon has never been
agreed upon by either Israel or Lebanon and probably never will be until the
boundaries are in agreement with the boundaries defined by the Scriptures. And, if Lebanon
and Israel do agree on a land boundary that is opposed to God’s will, then
there will be conflicts – not peace. History may bear witness that the
disputed boundary lines between Lebanon and Israel are at the heart of the
conflicts between Lebanon and Israel, but
one thing we know for certain – God gave Jerusalem and all the lands
identified in the book of Judges to the Jewish people. They are like the rebellious children in Isaiah 30:1 and Isaiah
5:18 who ratified one agreement to cover up the sins of the previous
agreement until there were so many agreements that the sins of one agreement
when added to the sins of another agreement if woven together could have made
a rope strong enough to pull a cart load of sins committed by their
agreements. The evils of the numerous agreements added to the vanities and
falsehoods of the Sykes-Picot Agreement have multiplied until their sins
could drag wickedness behind them like a cart with a rope made up of their
falsehoods. Isaiah
30:1 1 Woe
to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me;
and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin
to sin: KJV Isaiah
5:18 18 Woe
unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with a
cart rope: KJV They draw iniquity with cords of falsehood and vanity as if it
were with a cart rope. What sorrow for
those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies; what sorrows
for those who drag wickedness behind them like a cart. The PLO and Hezbollah are two
Poisonous Vines:
The roots from which these vines of influence sprung from are
the roots of bitterness that trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:15). One of these poisonous vines was the
poisonous vine of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). And, from the vine of the PLO, many people
were poisoned and continue to be poisoned because of their influence. Another “extremely poisonous vine” that
sprang up in opposition to the borders originally drawn by Sykes and Picot is
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization. The poisonous vines of both the PLO and
Hezbollah continue to grow and thrive as others fertilize, feed and water
their roots and vines. Needless to
say, these roots of bitterness and their poisonous vines have defiled and
poisoned many in the Middle East and continue to do so! The poisonous vines from the Sykes-Picot Agreement spread from
England and France across the sea and throughout the Arab nations and
Palestine, spreading its poisonous influence all throughout the Middle
East. Eventually, the poisonous vines
of the PLO and Hezbollah found their way into south Lebanon, and once their
vines took root, the PLO was able to draw Lebanon into the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict via trans-border attacks against northern Israel that were launched
from within the borders of south Lebanon. Iran’s Tendrils of Hatred for Israel Stretch across the Sea to
Lebanon: Even today, the poisonous vines of
Hezbollah have proven to be invasive – they are all encompassing throughout
present-day Lebanon. Hezbollah has
proven to be a dominant and formidable political party within Lebanon, which
gives Iran license to spread their tendrils of influence (their hatred for
Israel) inside Lebanon. Lebanon is only a means to an end for Iran:
One look at the map of northern Israel and you can see that
Lebanon surrounds Metulla, Israel’s northernmost town, on three sides. However, in spirit and reality, Iran, via
Hezbollah, is the one that borders Metulla on three sides, not Lebanon. Lebanon is only a means to an end for Iran The influence of the Sykes-Picot poisonous vines stretched all
the way from France and Britain across the sea causing destruction to the
vineyards of many nations, including Israel.
Their tendrils of influence even reached America as well as the United
Nations. At the end of World War II,
England was forced to give up their claim to Palestine and they passed the
problem to the United Nations who has yet to determine the boundaries between
Israel and Lebanon. It’s unbelievable that decades have gone by since the IDF
withdrew from the “Security Zone” inside Lebanon in May 2000, yet the United
Nations has yet to establish the boundary between northern Israel and south
Lebanon – a problem created by England and France that could erupt into war
at any given moment! Conflicting
and Broken Promises: The Poisonous Vine of the Two-State Solution. One of the Poisonous Vines was the Broken Promise that Britain
made to the Arab Nations knowing they would never keep that Promise: During World War I, Britain and France
knowingly lied to the Arab nations when they promised the Arab nations that
if the Arab states helped the Allies to overthrow the Ottoman Empire, they
would make Palestine part of an independent Arab State. They knew that this was a poisons lie
spread by the poisonous vine that the Prophet Jeremiah spoke of. Only at the end of World War I, England
gave large portions of Palestine to Israel.
Of course, neither France nor England had any intentions of ever
keeping any of the multiple promises they made, nor could they have kept them
because the promises contradicted one with the other. The
Poisonous Vine still Spreads its Poison:
After the war, and understandably so, these conflicting promises
remain at the heart of the disagreements between these two distinct
nationalist groups: the Zionists and the Arabs, now known as the Israelis and
Palestinians. Repeated and conflicting
promises to both the Israelis and Palestinians only deepened nationalist
resentment between the two sides. Both the Arabs and the Israelis expected
the land to remain in their hands, which is what the British promised them
both, knowing that they were misleading both the Zionists and the Arabs. England
and France’s Two-State Solution was and is not a Solution:
Given that neither England nor France could fulfill their
promises, they continue to suggest a two-state solution. The international community believes that
the solution that would bring stability to the area is for the Palestinians
and Jewish people to live side-by-side with both sharing Jerusalem as their
Capital. Needless to say, any attempt
at dividing or partitioning the land was unacceptable to both the Arabs and
the Jewish people. The Poisonous White Paper of 1939: The
Two-state Solution: The White Paper was a Poisonous Vine whose policy was drawn up
by the British in 1939. The White
Paper Policy stated that Palestine should be a bi-national state, inhabited
by both Arabs and Jews, with both Israel and Palestine sharing Jerusalem as
its Capital. It was and still is
poison to both Israel and the Arabs.
Needless to say, this policy was rejected by both the Arab and the
Jewish people, as both the Palestinians and the Jewish people believe that
Jerusalem is at the heart of their religion and culture. Oh, the arrogance of England and France and
the International Community who share the same beliefs! What? To resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict England proposed a “Two-state Solution” with
Jerusalem as both their Capital – a solution that has been adopted by the
United States. And, so it is in 2024.
After all the Conflicts and all the woe and lives lost, how can the
United Nations, England, France, the United States or any other Nation
envision an independent State of Palestine co-existing alongside an
independent State of Israel, both sharing Jerusalem as their capital? Woe to England and any nation that believes they
have the right to decide what land Israel gets and who should possess
Jerusalem, other than the Jewish people – the people of Promise. England, France and the International
Community may believe that the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is
to be a two-state nation. However, it
doesn’t change God’s Plans for Israel.
Israel will always be a “One-state Nation” whether England Recognizes
Jerusalem as Israel’s Capitol or not. There is no doubt that both Jewish and
Palestinian expectations for an independent state in historical Palestine can
be traced to World War I and the poisonous vines of the Sykes-Picot Agreement
that spread their poisonous influence throughout the Middle East and the
West. The roots of the Sykes-Picot
Agreement are the “Roots of Bitterness” that continue to trouble and defile
many. Hebrews 12:15 It was only after the U.N. General
Assembly adopted the resolution to partition Palestine in November of 1947
that Britain announced the termination of its Mandate for Palestine effective
on 15 May 1948. And, at midnight on May 14, 1948 the State of Israel declared
its independence. The
British Mandate for Palestine still has a bearing on the conditions in the
Middle East. Because of England’s
coveting of resources and land that did not belong to England, and their
desire to control the Middle East, it created an unstable and unsafe
situation for those in the Middle East that exists to this day! To this day, borders are still being debated and wars fought because of the
Sykes-Picot Agreement. The Problem with the Israel-Lebanon
Border is that the boundaries are not in accordance with God’s Will. And, because England and France moved the
boundaries, the boundaries are cursed.
It’s
time that the Boundaries between Israel and Lebanon are established! No more “Blue Line” or other lines of Demarcation. However, will that ever happen? Scripture reveals that God will judge those
nations that go to war because they covet what they don’t have and murder to
take the land and resources of a nation that is not theirs for their
own. The
boundaries drawn by France and Britain were purely from a political standpoint and what they felt would be advantageous for each of their
perspective countries. The Political
boundaries were created in accord with the economic and strategic needs of
the colonial powers without regard to the human rights of the people living
in the Middle East or the Will of God. Sadly, the condition of man will worsen
before Christ comes back. Matthew
24:6-28 reveals that we will hear of wars and threats of wars but we are not
to panic because these wars must take place before Christ returns. That the ongoing calamities here on earth
caused by men who oppose God’s Plan for man will become so horrific that if
God doesn’t cut the days short, no living being on earth would be able to
survive.
Matthew
24:21-28 21 For there will be greater anguish
than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22
In fact, unless that time of
calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be
shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. 23 “Then if
anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There He is,’ don’t
believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up
and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s
chosen ones. 25 See, I have
warned you about this ahead of time. 26 “So if someone tells
you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look.
Or, ‘Look, He is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the
lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the
Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there
is a carcass nearby, so these signs
indicate that the end is near. NLT Note verse 25 where Jesus tells us that
He has warned us about the wars. It is
because of God’s grace that Christ warns us to take note of the signs all
around us and be on our guard so we will be prepared for those calamities
that are sure to come. Scripture also reveals that God can and
will use wars to bring about His Kingdom purposes and even to fulfill
Biblical Prophecy. God can use what
was meant for evil to the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20) And, that brings me to Chapter 12 and the
Balfour Declaration that was at the very heart of the British Mandate. It was decreed during World War I, and was
a fulfillment of Prophecy according to God’s Will. |