We have been told by Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, that their war against the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists will be long and difficult. Here in America already anti-Semitism is raising its ugly head. As many as 153 known terrorists have been able to infiltrate the United States through the open southern borders. We are a divided people in regard to our attitude about Israel. There is no doubt that terrorism has been launched on the nation of Israel. The purpose of this blog is not to be political. The purpose is to answer the question if Christians have a biblical admonition to support Israel in this day and time.
Throughout the Old Testament the Jewish people have sinned, repented, and been blessed by God. Those that were beneficent to them were themselves blessed by God. In the New Testament God revealed what he called the great mystery that was to incorporate Gentiles into his family of believers. We have an envelopment of Jewish believers in the Old Testament with all believers in and from the New Testament that make up the church.
God told Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Going further we turn to Malachi 3: 12 that says, “… all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” We read in Zechariah 14: 16 “and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of Tabernacles.” Continuing on to Isaiah 55: 5 God says, “behold, thou shall call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel…”
Does God expect of us as modern Christians to support Israel? The United Nations declared in 1948 that the land where they now live to be their own nation. Also, in the same decree land was set aside for the Palestinians to have an area as their own nation, but Arafat who was the leader at the time rejected that decree. Because of him, many Palestinians were forced to live in tents for decades. Because of him much animosity has existed between the Jews and Palestinians.
We are to support Israel in alliance with the United Nations decree. But is there a biblical admonition that we do so? The Scriptures were written to the Jews which means the viewpoint of the return to the land of Israel does not take into consideration Christians (or Gentiles). Another question arises. Since the Jews lost their temple and the city of Jerusalem when they were destroyed in 70 A.D. at the hand of the Roman general Titus, are there any actual Jews? They scattered throughout the world and various intermingled with the local inhabitants. Some doubt that there are any actual Jews. Apparently, their designation was sufficient for persecution by Hitler under the Holocaust.
In Romans 2: 28, 29 Paul writes from both perspectives, as a Jew and as a Christian. He makes a point to differentiate between those who call themselves Jews on the outside and those who are in reality Jews on the inside through faith in Jesus Christ. Those on the outside are ones who observe the Jewish culture. Those on the inside are those who are Jews following the faith displayed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Theirs was more of a concern about their relationship with God than that of fulfilling rituals.
Even from the time of Abraham, Jews and Gentiles alike were invited to faith. There is no difference with God. We must not confuse ourselves between various questions of Jews who are Jews by blood and culture, the land that is Israel by promise, and the Gentile that is a spiritual Jew by faith. We must add to the conversation that Jesus was a Jew who lived in Israel, yet we follow him as our Savior. He is prophesied to return to Israel in the latter days. Therefore, Israel is a holy and promised land.
The church is a mixture of all races who come together serving Christ by faith. It shares with the Jews much of the Scripture including the Ten Commandments. We can say, therefore, that through faith Judaism was absorbed into the church by Christ’s intercession as the great high priest. The Christian followership goes all the way back to Abraham who is recognized in the Bible for his righteousness even before there was a Law. It is impossible to dissect Jews by faith from Gentiles by faith for they are all the church that Jesus founded through his shed blood.
We support the position of the Israel because that is the land of Jesus. We intercede for Israel because those in faith are our brothers and sisters. Either America is a nation that will support Israel or is a nation that abandons Israel. It is America’s responsibility to recognize the land of Israel as the land that God chose to establish from where Jesus was born and where he will return from heaven.
Although there are no Bible verses that directly instruct modern Christians to support Israel and the Jews, we have many implications in Scripture that the land of Israel must be defended. Look at it from another point of view. Why are the terrorists attacking Israel in the first place? It is because of the evil in their hearts that harbors a spiritual war. Ephesians 6: 12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Christian Writer 