Murderous. Raping. Butchering. Monsters.
These adjectives stretch our minds back to the brutal conquests of the Mongol Horde of old or the heinous crimes committed by ISIS during the past decade. But, today? These dire words aptly describe Hamas. Our brains struggle to believe such brutality could possibly exist in this modern-day world. And yet, as Hamas invaders tore through Israel’s fences and murdered over 1,200 innocent people — in such gruesome ways I couldn’t possibly describe here — and kidnapped hundreds more, we know that such evil truly does exist in our day.
The world initially rallied around Israel in their mission to wipe out this great evil, and rightly so. But, as the fighting continues on and the body count rises, much of the world has maddingly turned their support to the terrorists and tragically against the victims! To my surprise, even Christians seem to be struggling with why they should be supporting Israel.
Well, I’ll tell you why.
God is fulfilling promises today that were made to the Jewish people thousands of years ago. These promises rest on a series of legal agreements, called covenants, made between God and the Jewish people, that center on the land of Israel.
The cornerstone covenant — the Abrahamic Covenant — grants the title deed to the land of Israel to the descendants of the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This unconditional, irrevocable, and everlasting promise was literally sealed in blood (Genesis 12:1-7; 13:14-18; 17:7; 1 Chronicles 16:17-18; Psalm 105:8-11; Romans 9:4).
God’s Land Covenant promises that Israel will one day become the prime nation of the world… (Deuteronomy 28:1).
The Davidic Covenant promises an eternal King who will descend from the line of King David. One day this Messiah will rule over the entire world from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:10-16).
These covenants are why for hundreds of years, Christians have believed, just because God said so, that we should naturally support the nation of Israel. Well, “Not so!”, says a particular group of Christians, Christians who meet at conferences with names like “Christ at the Checkpoint.” They question the legitimacy of these covenants and whether Christians should really be supporting Israel.
Myths Busted
Let’s debunk seven of these naysayers’ most popular myths for why Christians should not support the nation of Israel.
Myth #1: “The Jews killed Jesus!”
Those who accuse the Jews of killing Jesus seem to have purposefully forgotten that the Bible says, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27-28).
So, not only did both Jews and Gentiles participate in murdering Jesus, but in truth, we are all sinners, and therefore all of us are responsible for Jesus dying on the cross. But, reality check, Jesus Himself clearly stated that He alone laid down His life and that no one took it from Him (John 10:15-18).
Myth #2: “The Jews have been disinherited because of their unbelief.”
The Jews may have been evicted from their land — twice — due to their rebellion against God. But, as Psalm 105 explains, God guaranteed in His Abrahamic Covenant that the land of Israel unconditionally and forever belongs to the children of Jacob. And, as the Apostle Paul argued in Romans 9-11, “Has God rejected His people? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite… God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.”
And so, no, God has neither disinherited the Jewish people nor revoked His land covenants.
Myth #3: “The Church has replaced Israel and now receives her inheritance.”
Not according to the Apostle Paul! He tells the story of an olive tree whose branches were pruned off due to unbelief, and wild vines grafted on (Romans 11). But, when the natural branches began believing again, they would be grafted back on the tree. Salvation may have come to the wild olive vines — the Church — but God still has salvation planned for the natural branches — a believing Israel who will call Jesus Savior.
Myth #4: “The Jews regathering back to the land of Israel cannot be from God because they haven’t repented and accepted Jesus as their Messiah.”
The Jews returning to Israel in unbelief is exactly what God foretold would happen. Isaiah prophesied the Jews would be regathered a second time from the nations of the world, and Ezekiel made it clear that the Jews would regather in unbelief for God Himself to give them a new heart for Him (Isaiah 11:10-12; Ezekiel 36:22-28).
It’s no accident of history that a people dispossessed from their country for 1,900 years could ever have kept their ethnic identity and rebirthed their nation two millennia later. Such a thing has never happened! And this is the nation of the Bible we’re talking about. Therefore, the regathering of the Jews can only be a miracle from God.
Myth #5: “To support Israel is to support every action of the Israeli government.”
Nobody supports every action of any government, even their own. Supporting Israel is to support the redemptive work God is doing in bringing a remnant of their people to salvation in Christ and ultimately into the fulfillment of His covenants.
Myth #6: “The Jews stole the Palestinians’ land and live there illegally.”
First off, the Abrahamic Covenant grants the Jewish people the eternal deed to the land of Israel. Second, when the Jews began returning in the early 20th Century, there was no such thing as a Palestinian. The handful of Arabs living in that wasteland sold the land back to the Jews at exorbitant prices. And third, Israel was created legally in response to a United Nations declaration passed in November 1947, which authorized the establishment of a Jewish state in the land the Romans had renamed Palestine. You can’t steal land that’s already legally yours.
Myth #7: “To support Israel is to hate the Palestinian people.”
Contrary to Arab propaganda, those who call themselves Palestinians enjoy more freedoms and rights in Israel than if they lived in any Muslim nation. For it’s not the Jews who hate and abuse the Palestinians, but their own terrorist leaders who steal billions of their foreign aid and deny refugees access back to their home countries of Syria and Jordan.
Why, the Palestinians have been afforded several opportunities since 1948 to create another Palestinian state besides Jordan, but each time they have rejected those offers and instead responded with violence. Why? Because their ultimate goal is the annihilation of Israel. So, who exactly hates who here?
With those myths busted, let’s look at some of the reasons why Christians should support Israel.
1. Democracy — The nation of Israel is the only Western-style democracy in a sea of Islamic tyranny. Supporting Israel is to support the only nation in the Middle East that offers religious freedom and human rights to women.
2. Defense — Israel protects the West and Christianity by standing as the first line of defense against violent, radical Islam.
3. Economics — Israel contributes to the world a mind-boggling amount of food, medicines, and cutting-edge technologies that raise the standard of living throughout the world.
4. Blessing — When it comes to supporting the nation of Israel, God promised in Genesis 12, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” Supporting Israel incurs God’s blessing.
5. Biblical — It rather goes without saying that it is biblically correct for Christians to support God. Since God loves the Jewish people and wants them to return to Him, then shouldn’t Christians want this as well? Loving Israel expresses our love for God.
6. Prophetic — And finally, whether you love or hate the nation of Israel, or even the Jewish people, regardless of what we mere mortals think — Bible prophecy will be fulfilled. God’s will will be done, and there’s just no stopping it. After all, who could ever stand against the Living God and expect to win (Psalm 76:7; Hebrews 10:31)?
So, in conclusion, it’s not “Should Christians support Israel?” but rather, “Christians must support Israel!”
