Hi all,
What should Christians believe about the modern nation of Israel?
We must make a distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and hatred for the nation because it is Jewish.
There are some who call themselves Christians who hate the modern nation of Israel. But loving Israel for its spiritual value does not mean one cannot disagree with the modern nation’s policies.
It is the same thinking in the political realm that if someone disagrees with a policy of an official who is a minority race, they are accused of being racist. Some have difficulty understanding that one can be against a policy without being against the person supporting the policy. Their hypocrisy and immaturity are revealed in that they don’t agree with their boss, coworkers, or company policy on everything, yet continue to work there. They don’t agree with their spouse on everything, yet stay married. They don’t agree with everyone in their extended family, yet they still have a relationship with them all. They don’t agree with governmental policy of the nation they are citizens of and/or live in, yet they stay there.
But when it comes to Israel, they hate Israel, and if you disagree with them, they cut you off, unfriend you, etc. So let’s examine scripture. For in Paul’s day Israel was persecuting the church, and he had to answer the same questions then that we have today about how to reconcile Israel’s flawed self with the fact that Jesus is Jewish, returns to Jerusalem, and will rule the world from the city of Jerusalem.
And I will add this from experience: There are often spirits attached to a person who has an illogical and vehement hatred for Israel – not just disagreeing with modern Israeli policy, but hatred. When hatred goes beyond logic and cannot love the spiritual and higher purpose for the nation, that person usually has a demon attached, enticing them to hatred.
Beyond love or hate, agree or disagree, step back to respect and honor the things of God , for the Father has determined Israel will continue to exist as a nation, Jeremiah 31: 31-36:
- 31 Behold, the days come, said the LORD, in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Jacob and with the house of Judah:
- 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt because they invalidated my covenant although I was a husband unto them, said the LORD;
- 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, said the LORD, I will give my law in their souls and write it in their hearts and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- 34 And they shall no longer teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, said the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
- 35 Thus has the LORD said, who gives the sun for light by day, and the laws of the moon and of the stars for light by night, who divides the sea and the waves thereof roar; The LORD of the hosts is his name;
- 36 If these laws depart from before me, said the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
Let us also remember that according to Daniel 12:1, Michael, the archangel, is in charge of the nation of Israel. So if one does not like the modern nation’s policies, they should at least respect the Father’s eternal purpose for the nation, and the fact that the most powerful angel of all is in charge of guarding the nation. To disregard honor and respect for the things of God puts one on the same side as the unjust judge of Luke 18: 1-8, who feared neither God nor man.
If one loves the Father and our Lord, as our Life flows from the Father, there must also be within us a love for the Father’s eternal purpose for Israel, even if one might disagree with policies of the modern nation. His eternal plan is still in place and at work through the flaws and frailty of man, and we can love that.
There are several things to consider when Christians discuss Israel and Judaism
Ethnic Israel – God’s covenant with Abraham secured their place as a unique people, especially from Genesis 32 onward when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, or ‘one who wrestles with God’. If one doesn’t accept Abraham’s covenant with God, then Genesis 32: 24-29 is proof, for from that point on they were a people, the children of Israel.
Israel became a nation just out of Egypt – In Exodus 19:6 God specified they were to be a nation of priests unto Him, showing the nations of the earth His ways.
Israel in the Promised Land – In Genesis 12: 1-7, where the Lord appeared (again) to Abraham when he had reached the land, saying it was given to him and his descendants by God. In Genesis 15:7 God again specifically said the land in which Abraham settled was for them. Repeated in Deuteronomy 29: 13. (Acts 7:2/Gen 12: 1,7)
Israel was created with divine purpose – In Genesis 12: 1-3 and chapter 15, God tells Abraham, father of the Jewish people, that in him all nations will be blessed. Israel was created to be a blessing to all people, and that purpose is not dependent upon every single Jewish person walking with God.
Through the centuries, many Jewish people have not been faithful to walk with God, yet His higher purpose for the nation and those people has been at work.
This is important to understand – God’s faithfulness to His promise to Israel is not dependent upon their faithfulness to Him. The time we call ‘The Tribulation’ is all about unfaithful Israel coming to believe in Jesus as their Messiah. From the 2 witnesses who can stop rain and turn water to blood, Elijah for the prophets and Moses for the Law, to the 144,000 Jewish evangelists traveling the land, to Jesus’ return on the Mount of Olives, the last years of this age are about Israel recognizing Jesus as Messiah. At His return, Zechariah 13: 6 says some will ask Him: “What are those wounds in your hands?” And He will answer: “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”
Isn’t this the same faithfulness He demonstrates to us? Hasn’t He been faithful to us when we have been unfaithful to Him? Hasn’t He been better to you than you’ve been to. yourself? It is the same with the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants as measured by the flesh – He has been faithful to them through the centuries. Their call and purpose as a nation is not changed nor negated by their unfaithfulness.
So among the reasons a Christian should love Israel are that they were chosen by God, established by God, given the land they occupy part of by God, and have a larger divine purpose. Also, the fact that Jesus is Jewish and returns to Israel is a reason to love Israel.
Next week: The remnant within Israel, 2 made one, and more.
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
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