What a Christian Should Think About Israel

        Today is the second anniversary of the October 7 Massacre in Israel.  I pray for the immediate return of all the remaining hostages, and the continued healing of the survivors and the families of the victims.  

        Since my return from Israel about two months ago, I've been studying the Bible to understand God's will regarding Israel.  In this edition of my blog and podcast I’m going to attempt to answer three very difficult questions: What should a Christian think about the land of Israel?, What should a Christian think about the people of Israel?, and What should a Christian think about the nation of Israel?  While these are complicated and controversial subjects, I have been very blessed by this study, and I believe I have these answers.  If you care about these questions or if you are interested in these subjects, I believe you will find this overview well worth your time.  

        Section I – Introduction – 
        Why I am personally thinking about the land, people and nation of Israel 

As a brief introduction to these questions, I want you to know why I am thinking about them, or, perhaps said better, why I think God wants me to study them and share my study with you.  As many of you know I recently travelled to Israel.  I went with an organization called JH Israel, and through their connections we met with government officials, military officers, and other people with significant experiences in the October 7 Massacre.  It was a very impactful trip to say the least.  If you are interested in more details I shared them in the last installment of my podcast and blog.  Since my return from the trip, I’ve been asking God about what He would have me do with that experience. 

Heather Johnston, the founder of JH Israel, taught us several times during the trip about the appropriate relationship between Jews and Christians and between the biological descendants of Israel and the land of Israel.  As I have been praying about God’s will for my life in these areas, I’ve also been studying the Bible.  How should a Christian feel about the Jewish people?  How should a Christian feel about the current Jewish ownership of the Promised Land?  How should a Christian feel about the nation of Israel, even the current Israeli government.  These are hard questions, but they are very important, and very timely. 

This installment of my podcast and blog is the answers to these questions that I have found in my study of the Scriptures.  I’m certainly not suggesting that I understand every issue, but I do believe God has led me to Biblical answers.  They have really helped me understand the appropriate Christian position toward the people, land, and nation of Israel.   

Before we begin our study of the Scriptures I want to tell you a little bit about my personal life and why I am so interested in these subjects.  After significant reflection over this past month, I believe that my personal involvement with the people of Israel has always been God’s plan for my life. 

While my mother was pregnant with me she was reading The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk.  These are relatively well-known works of historical fiction concerning World War II.  I am named after Byron Henry, one of the main characters.  While Byron is a gentile, he marries a Jewish woman, and part of the book concerns him trying to get her and their child away from the Nazis.  Honestly, until returning from Israel I had never thought about this before, and I didn’t care much for my name.  But maybe God did have some part to play in my naming. 

Furthermore, my first friend, from the time we were about 1 years old, is a Jew.  I grew up watching him and his brother learn Hebrew and I went to their Bar Mitzvahs.  Because of our relationship with their family, we always had respect for Jews and Judaism in our home.  One of my college best friends is Jewish, and we lived together for three years.  In law school, two of my three best friends were an Iranian Muslim and a Jew.  We were friends even after I exploded out of the closet for Jesus.  As a lawyer, the vast majority of my career has been working for Orthodox Jews based in New Jersey.  As a bonus, they paid for my first trip to Israel back in 2017.  I’ve worked with them for about 10 years, and they are wonderful people.

Please hear me, I’m not trying to brag about my personal relationships with Jewish people or suggest that I’m anything more than a random Christian.  But I am saying why I believe God may want me to focus on these issues.  I believe now that God has supernaturally put some wonderful Jewish people in my life, and I believe this was all part of His plan for me.

Here is another quick personal story.  In 2009 God spoke to me clearly in a dream to go to Egypt and Kenya.  So my wife and I spent 5 nights in Cairo.  We saw much of the city and had a wonderful time.  We went to the markets, the mosques, the pyramids, and all the other interesting places.  We met a lot of really nice people, including our Muslim driver who invited us to his home for dinner before our flight to Kenya. 

Here is a brief story that I think illustrates the kind of time we had.  One day we had a Muslim tour guide and a Muslim driver and we went to see some pyramids south of Cairo.  At one point we went to a café and got some tea.  While there someone in the café turned on some loud music and we realized it was that song, “I’m a barbie girl living in a barbie world.”  At first I thought that was odd, but then I realized my wife was a 26 year old blond girl from Florida, and there was no one else like that in this place.  They were joking around with us.  We all had a good laugh.  They turned off the song and went back to the tea.  Then our driver and guide went to the adjacent room and prayed with their carpets.  Honestly, it wasn’t even strange.  When they finished we got back in the car and went on with the day. 

Here is my point.  I know God didn’t send me to Egypt to see the pyramids.  God sent me there so I could feel His love for the Muslim people.  Hearing the call to prayer, seeing the people praying everywhere, experiencing their religious zeal, this all had a profound impact on me.  They’re not all evil, they’re not all terrorists, they don’t all want to kill every Jew and Christian.  I know God loves the Muslim, and I know God wants every one of them to come to salvation through Jesus Christ.  In fact, if their religious zeal could be directed to Jesus and the true Kingdom of God, it would be wonderful beyond words.

Please understand, if I express support for Jewish people or their claims to the Promised Land, I’m not simultaneously suggesting that I hate Muslims.  I can hold all of these points in my mind simultaneously, and so can everyone.  God loves everyone.  Jesus died for everyone.  God has a perfect will for the Jews, and God has a perfect will for the Muslims.  I know that most of you understand that.

So with all of this in mind, I turn to the Scriptures for guidance.  The Bible will teach me what I should think about the land, people and nation of Israel.  The Bible will teach me how I should treat the Jewish people.  I don’t need anyone else to shape these understandings for me, when God’s Word is right at hand to do so.

Section II – What a Christian should think about the land of Israel

As we begin, we should first recognize that the Bible records the first two thousand years or so of the Jewish people, beginning with a man named Abraham.  Yes, I recognize the Bible goes all the way back to the beginning of time, but the first person the Bible calls a Hebrew is Abraham.  Let’s look at a couple of passages about Abraham from Genesis.

(Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV)
Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

            So God takes Abraham out of his father’s house and begins a new nation.  God also tells Abraham that all families of the earth will be blessed in him.  We know that Abraham eventually has a son named Isaac, and then Isaac has a son named Jacob.  God renames Jacob “Israel,” and Jacob has twelve sons.  The twelve sons each has his own family, and those families become the twelve tribes of Israel.  And almost every major character of the Bible, including Jesus Christ, comes from these tribes, from this family, from this nation.  They are all Jews.  Yes, the Bible is absolutely God’s Word and it’s all about God and God’s interactions with humanity for the first few thousand year of humanity’s existence.  But God chose the people of Israel specifically, and, as Christians, our entire religion grows out of God’s relationship with the Jewish people.

(Genesis 17:1-8 NKJV)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 

Let’s note that, in addition to God’s amazing promises for Abraham’s family, God also promised Abraham land.  Specifically, God says that He will give Abraham’s family “all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.”   I would also note that the Hebrew word used for “everlasting” is translated many times as “forever”.  So, fundamentally, God has two promises for Abraham that are going to last forever.  God promises blessings for Abraham’s family and God promises Abraham’s family this particular land.  Just as a side note, this is why we call it the “Promised Land.”  God promised this land to Abraham and his descendants forever.  Before we move on let’s note what God says on these subjects through King David, about 1,000 years later.

(Psalms 105:6-11 NKJV)
O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance," 

            After the deaths of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Bible continues with the story of the Hebrew people, the people of Israel.  We learn about their captivity in Egypt and how God brought them out with signs and wonders.  We also learn about Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Bible, including the book of Deuteronomy.  In Deuteronomy, Moses talks a lot about God’s relationship with the children of Israel. 

(Deuteronomy 7:6-9 NKJV)
"For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments[.] 

Notice all that God says there.  God says that He specifically chose the people of Israel as a special treasure above all peoples on the earth.  God says that He will keep the oath which He swore to the fathers, meaning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Notice also that God says He will keep covenant for a thousand generations for those who love Him and keep His commandments. 

In Deuteronomy, and elsewhere in the five books of Moses, God does give a lot of those commandments.  He also tells them that if they disobey God’s rules, they will be removed from the Promised Land.  However, if they obey the rules, God will bless them in the Promised Land.

(Deuteronomy 30:1-5 NKJV)
"Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 

            So God is going to bring them into the Promised Land and God is going to bless them there.  If they disobey God’s commandments He will remove them, but He can always bring them back.

(Deuteronomy 9:5 NKJV)
It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

            Deuteronomy 9:5 is an important verse.  Note that God reaffirms He is giving the children of Israel this land because of His promises to the fathers.  But also note also that God says those nations were wicked.  And just to be clear, those people weren’t Muslims.  They were all devil worshipers.  The religion of Islam wouldn’t be invented for around 2,000 years.  God’s people didn’t steal the land of Canaan from a bunch of nice Muslims.  God supernaturally helped the children of Israel take the land from a bunch of devil worshippers.

            As we continue reading the Bible, we read about some awesome Jewish people.  We read about Joshua, who leads God’s people in battle to take the land from these evil people.  After Joshua died, God raised up other leaders, called Judges, who judged the nation of Israel.  Then we have the Jewish kings: Saul, David, Solomon and many others.  Some of these kings were great, and some were not so great.  In fact, the curses God pronounced upon the children of Israel came to pass because of their disobedience, and most Jews were driven out of the Promised Land.

            The Bible talks a lot about this period of exile.  In general, we learn about what happened from the books of Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and several others.  Just in focusing on the Babylonian exile, we know that many of the Jewish people were taken to Babylon for around 70 years.  Then, around the year 540 BC, they were released from captivity and they came back to Israel.

            Given these events, and especially because of some of the Biblical books written during this period, we have many, many Bible verses about the relationship between the people of Israel and the Promised Land.  They were away from their homes and they longed to return.  They also knew that God had given them the land.  God had given them the land supernaturally, and God could bring them back to their land supernaturally.  So now let’s look at some of these verses which so clearly detail God’s will concerning the children of Israel and the Promised Land.

(Ezekiel 20:40-42 NKJV)
For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel," says the Lord GOD, "there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.

(Ezekiel 37:25-28 NKJV)
Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. 

            In these passage God clearly says that He wants the children of Israel to dwell in the Promised Land, the land He gave to Jacob, where the fathers dwelt.  Furthermore, He specifically says they will live there forever!  God goes on to talk about His everlasting covenant with the children of Israel.  He even ends this passage by saying that the nations, that’s everyone else, will know that God sanctifies Israel, when His sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.

            I don’t think we need to be experts in Biblical prophecy to understand what this passage means.  Forever means forever.  God wants the children of Israel to live in the Promised Land forever.  God has an everlasting covenant with the children of Israel, that’s a covenant forever!

(Amos 9:11-15 NKJV)
"On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom,  And all the Gentiles who are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this thing. "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them," Says the LORD your God. 

            After they returned from Babylon they rebuilt the temple and again lived safely in Israel.  Some Jews have lived in Israel ever since (and as far as I know they’ve never completely lacked a presence in the land), but many of them were again scattered abroad, especially during the Roman Empire period after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

Given the historical movement of Jews away from the Promised Land, we have the term “Diaspora,” which refers to this massive migration of Jews to other countries, where they have lived and thrived for thousands of years.  As we all known, in the first part of the twentieth century Nazi Germany tried to exterminate the Jews.  Thereafter, world leaders finally opened the doors for Jews to return to the Promised Land, culminating in the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. 

Notice in the passage from Amos God says that His people Israel will not be pulled up from the land He has given them.  Recognize the dual meaning of these passages, referring to the return from Babylon first but also referring to their permanent return, where we are now.  Yes, they were largely gone in the captivities and they have been largely gone in the Diaspora, but many of them are back now.  And they are never leaving again.  I personally have been to and drunk wine from two vineyards in Israel, one in Ariel and one near Tel Aviv.  These prophecies, at least in part, have been fulfilled now.  God wanted them back and they are back.

            I could read you many more verses like these, all clearly showing that God still honors His covenant with the people of Israel, God still wants them to own the Promised Land.  In fact, God personally considers it their land, and God has plans for these people.  However, there are some other groups of people that the Bible discusses in connection with the Jewish people and the Promised Land: (1) their enemies in the surrounding lands and (2) the gentile, or non-Jewish nations as a whole.  Let’s see what the Bible says about these groups.

(Ezekiel 28:24-26 NKJV)
"And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD." 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God." ' " 

            God does not want people fighting against Israeli ownership of the Promised Land.  God considers that land to be the everlasting possession of the Children of Israel.  God wants the people of Israel to dwell safely in the land of Israel, and that’s a Biblical fact.  Furthermore, if you fight against this, you are in danger of the judgment of God.  I know in our modern Christian American thinking we hate to suggest that anyone might be subject to God’s judgment.  But God wants the people of Israel to dwell safely in the land of Israel.  God has supernaturally gotten involved to make that happen before, and He's willing to do it again. 

(Isaiah 29:7-8 NKJV)
The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look—he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look—he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion." 

            I like that passage in particular because I’ve been to Ariel.  Ariel is in the West Bank.  God wants Israel to have the West Bank too.  We’ll discuss the West Bank again later.  But for now just know that God’s promises to the people of Israel concerning the land of Israel include the West Bank.

(Ezekiel 34:26-30 NKJV)
I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people," says the Lord GOD.' " 

(Zechariah 12:8-10 NKJV)
In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 

So that’s how God feels about those who fight against the children of Israel owning the land of Israel.  God wants His people, the children of Israel, to be safe in their land.  If you are fighting against the people of Israel owning the land of Israel, then you are fighting against God.  God says that no one will make them afraid.  Unfortunately, I don’t think we have seen this one come to pass yet.  But it’s coming, and woe to those who fight against God or God’s people.  God says He “will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

            But what about the rest of us?  We don’t live next door.  I’m also a gentile.  How should I feel about Israeli ownership of the Promised Land?

(Deuteronomy 32:43 NKJV)
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people." 

(Zechariah 8:20-23 NKJV)
Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also." Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the LORD.' "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'

(Isaiah 2:1-4 NKJV)
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 

            My friends, I am no expert on prophecy, but I can read English.  The day will come when all nations, all people groups seek the Lord.  We will all be looking to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, for the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  The fulfillment of these prophecies will usher in the greatest period of peace and prosperity that the world has ever known.  That’s God’s desire for everyone, peace and prosperity and blessing.  Personally, I will celebrate every step on the way there.  The more we see the children of Israel possess the land of Israel, the more safety we see for them, the more we see all of these things come to pass, the more we should all rejoice.  “Rejoice, o gentiles, with His people.” 

            Please pay careful attention to this next point.  Notice that in the Zechariah passage the gentiles grab the sleeve of a Jewish man and they have heard that God is with him.  In the Isaiah prophecy the gentiles say, “Come, and let us go up . . . to the house of the God of Jacob.”  Our God will always be the God of Jacob, the God of Israel.  He identifies Himself as the God of the Jews, and that is how He will be revealed to the nations.  We gentiles are invited to worship Him, in their land, with them.  And, to be honest, I think this simple truth I’ve shared here destroys replacement theology, the idea that the children of Israel have, in the heart and plans of God, been fully replaced by the Christian church.  The biological children of Israel will always have a special place in God’s heart, and, shocking as this may be, God will never stop identifying Himself in connection with that relationship.  He will always and forever be the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

            Allow me to digress for a moment and address how we can reconcile these prophecies for the Jews with our Biblical beliefs about Christianity and Jesus Christ.  Why would God want the nations to approach the Jews for an introduction to God?  If the Jews have rejected Jesus Christ, and God wants everyone to accept Jesus Christ, then why would God want the gentiles to go to the Jews?  My personal opinion is that these prophecies speak to the time when the Jews, at large, do accept Jesus Christ.  They will still be Jews, but they will have accepted that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and therefore the Jews will be able to lead all nations to God through Him.  The Christian scriptures, in the Book of Romans, speak about this time, and we will read that later.  I appreciate that my opinion here could be attacked both as antisemitic and an improper interpretation of prophecy, so I will have to leave that to you.  Suffice it to say that, at least to me it seems, the massive acceptance of Jesus Christ by the Jews, as prophesied in the book of Romans, is an essential component that reconciles all of these Jewish prophecies with the Christian writings.  I believe that position is also supported by the juxtaposition between God’s promises regarding blessings for the people of Israel in the land of Israel, on the one hand, and salvation for all of God’s people, on the other hand, which we are seeing in some of our passages in this study.

Back to our focus on these prophecies regarding Israel in the Promised Land, as I read the words “gentile” or “heathen” or “nations” I look at myself.  I think that I, as a white American Christian, will be drawn to Jerusalem and I should rejoice with the people of Israel.  But it’s so much bigger than that.  The words “gentile,” “heathen” and “nations” don’t just refer to white American Christians.  They refer to everyone.  The Chinese should rejoice, the Africans should rejoice, the Samoans and the Polynesians and the Inuit and the Native American, they should all rejoice.  And yes, my friends, even the Arabs, and every person living in the Islamic nations should rejoice.  That’s right, and I know some of you are thinking that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever said.  Even those who call themselves Muslim, even the Palestinians, should rejoice to see the Israeli people possess the land of Israel. 

Consider the level of deception that the devil, the father of lies, has worked on many people of the Islamic nations.  He has convinced them to hate Israel, to seek to destroy Israel, to fight against Israel, and to do everything they can to prevent the children of Israel from owning the land of Israel.  I know that they don’t all think like that, but that is absolutely the devil’s deception agenda, especially with the Islamic terrorists groups.  But this is all deception.  In fact, the more that the people of Israel and the God of Israel are celebrated in the land of Israel, the more that God’s glory will go forth from Zion and His blessings to the earth. 

            Let’s read part of the passage from Isaiah chapter 2 again, “ They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”  Did you know they have that engraved on a wall at the UN headquarters in NY?  They even have a statue of a man beating his sword into a plowshare.  But the way we get to this miraculous period of peace is not with a secular one world government, but with the one true God being exalted over all the earth.  If the UN really wanted peace on earth, they would start exalting the God of Israel before all nations.  They would be the biggest supporters of Israel on the planet.  And yes, of course, I believe they should preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well, for the Gospel is the most glorious part of our relationship with God.  But if they just listened to the verses inscribed on their wall, then they would also support Israel and Israel’s God. And remember what God told Abraham, He will bless those who bless Abraham.  When you bless the children of Israel, God’s going to bless you. 

So, in conclusion for this section, all Christians, indeed all people, should understand that God wants the children of Israel to possess the Biblical land of Israel in safety forever.  As the nations bless the people of Israel and honor Israel’s God and His will for this land, God’s blessings will flow to the nations.  

Section III – What a Christian should think about the people of Israel

            As we now understand what Christians should think about the land of Israel, let us try to understand what we should think about the people of Israel.  But before we get there we need to briefly discuss the expansion of the Jewish religion into the gentile world.  I’m glad that God loves the Jews so much, that’s great for them, but what about the rest of us?  Why does God want His glory to be seen by everyone, not just the Jews?  Does God want to dominate us all through the Jews, or is there more?

(Isaiah 56:6-8 NKJV)
"Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, "Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.

(Isaiah 45:20-23 NKJV)
"Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

(Isaiah 49:5-6 NKJV)
And now the LORD says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, And My God shall be My strength), Indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”  

            In fact, while God has always had and still has great plans for Israel, God was always thinking about the gentiles too.  God has provided for salvation to the ends of the earth.  We Christians understand that God has brought this promised salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  We understand that the greatest act of love that our God will ever do is sending His Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins.  And when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are brought into the family of God, we become the children of God, and we become a part of the people of God.

Unfortunately, however, most Jews, and the religion of Judaism in general, do not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  They do not believe the man Jesus Christ who lived on the earth some 2,000 years ago was the Messiah promised by God through their prophets.  Therefore, while almost all of the first Christians were Jews that accepted Jesus as the Messiah, eventually the Jewish majority in Christianity decreased.  As those Jews preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to more and more gentiles, the numbers shifted.  Today, the gentile Christians vastly outnumber the Jewish Christians.  We now fundamentally regard Christianity and Judaism as two separate religions, when in the very beginning it was not so. 

We Christians worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  We worship the God who called the children of Israel His chosen people.  We worship the God who has given the children of Israel an everlasting covenant and everlasting promises.  We know a lot about our God because of the writings of all the Jewish people who wrote the Bible, Moses, the prophets, the first Christians and others.  But while all those things are true, the 2,000 year history of the relationship between Jews and Christians is filled with strife, animosity, antisemitism, and even violence. 

There are many reasons for the sad history between Christians and Jews.  I wouldn’t dare to try to summarize that now.  But one of the biggest reasons are improper, antisemitic teachings from prominent Christian leaders.  Martin Luther himself said “set fire to their synagogues or schools.”  But that’s just an extreme example of very common anti-Jewish, anti-Israel rhetoric.  Preaching against the Jews began almost immediately after the birth of Christianity itself.  The famous early Church Christian Justin Martyr preached replacement theology and antisemitism just 100 years after Jesus’ death.  And such teachings have continued in the mentality of the Church to this day. 

In today’s study, I don’t want to get into an overly complicated analysis of the spiritual standing between God, Jews, and Christians.  That’s actually unnecessary for us to properly understand what Christians should think about the Jews.  What we will briefly do is look at a couple of passages from Galatians and Romans, which are written by the Apostle Paul.  We should remember that Paul was first a pharisee, and the greatest human enemy of the Church, before a miraculous encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus changed his life forever.  After that encounter, Paul became the greatest witness for Jesus Christ and the writer of more than half of the Christian Scriptures.

(Galatians 3:16-18 NKJV)
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

(Galatians 3:26 NKJV)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:28-29 NKJV)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

            We could spend a lot of time talking about those passages.  Very clearly, these passages establish that those of us who accept Jesus Christ are brought into the family of God, and we are even brought into the family of Abraham.  This is part of the reason why so many of us sang the song about Father Abraham when we were kids.  Now people will use passages like this to suggest that Jews who don’t accept Jesus are no longer in the true family of God or that they are now excluded from God’s promises.  But while it’s true that one could make significant inferences about the implications of these passages for those Jews who do not accept Jesus, I don’t believe that’s the right thing to do.  Indeed, I don’t believe that is the intention of these passages or that these passages should be used in that way at all.  These passages are about showing us that we have been brought in, not that anyone else has been kicked out, and they shouldn’t be used that way.  Fortunately, there are other passages that clearly teach Christians what to think about the children of Israel.

            A moment ago I mentioned the Apostle Paul and how God radically changed his life in an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  Just after that encounter, Jesus directed His servant Ananias to go see Paul.  Jesus also spoke to Ananias about Paul’s calling.  Let’s notice what He says.

(Acts 9:13-15 NKJV)
Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

            We should note specifically that a major part of Paul’s calling was to preach Jesus Christ before the “children of Israel.”  This is Jesus specifically talking about the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  In no way should any of Paul’s writings ever be used against the children of Israel.  On the contrary, everything that Paul ever did, every word that Paul ever wrote in the Bible, all of which were God-breathed, should be used to bless the children of Israel, and to help bring them to faith in Jesus Christ.  I’m more than confident that if Paul knew, and he probably does, that some of his writings were used to preach replacement theology and antisemitism, he would be horrified, and I’m confident God is equally abhorred that His holy and perfect Word would be used as a weapon again His chosen people.   Listen to what God wrote through Paul in Romans 15:8.

(Romans 15:8 NKJV)
Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers[.] 

Now that, my friends, is quite a verse.  Let me quickly note that when Paul refers to the “circumcision” he is referring to those who are the children of Israel in the flesh, the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Here Paul says specifically that Jesus Christ did not come in any way to destroy God’s relationship with the Jews or to destroy the promises to the Jews, but, rather, Jesus Christ is a servant to the Jews, specifically to confirm the promises made to the fathers.  All of those promises that we read about, the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the promises for the salvation of the Jews, and all those promises about the safety and security of the land of Israel for the people of Israel, those promises are now confirmed because of Jesus Christ.

            To be honest, I will admit that the appropriate Christian posture towards the Jews is a bit complicated.  Let’s suppose for a moment that we were talking about any other people group, the Chinese, the Indians, the South Africans, the Slavic, or any other group.  In general, the Bible does not talk about other groups individually, and the Bible lumps them all together as “gentiles,” “nations,” “heathen,” etc.  Christians can basically think about all of these people groups the same, they all need Jesus Christ.  We should witness to them all.  That should be our primary mission.  Sure we can help with feeding, education, clothing, orphans and widows, and all of these other missionary programs, but our primary mission with these people groups is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Furthermore, with respect to their nations, with respect to the recognized territories belonging to these various people groups and their governments, I’m not sure that we have much to say from a Biblical perspective.  If India is in a war with Norway, for example, that’s a terrible thing.  As a general matter Christians should oppose war and celebrate peace everywhere.  Of course if one nation goes to war to stop evil in another part of the world, like the U.S.A. wiping out ISIS, or preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, that can be supported.  But, again, in general, we don’t have a lot of Biblical guidance for how we should think about the non-Jewish people groups and their nations.

However, as we have seen and will continue to see, we have a lot of guidance about the people, land and nation of Israel.  And, as simple as this is going to sound, this was my first significant revelation as I studied these subjects.  We must think about the people, land and nation of Israel differently because the Bible speaks about them differently.  If you claim to have a Biblical worldview, if you claim to have a Biblical perspective or to allow the Bible to guide your life, as so many Christians do, then you must allow the Bible to determine your feelings about the people, land and nation of Israel.

And what have we learned so far?  God chose the people of Israel as His special people, He chose them “above all peoples on the face of the earth.”  God also promised the people of Israel the land of Canaan, as their inheritance, as their “everlasting possession.”  We’ve also seen that God’s plan was always to bless “all families of the earth” through Abraham, through the Jews.  Indeed, we know that, through this people, God would bring the Messiah to be God’s “salvation to the ends of the earth.” 

As Christians, we know that the Jewish Messiah is Jesus Christ and this salvation has come.  Tragically, many of the Jews have refused to believe in Jesus as their Messiah.  But this is not a new situation.  This was true even before His death and resurrection.  Some Jews believed and some did not.  This continued after His death and resurrection, and this continues today. 

So the Bible teaches us to honor the people, land and nation of Israel, but for the most part they have rejected God’s Messiah and salvation.  I am now going to read you six additional passages from the book of Romans, which, again, was written by God through Paul.  These passages should directly inform what we Christians think about the Jewish people.

(Romans 1:16 NKJV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

(Romans 3:1-2 NKJV)
What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 

(Romans 9:3-5 NKJV)
For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

(Romans 10:1 NKJV)
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

(Romans 11:1-2a NKJV)
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.  

(Romans 11:25-29 NKJV)
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

The Jews are beloved by God for the sake of the fathers.  God has not cast away the Jews.  In fact, the Jews are still referred to as “His people.”  Salvation is to the Jew first.  God’s heart desire is that all of Israel would be saved.  There is still advantage in being a Jew.  It is still a wonderful thing to be one of the children of Israel in the flesh.  We Christians must not be haughty or high-minded, but we must recognize and honor God’s enduring love for the children of Israel.  His gifts and callings to us are irrevocable.  I love that.  But I must remember that contextually that verse is telling us that God’s gifts and promises to the biological children of Israel specifically are also irrevocable.

            So now let’s try to sum it up.  And, yes, I understand that I am again trying to answer questions that have been debated for thousands of years.  What should a Christian think about Jews?

            We should first recognize that the Jews, the children of Israel in the flesh, are still God’s chosen people.  They are members of the most important people group on earth, the most important family on earth.  Yes, God has opened this family to all through the Messiah, but I will still honor those who are Jesus’ countrymen and family according to the flesh.  I will remember that the Jews are beloved by God.  Yes, I understand that God loves everyone equally.  But I can remember that while also acknowledging the special relationship that God has with the Jewish people as revealed to me by the Bible.  I will remember God’s everlasting relationship with them.  I’m absolutely never going to demonstrate antisemitism or disfavor to the Jews because they haven’t received Jesus or for any other reason.  If they are special to God, if they are beloved by God, then they will be special to me and beloved by me.  I know they don’t ask for my love, I know they don’t care what I think, but I love them because He does and because He wants me to.  I will remember that God will bless those who bless the children of Israel, and I will act accordingly.  Furthermore, I will speak accordingly.  I will vote accordingly.  I will align my life accordingly.  All of this might mean different things for different people, but in general, I will support and bless the children of Israel in any way that God brings me the opportunity.

            Yes, if God brings the opportunity to witness our way, we should witness to the Jews with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Salvation is to the Jew first, and Jesus is the only Messiah.  There will never be another.  Jesus is the only Name by which man can be saved.  God wants everyone saved, God wants everyone to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, especially the Jews.  We should pray for their salvation.  We should pray that God draws them to Jesus Christ in their hearts.  We should pray that God will supernaturally open their hearts and minds to receive the truth of the Gospel. 

We should never forget that God brought our salvation, our Messiah, our religion, through the Jews.  When we get to heaven, we are going to have a joyous reunion with the many saints who have gone before us, and almost all of our faith heroes that we’re so excited to meet are Jewish.  I sure hope that when I sit down next to Father Abraham he doesn’t say to me, “nice to meet you, but you sure were a jerk to a bunch of my grandchildren.” 

Finally, we must also remember and trust that one day there will be a miraculous revelation among them, and they will all recognize the truth of the Messiah Jesus Christ.  And we will truly be brought together in Christ as God’s family, one tree, one family, one faith.  And that, my friends, will be one of the most glorious days in all of human history.

Section IV – What a Christian should think about the nation of Israel

(Jeremiah 31:35-36 NKJV)
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): "If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever." 

            We now begin our final, and, in my opinion, the most difficult part of our study, what a Christian should think about the nation of Israel, which is officially called the “State of Israel.”

Let’s start by briefly remembering some of what we learned in our section about the land of Israel.  God doesn’t want the people of Israel simply to own the land of Israel, God also wants them to occupy it.  Furthermore, God wants the people of Israel to own and occupy the land of Israel in peace and safety.  God doesn’t want any other nations or people groups, including without limitation the Palestinians, the Jordanians, the Lebanese, the Syrians, or anyone else, to fight against the Jews in Israel.  You are, of course, free to disagree with those points as you want.  But I don’t believe you can use the Bible to do so. 

As we begin to discuss the modern State of Israel, or the nation of Israel, let’s briefly discuss the current borders of national Israel.  If we believe the Bible says God wants the Jews to own and occupy the Biblical Promised Land, we should at least discuss whether the current nation of Israel is physically located in that land.

The truth is that the vast majority of the nation of Israel sits inside of the Biblical Promised Land.  I should mention that, as far as I can tell the Biblical borders of Israel do not include the southern area of modern Israel which includes the south Negev desert and the city of Eilat which is on the Red Sea.  The Biblical borders do include the Gaza Strip, all of the West Bank, small parts of modern Syria, and apparently all of modern Lebanon. 

Fortunately it looks like the southern area of Eilat is pretty settled between Israel, Jordan and Egypt.  Also, at least for the sake of peace, it looks like Israel isn’t trying to annex all of Lebanon.  I don’t want to digress, but I do want to acknowledge the discrepancy between the Biblical borders Israel, which can be found in Numbers 34, for example, and the current borders of Israel.  Not to oversimply the issue, but the key areas in the modern dispute would be the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and some areas in Northern Israel, all of which are clearly within the Biblical borders.  By the way I personally drove my rental call from Jerusalem down the coast of the Dead Sea to Eilat, and then back up through the Negev desert to Tel Aviv.  Now that was an interesting drive.

            Suffice it to say that, for the most part, the modern nation of Israel controls much of the Biblical land of Israel.  When we think about the Biblical land in question, and the nation of Israel defending its land, we are talking, closely enough, about the same land.

            So, today, for the most part, the people of Israel own the land of Israel.  Now that’s a wonderful truth.  That’s a fulfillment of prophecy.  We can also say, I believe beyond any argument, that this is God’s will.  And that’s a really important point.  It is not just my will, or America’s will or even the Jews’ will that they would own the Biblical land of Israel.  It is God’s will.

(Acts 5:38-39 NKJV)
And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God." 

            I appreciate that this passage in context is referring to people that oppose the Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, it illustrates a really important point.  I do not want to fight against God.  Any person who fights against God’s will is fighting against God.  Any person who fights against the Jews’ ownership of the land of Israel, is fighting against God.  Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and all the other terrorist groups that are fighting against Jewish ownership of the land of Israel, they are all fighting against God.  All of the uninformed and deceived people around the world who oppose Jewish ownership of Israel, all the anti-Zionists, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Christians, or any other religion, they are all opposing God’s will.  As for all those who are actively fighting against Israel and God, God doesn’t want to fight them, God wants to love them and bless them.  God wants them to dwell peacefully with Israel, and these peaceful relationships will lead to the blessing and prosperity of the entire region, and ultimately the world. 

            Let me briefly make one more point before we address this issue of the nation of Israel head on.  Jeremiah 16:15 says, “For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.  Ezekiel 28:25 says, “Then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.” Ezekiel 39:28 says, “I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land”  Amos 9:15 says, “I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them.”

            Notice the recurring theme here.  As far as God is concerned, it’s their land.  The Jews own the land.  They have never stopped owning the land.  Even during long periods of exile or a minority presence, it’s still their land.  They own the land, and God wants them to live in the land.  Other people have lived there, that’s nothing new.  Other people have tried to steal it, that’s nothing new.  Other people have wanted them dead, that’s nothing new.  Other people have even appealed to world leaders to make them stop building, that is nothing new.  Regardless of the claims or complaints of others, it’s their land.  Yes, we know that God owns the whole earth, but in terms of human ownership, God has given this land to the children of Israel.

            But what about a nation?  What about self-government or national sovereignty?  Maybe God wants the Jews to live there under Palestinian rule, or under the rule of some other nation?  Does God want the Jews to even have their own globally recognized nation? 

(Isaiah 66:8-14 NKJV)
Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" says your God. "Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her glory." For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem." When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the LORD shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies. 

            This prophecy from Isaiah 66 is widely accepted as the prophecy regarding the recreation of the nation of Israel.  The current nation of Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, in what many people believe was the miraculous fulfillment of this prophecy.  Notice also the promises for the Jewish people included in this prophecy.  God will take care of His people there and comfort them in Jerusalem.  God wants them to “drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.”  Notice also that all of us who love Jerusalem, and that should include, at a minimum, all Jews and Christians, should rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her.  Furthermore, God wants to extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the gentiles like a flowing stream. 

            Is that prophecy enough for you?  It’s certainly enough for many people.  But by the mouth of two or three witnesses let every Word be established.  We are talking about one of the most important subjects in all of world affairs.

(Ezekiel 37:21-28 NKJV)
"Then say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. "David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore." ' "

(Deuteronomy 15:6 NKJV)
For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. 

If we didn’t believe it before, we should now be convinced that national sovereignty is part of God’s plan for the people of Israel in the land of Israel.  The Ezekiel passage says, in pertinent part, “I will make them one nation in the land” and “one king shall be king over them all.”  Deuteronomy says that no nations shall reign over the Jewish people.  Again, we don’t need to be experts on these prophecies to understand God’s basic will here.  God wants them to be a self-governing people, God wants them to have their own nation.  God doesn’t want the Jews to just live in Israel and own Israel but be ruled by some other nation.  God wants the Jews to rule themselves, with Himself obviously as the Head of their nation.  

            Now I do agree that we haven’t seen the fulfillment of the Ezekiel prophecy in its entirety, and I don’t believe we can say that the modern government of Israel is the complete fulfillment of this prophecy either, but we are certainly moving in the right direction.  And the fact that they have a self-governing sovereign nation is, I believe, a partial fulfillment of this prophecy that should be celebrated.

            So what should one think about the nation of Israel?  If you are a Jew, I think the answer is obvious.  You should rejoice and be exceeding glad.  God has miraculously returned the Promised Land to the physical possession of the Jewish people.  The nation of Israel has been miraculously restored.  These prophecies have been fulfilled, at least in very significant parts.  But you know there are Jews, especially here in America, that don’t support Israel or believe that the Jews should possess the Promised Land.  In general that blows my mind, but when you have people that listen to the mainstream media and liberal talking points more than the Bible, it seems anything is possible.

            What about the rest of us?  How should the Gentiles feel about this modern nation of Israel?  We should also rejoice and be exceeding glad.  We should rejoice at the fulfillment of prophecy.  We should rejoice at the fulfillment of God’s will.  We are constantly praying, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Is God’s will with respect to the land of Israel exempted from those prayers.  You shouldn’t even pray that prayer if you don’t mean it, or if you are going to pick and choose which parts of God’s will you really want.

            As for me, I’m going to cooperate with God and do whatever I can to help in extending peace to Israel like a river.  I know that I can only do so much, but at a minimum I can be peaceful with Israel.  I won’t fight against Israel or spew lies about Israel or fight against Israel’s ownership of the land, as so many people, even Christians do.  In my heart, in my prayers, in my words, I will support Israel.  Moreover, God wants to extend the glory of the gentiles to Israel like a flowing stream.  Honestly, I don’t really know what glory I have that God could extend to Israel, but everything I am and everything I have belongs to God.  If God wants anything from me for the nation or people of Israel, here it is.        

            Notice also the verses at the end of that Ezekiel passage which are probably about the third temple, a tabernacle and a sanctuary in the midst of Israel forever.  I know that is an extremely divisive subject for people around the world because of the Islamic structures that are on the Temple Mount.  In case you didn’t know, there are two major Islamic structures that are on the land where the temples used to be (both the temple Solomon built and the temple Herod built).  You can go in them if you are a Muslim.  One is the Al Asqa Mosque and the other is the Dome of the Rock which is an Islamic shrine.  The Dome of the Rock is that golden-domed structure you always see in pictures of Jerusalem, yes that’s an Islamic shrine.  We don’t need to go into detail about those now, but in general my understanding is that these are extremely important places to Muslims, not at the top like Mecca, but way up there. 

            Forgive me for stating the obvious, but I don’t think God is happy about those structures on His Holy Mount.  And yes, I do think that when the Third Temple is built those structures have to go, and that might greatly anger some people.  Again, I’m not an expert on these subjects, but these conclusions seem pretty obvious.  I will also note that I haven’t studied the prophecies about the third temple in great detail, and there are some complicated issues there.  Suffice it to say that one day there will absolutely be a temple to the One True God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, on the Temple Mount, and on that day, those Islamic structures won’t be there anymore.

            However, we must always keep in mind the deception that the devil has brought to the world concerning the people and nation of Israel.  The devil has deceived people into thinking that the Jewish ownership of Israel, and even the possible Third Temple, are bad things.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  The exalting of the people of Israel, the exalting of the nation of Israel, the cooperation between the Jews and Gentiles, and even, gasp, the building of the Third Temple, all of these will ultimately be for the blessing of the world, the blessing for all people.

            Alright, I know we’ve said a lot, and some very controversial things as well.  To me, what we’ve seen from the Bible is clear.  God wants the people of Israel to have their own nation, not just their own land, but their own self-governing nation.  God wants the people of Israel to own the land of Israel as the self-governing, sovereign nation of Israel, and all Christians should be in complete agreement with those facts.  We, as Christians, should support that nation with prayers for its peace and prosperity.  At a bare minimum, we shouldn’t actively fight against the nation of Israel in any way. 

But does all of this mean we should support every single thing that the nation of Israel or the government of Israel does?  No, of course not.  There is no single person, group, institution or nation on earth that gets a complete pass on everything it does.   

            So, as we view a nation’s actions, how do we determine whether such actions are right or wrong?  When viewed against a worldwide geopolitical or economic landscape, almost innumerable factors present themselves that would potentially influence our views on the relative morality of a particular action.  Consider Russia’s recent attempts to annex parts of Ukraine.  While the world almost universally condemns those actions, Putin might argue that those regions are ethnically Russian and all of those people want to be in Russia anyway.  I’m certainly not suggesting that I agree with Putin or know whether such arguments are factual, but a person living in one of those communities might view the action very differently than an American sitting in Florida, for example. 

            One cannot easily sit in judgment over all of a nation’s actions without having all of the facts and the relevant understanding necessary to judge the true morality of an action.  Furthermore, one cannot actually judge the morality of anything without believing in some universal standard of morality.  Many of the same voices who condemn Israel or its actions would struggle to articulate actually why they do so.  Is Israel stealing the land?  Is stealing even wrong?  Is stealing wrong because the Bible says, “You shall not steal.”  Or is stealing wrong because some international legislative body in some random country somehow spontaneously thought up the concept that stealing is wrong?  Why is anything right or wrong?

            To answer why something is right or wrong, you must decide on a legal system or maker of laws that determines whether something is right or wrong, moral or immoral.  Yes, you could just make it up as you go along, but I don’t think any of us would argue it’s even worth discussing that idea. 

            A Christian must agree with the Bible’s system of morality, the Bible’s standards of right and wrong.  You might then immediately quote to me, 1 Peter 2:13, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.”  But we must acknowledge the Biblical exemptions to that direction.  Did Daniel obey the king’s rule to petition only the king?  Did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego obey the king’s rule to worship the golden image?  Did Peter and the Apostles obey the Jewish leaders’ commandment to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus?  The answer in all cases is “no” and God honored their disobedience in every case.  Therefore, we must conclude that when man’s law violates God’s law, God’s law takes precedence and must be obeyed.  While those instances might be relatively rare today, they do happen, and we will likely see them become more and more common as time goes on.

            Simply put, for a Christian, the Bible is the supreme law, and God’s directions are those which must be obeyed over all.  Whether something is right or wrong, moral or immoral, can only be truly understood in the light of the Bible.  If we are to sit in judgment over the actions of Israel, or the nation of Israel itself, we must view it with the correct standard.

            Should we support Israel’s alleged killing of innocent civilians as they decimate Gaza to root out Hamas?  No, of course not, we wouldn’t support any country’s killing of innocent civilians for any reason.  While any loss of civilian life is tragic, those allegations of indiscriminate civilian killing by the Israelis are lies of the Hamas propaganda machine anyway.  Do we understand that Israel does more to protect the civilian population in a war zone than virtually any other nation?  They go door to door to find the terrorists and expose their troops to tremendous danger to protect the civilians, many of which celebrate the terrorism.  Do we acknowledge that Israel is sending tons and tons of food and aid to protect Gaza’s civilian population at an astronomical cost?  Doesn’t Israel have the right to defend itself from the constant rocket attacks received from several other nations?  How did Hamas feel about all the innocent civilians they murdered and kidnapped on October 7?  How do Hezbollah and the Houthis and all these other terrorist groups feel about civilians when they launch their rockets into Israel?  Where is the outcry against them?  People claim their actions are justified because of the Israeli occupation, but is that right?  Doesn’t Israel have the right to eliminate the terrorists who control Gaza and perpetuated the October 7 Massacre?  Don’t ask yourself what you think.  What does God think?  What does the Bible say?

            What about the Israel settlements in the West Bank?  I’ve previously posted a map of the West Bank on my Facebook page and I invite you to go check it out.  The liberal media wants us to think the West Bank is some skinny sliver of land down the left side of the Jordan River.  In fact, the West Bank is a huge portion of Biblical Israel including Bethlehem Hebron, Ariel, and numerous other communities.  In one place the western border of the West Bank comes within 11 miles of Tel Aviv.  The West Bank is 100% in the Biblical borders of Israel.  Shouldn’t we support Israeli settlements in the Biblical land of Israel, and even Israeli national sovereignty over this area?  Of course we should!

            Again, I’m not saying we automatically support everything the nation of Israel does, but I am saying we must support or oppose what Israel does based on what the Bible teaches.  What have we seen already in this study?  God is against those who would oppose Israel, the terrorists groups and nations that threaten and fight against Israel.  Therefore, we should support Israel in their fights against these groups.  Yes, God loves all of these people individually, Christ died for them.  But God does not support their actions and God is not with them.  Yes, any loss of civilian life is terrible, but the potential loss of civilian life does not mean we should oppose Israel defending itself.  How about the settlements in the West Bank or even extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank?  Those settlements and that sovereignty, objectionable as they may be to the entire non-Zionist world, both perfectly align with God’s will that the people of Israel own and control the Biblical land of Israel. 

            I also understand that Israel has implemented some significant hardships on the Palestinian people through travel restrictions, blockades and other measures.  I’m not saying that we would support every individual one of these measure.  However, when we view Israel’s actions in the light of the Bible, and also in the light of radical Islam’s aims to destroy the Jews and their nation, some of these actions are understandable, if not completely justified.  If you knew that your next door neighbor wanted to steal your house and kill you, how would you feel about that fence? 

Israel is in God’s will to defend their Biblical homeland and to war against their enemies.  Generally speaking, Christians should support all of these efforts.  I know that’s saying a lot, but I don’t see how a Bible believing Christian could arrive at any alternative conclusion.

            The current nation of Israel is the governing body for the children of Israel living in the land of Israel.  This is all a fulfillment of prophecy and this is all God’s will.  As Christians, we should support the children of Israel generally, and we should also support the nation of Israel, in connection with the nation of Israel’s pursuit of Biblical goals and Biblical morality.  If the Israeli government stopped pursuing a Biblical agenda, or pursued individual goals or measures there are out of alignment with Biblical morality or God’s guidelines for a Godly society, then such actions should be opposed.  We should always pray that God provide for a Godly government in the nation of Israel and that Israel would have leaders after God’s own heart.

                Section V – Conclusion

               A few months ago I read a Twitter/X post by a conservative influencer, not Tucker Carlson but some other guy.  I was shocked to see anti-Israel messaging in his post, and a call for the U.S. to withdraw all support for Israel.  I then went on to see numerous other conservative voices echoing those sentiments.  I couldn’t believe so many conservatives didn’t agree with the basic U.S.-Israel alliance and a pro-Israel position, which I have just taken for granted my entire life.  But then I realized a lot of these people are 10 or even 20 years younger than me.  Many of them didn’t receive a Biblical education, and neither did their parents.  If a secular conservative doesn’t believe in the Bible, it’s somewhat understandable that they wouldn’t support the historical U.S. support for Israel.

            After I returned from Israel, a friend sent me Tucker Carlson’s recent podcast interview with an Orthodox Christian who had spent significant time living with the Palestinians.  Tucker listened to her, and seemed to agree with her, as she vocalized an extremely antisemitic position while mentioning nothing about Israel’s Biblical claim to the land of Israel.  When a Christian doesn’t understand God’s desires for the land of Israel, or God’s feelings about the children of Israel, then that Christian won’t have any idea how to correctly view the dispute for the land.

            In America, many of our modern churches, especially the modern mega McChurch that focuses more on its coffee shop and smoke machines than the actual significant moral questions of today, fail to teach Christians how to understand the land of Israel or why we should support the nation of Israel.  It’s like a church sermon I heard about the other day.  The pastor talks about spiritual warfare, but never mentions how that spiritual warfare is resulting in looting, rioting, violence, the lack of punishment for criminals, and the prevalence of homosexuality and transgenderism in the American culture today.  Pastors will teach about Joshua and the Israelites taking the Promised Land so they can talk about us overcoming giants and obtaining God’s promises today.  While those are great truths, our pastors also need to teach us that the land of Israel is God’s permanent gift to the children of Israel, and the children of Israel will always be right when seeking to protect their land.  The anti-Israel protests so prevalent in our country today, which are basically echoing terrorist talking points about the destruction of the Jews and the nation of Israel, are evil.  They are also an example of spiritual warfare.  Our Christian leaders must do a better job in teaching Christians how to think about all of these issues.

(Psalms 105:8-11 NKJV) 
He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance[.]"

            As we conclude I want to tell you about one more personal experience I had concerning the children of Israel.  I knew that I would go to law school after college, so in college I took a class called argumentative writing.  For our major project, we were to research old issues of the New York Times and argue as to when the average reader would have understood the horrors of the Holocaust.  After the professor had graded our papers she read her choice as the best one (which was not mine).  This student spent significant time calculating the number of articles over the months and years, and argued that by a certain date there had been so many articles about the Holocaust that every single reader of the New York Times would have known about these horrors by then. 

            As I have engaged in this particular study, a similar argumentative approach has gripped me.  The Bible has all of these verses we have reviewed in this study, and many more, all supporting the positions I have taken in this message.  Many verses clearly show that God wants the children of Israel to own and control the land of Israel.  Many verses clearly show that God wants Israel to have peace in its land, and that all of those who oppose Israel are out of God’s will, and that God will fight against them.  Many verses show that, ultimately, the people of Israel’s control of the land of Israel, and the honor of God in Israel, will lead to blessings to the region and the world at large.  Everyone, including Christians and everyone else, should support the people of Israel, the nation of Israel, and Israel’s ownership of the Promised Land.

            Therefore, in keeping with our modern practice of identifying and labeling ourselves according to our entire understanding of self and all our chosen causes, in addition to all other labels you might put on me, you may call me a Zionist.  And, God, if You want me to help in any of these areas of Your will for Your people, here am I, send me.

(Isaiah 25:6-9 NKJV)
And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."