Biblical Reasons to Support Israel
by William L. NowellPart 1: Spiritual Warfare
The Bible says that in the last days, all nations will turn against Israel. In recent years, we've seem a dramatic escalation in anti-Semitic violence and anti-Israel terrorism. The BDS movement is attempting to cripple the Israeli economy. At the same time, Iran is racing ahead to build a nuclear weapon. Their goal is to unleash a nuclear holocaust on the tiny nation of Israel. But why is this happening?
God's plan of redemption for mankind required Him sending His Son into the world in human form. He chose the descendents of Abraham as the people through whom He would send His Son. Because of this, Satan has hated God's "chosen people" from the beginning. (Genesis 3:15) Now with the Second Coming of Christ on the horizon, Satan knows his time is short and he is furious.
The quickly rising tide of anti-Semitic/anti-Israel hatred is over-the-top and totally irrational. In this world gone mad, it seems as though the masses are no more than puppets on strings, with Satan pulling the strings. No doubt, that is exactly what is happening. In his fury, Satan is manipulating misguided individuals and godless reprobates to unleash his anger on the Jewish people.
In times like these, it is more important than ever for Christians to come together in support of Israel. In this article, I give seven Bible-based reasons why all true Christians should support God's chosen people and Israel, their God ordained Holy Land.
Seven Biblical Reasons to Support Israel
Israel holds a very special place in the heart of God. In Deuteronomy 14:2 we read, “Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession.” And in Jeremiah 31:3 we read, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Other ways the Bible refers to God's “chosen people” are:
- My firstborn son (Exodus 4:22, 23)
- His treasured possession (Deuteronomy 7:6)
- The one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people (2 Samuel 7:23)
- The people I formed for Myself (Isaiah 43:18-21)
- You are My people (Isaiah 51:16)
- His delight (Isaiah 62:4)
- The apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8)
Nearly 200 times throughout the Bible, God is named as “the God of Israel.” No other nation shares this distinction. Nowhere will you read "the God of [insert name of nation]." They are a nation like no other. Consequently, when we see Hamas constantly terrorizing Israel, or Iran attempting to build a nuclear weapon with the express purpose of annihilating Israel, God's treasured possession, how can we not speak up?
God says, “I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.” (Genesis 12:3) The first part of the verse says, "I will bless those who bless Israel. The message is clear, to receive the blessings of God, be a blessing to Israel. Consider this example from Scripture. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. (Luke 7:2-6) Also, in 1 John 3:18, we read 'My children [a term of endearment], our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.' To receive a blessing, be a blessing.
The second part of the verse says, “I will curse those who curse Israel.” Two different Hebrew words are used for curse in Genesis 12:3. The first Hebrew word translated “curse,” 'arar', means “to damn.” The second, 'qalal', means “to disdain”, i.e. to disregard, scorn, despise, hold in contempt, or look down on. In other words, God will damn those who disdain Israel. God will judge nations by bringing them to ruin and condemn individuals to eternal punishment in hell. These are fearsome words from the mouth of the Lord God of Israel.
Throughout history, nations that have opposed Israel and harmed the Jewish people have fallen and/or disintegrated. Consider ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, Hitler's Germany, and the now not-so-Great Britain. Is America next on the list?
The land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. God promised the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants as an everlasting possession. God confirmed His promise with Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and again with Jacob, Abraham's grandson (Genesis 35:10, 12). This promise is known as the “Abrahamic Covenant.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
Individuals (e.g. John Kerry, President Obama, Pope Francis), nations (e.g. USA), and organizations (e.g. the UN, NATO) are attempting to break the “Abrahamic Covenant.” They want to divide the land and give it away in so-called “land for peace deals.” This they do so in direct opposition to the will of the Sovereign God of Israel. God very emphatically warned that He will “curse those who curse Israel.”
God says, in no uncertain terms, that He will execute judgment on nations that divide-up the land of Israel. (Joel 3:2) The Obama Administration's hostile anti-Israel stance coupled with the sharp rise in anti-Semitism across America paints a bleak picture for the future of America.
America is in serious danger of the judgment of God. Now is not the time to remain neutral; instead, it is in our best interest to stand with Israel. When we stand with Israel, we stand on the side of God. The words of Joshua ring loudly in times such as these. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) It's time to pick a side!
We owe them a debt of gratitude for the blessings we have received from them. The Scripture says, 'if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.' (Romans 15:27) The Bible is a Jewish book. The Apostles and all the first followers of Yeshua were Jews. Our Savior, Yeshua (Jesus) is Jewish. We non-Jews have the Gospel only because Jewish Believers shared the Good News with us. As Yeshua said, “salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22) Without them, we would all be lost in our sins without any hope of salvation.
We have an invitation from God. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See. I will beckon to the Gentile nations, I will lift up My banner to the peoples; they will carry your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.” (Isaiah 49:22) The Lord Yahweh has beckoned, i.e. He has invited us to help restore the Jewish people to their ancient homeland. To say that the reestablishment of the nation of Israel is prophetically significant is an understatement. It is in fact a crucial "super-sign" of end-time prophecy, the culmination of which is the Second Coming of Christ. Wow! How awesome is that? God wants our active participation in the fulfillment of end-time prophecy!
God said He would “assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:12) After having been scattered around the world for nearly 2000 years, the people have been regathered to form a nation. The Hebrew word 'aliyah' means to "go up." Today it has come to mean the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. With the recent spike in anti-Semitism, thousands of Jews urgently need to make aliyah. The prophets of old spoke of an end-time aliyah to the Holy Land, and we can help make it happen. We have the opportunity to work as partners with God in the fulfillment of prophecy.
The Golden Rule compels us to support Israel. Yeshua said, “Always treat others as you want them to treat you.” (Matthew 7:12) Imagine you live on property that has been in your family for generations. Now suppose your property is surrounded by hostile neighbors who claim that you are occupying their land. Your home must be equipped with a bomb shelter to protect you from the ever-present threat of fire bombings. Consumed by an irrational hatred directed toward you, your neighbors daily hurl threats and vow to see you dead. In the spirit of jihad, they've even kidnapped and murdered some of your children. Yet you've done nothing wrong and have done them no harm.
At the same time, the larger community is well aware of your situation but do nothing to help. Some have even bought into the terrorist propaganda promoted by your neighbors and they now accuse you of wrongdoing. It seems as though the whole world has turned against you. You are all alone with no one by your side.
How would you feel if it were you in the situation just described? This is the daily reality of Israelis living in the Promised Land. Now ask yourself this question. If faced with this abhorrent situation, what would Yeshua (Jesus) do? What will you do?
We are one in Christ. For Believers, 'There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. They all have the same Lord, who richly blesses all who call on Him.' (Romans 10:12) We see the same concept repeated in Ephesians 2:14-15, 3:6. Messianic Jews are our brothers and sisters in Christ. 'As it is, there are many parts, but one body... If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.' (1 Corinthians 12:20, 26) How can we not stand with them?
Believers today are grafted into the natural olive tree - described as ethnic Israel - for we are “fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household” (Eph. 2:19). Romans 11:24 is clear about this: “After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!”
Yeshua (Jesus) had four brothers and at least two sisters. Matthew 13:55-56 names His brothers as James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, and mentions His sisters. Are there Jewish people living today who are direct descendants of the siblings of Yeshua? We have no way of knowing. It is possible that their bloodlines ended during the Roman persecution, the Crusades, the Holocaust, or at some other point in history. However, there is the very real possibility that thousands of Jewish people alive today have ancestral roots going back to the brothers and sisters of Yeshua. What an intriguing possibility!
Yeshua said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me... whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” (Matthew 25:40, 45) Pause and think about it.
Conclusion
We've examined seven Biblical reasons to support Israel. These seven reasons clearly show that Christians ought to back Israel in their struggle for existence. There are other Bible-based reasons to stand for Israel not discussed here. In addition, there are solid moral/ethical reasons as well as geopolitical reasons to stand for Israel. Now the question is how do we support Israel?
In the second part of this article, I discuss ten practical ways to support Israel.