Christ First Forum

Evangelical Christians and Israel


2011-01-15

By Wayne Turner

Why is it that Israel can seem to do no wrong in the eyes of Evangelical Christians? While Europe’s attitude is slowly turning against Israel, the United States remains relatively firm in its commitment to this island of democracy in the mideast. We remain cautiously optimistic that some of our current administration’s public statements comprise mere political posturing rather than a weakened commitment to Israel. Evangelical Christians are the ones who lead the rally for Israel in the United States. Why is that? Inquiring minds want to know!

Historically, were it not for the persistent efforts of the United States, the Jews’ quest for a nation back in their original homeland might not have come to fruition as it did back in 1948. Overall European sentiment, including Great Britain, was not predisposed to seeing that happen…but the United States continued to apply pressure to make it a reality. Hmmm…could that have actually been the hand of God showing his favor toward Israel using the good ol’ US of A as His instrument? GOOD QUESTION! Let’s analyze that.

The whole issue goes back to Abraham in Genesis 12. God made certain promises to Abraham in that chapter where in verses 2-3 God said, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Whoa! What does that mean? Here it is in a nutshell: That “great nation” became Israel, and the promise by God to Abraham to “bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” is one that Bible-believing Christians just can’t lightly dismiss. With that serving as our foundational principle with regard to our dealings with Israel, you’d be hard pressed to find a Biblically-informed Evangelical Christian who is willing to turn thumbs down on Israel.

I know…I know…for the rest of you, that just seems absurd. You just can’t even begin to comprehend the mindset of those people who would allow a 4,000-year-old Bible verse to influence contemporary thought on the struggle between Israel and its geographical neighbors. To you…that’s just taking one’s religious views waaaaay too far. And, I know at least one former U.S. president who feels precisely that way—even wrote a book about it.

Well…call us (Evangelical Christians) old fashioned, naive, narrow minded or just plain stupid if you must. Actually, we’re used to that by now. We just believe what the Bible says. To state it simply: I don’t know how I can claim the promises of eternal life in Jesus Christ and then reject the scriptural promises to Israel; a consistent view of the Bible won’t allow it.

Since you’re probably wondering, that’s not even close to the extent of God’s promises to Israel—just scratches the surface. Those promises were restated to Abraham’s son, Isaac, to his son Jacob and to his twelve sons who became the fathers of the nation of Israel. Even after Israel’s demise in 586 B.C. at the hands of the Babylonians, the prophets of God consistently declared that one day Israel would not only rise again, but that Jerusalem itself would become the capital of the entire planet. That being the case, Bible-believing Evangelicals are all anticipating a day when Jesus Christ will reign over the entire world from, of all places, Jerusalem.

Ever since Israel’s declaration of their independence as an autonomous nation back on May 14, 1948, Evangelical Christians have been ripe with anticipation at its perceived prophetic implications. From that day to this, Bible teachers have seen what seems to be the unfolding of Bible prophecy right before our eyes—events that we believe are paving the way for the return of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Let me apologize at this point to my politically-correct friends. But I just don’t know how to pick and choose through the promises of my Bible—holding tightly to the ones I like while dismissing others. If the Bible is reliable, then it’s ALL reliable. I’m pleased to hang with other Christians who hold to the absolute integrity of scripture…and that goes for the prophecies concerning the end-time resurgence of the Nation of Israel.

Now…if it seems to you that we Evangelicals don’t seem to quite grasp the gravity of the mideast conflict, would you be willing to consider the possibility that PERHAPS WE DO, AND YOU DON’T?
Okay…I didn’t think so. You just keep wondering about our sanity while we keep anticipating the return of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Wayne Turner of Fayette Bible Church in Fayetteville is also the author of Bible Track, an online daily Bible-reading schedule and commentary which may be accessed at http://www.bibletrack.org.

http://www.fayettedailynews.com/article.php?id_news=7344