The war in Israel is not a geopolitical issue or a foreign policy issue. At the core, it is a spiritual issue.
What we are witnessing in Israel is not a new conflict. It’s a 4,000 year old struggle between God’s people and satanic forces. This spiritual battle manifest as a battle between Israel and Iran, Israel and Lebanon, Israel and Hamas, Israel and Hezbollah, Israel and Palestine, and the list goes on.
Israel matters to us because Israel matters to God. They are the people He chose to become a nation to reveal His glory and character to all other nations. They are the people He chose to bring the promised Messiah into the world as Savior. Jerusalem is the city of God, where Jesus will establish His eternal Kingdom.
In fact, the name Israel means “God fights.” God has always had a purpose and plan for Israel. They exist today only by the protection and providence of God, and God has a plan for them concerning future events.
We stand with Israel because we stand with God.
Here are eight passages from Scripture that reveal God’s heart toward this nation.
Genesis 12:2-3
“I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
God blesses those who bless Israel, and curses those who curse Israel. It’s through this nation that all other nations are blessed or not blessed.
Deuteronomy 7:6-7
“For you [Israel] are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.”
God’s covenant [promise] with Israel is not based on who they are, but who God is. God’s faithfulness to Israel is a reminder that God is faithful to all those who call on Jesus for salvation.
Ezekiel 36:24, 32
“‘For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. It is not for your sake that I will act—this is the declaration of the Lord God—let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!”
The Jews were dispersed for roughly 1900 years, but in 1948 God established the nation back in their own land. Again, God didn’t do this because of Israel. God did this for His own glory and purposes, and Israel should be ashamed for receiving the grace of God yet not giving Him the due respect for it.
Zechariah 12:2-3
“Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her.”
Did you catch that last part? “All the nations of the earth gather against her.” What is happening today is a fulfillment of what the Zechariah prophesied over 2,000 years ago. Incredible!
Romans 9:7-8
“Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.”
Abraham had a child of flesh (Ishmael) before the child of promise(Isaac). Not every child of Abraham is a child of the promise. We become children of the promise through faith, not flesh. Faith is walking by trusting in God. Flesh is trying to accomplish the work on our own. There is always spiritual conflict between children of faith and children of flesh.
Romans 11:1-2
“I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel?”
Paul writes in the New Testament that God has not rejected Israel. Just because we are living in the church age (New Testament), doesn’t mean God gives up on Israel. God has a purpose for the church and for Israel.
Romans 11:25
“I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
One of God’s purposes for the hardening of Israel’s heart is so that Gentiles (non-Jews) have opportunity to respond to the gift of salvation through Jesus. When God’s timing is right, He will rapture the church, and God will turn His attention back to Israel and complete what He started.
Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”
God’s redemption story ends with good news. All things will be restored and made new. A new, holy city called Jerusalem will be the place where believers dwell with God forever. God promised Israel, “you will be my people, and I will be your God.” This promise will hold true for all eternity for anyone who places their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
