Why Christians Should Stand With Israel
This is a question that surfaces frequently in Christian circles and in today’s cultural dialogue across many different venues.
To begin with, we must remind ourselves that Jesus was born Jewish. He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with the Torah. He celebrated His Bar Mitzvah on His twelfth birthday. He kept the Law of Moses. He wore the prayer shawl with the Tzitzit that Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear. And He died on a cross with an inscription over His head — “King of the Jews.”
Jesus, the prominent Rabbi from Nazareth, declared in John 4:22, “Salvation is of the Jews!” Consider for a moment what we, as Christians, have received from the Jewish nation:
- Scripture itself — the Word of God — is a gift from the Jewish people of infinite and eternal value
- The Prophets were Jewish
- The Patriarchs were Jewish
- Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Himself are all products of Judaism
- The Twelve Disciples were Jewish
- The Apostles were Jewish
Approaching it from another angle, we must remember that God promised both blessings and curses in relation to one’s posture toward Israel. Genesis 12:3 states it plainly:
“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.” — NKJV
Is this visible in our world today? Do we see evidence of it in current events?
One compelling area is the remarkable medical contributions this tiny nation in the desert has given to the entire world. Jewish scientists and researchers have been behind some of the most life-saving discoveries in modern history:
Vaccines:
- Polio — Injectable (1955, Jonas Salk)
- Polio — Oral (1961, Albert Sabin)
- Hepatitis B (1981, Baruch Blumberg)
- Cholera (1892, Waldemar Haffkine)
- Bubonic Plague (1897, Waldemar Haffkine)
- Immunotherapy/Copaxone (1970–1995, Ruth Arnon)
Additional Fields of World-Changing Discovery:
- Addiction Treatment — Oliver Ameizen adapted Baclofen for alcoholism, cocaine, and heroin addiction
- Oncology and Chemotherapy
- Cardiology and Metabolism
- Genetics and Molecular Biology — Rosalind Franklin, Alec Jeffreys (DNA fingerprinting), Victor McKusick (Medical Genetics), Joshua Lederberg (Bacterial Genetics)
One doesn’t have to look far to see the other side of God’s promise. Consider the nation of Iran — ancient Persia. In a few days, Israel will celebrate Purim, remembering how God delivered His people from Haman’s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Book of Esther. Modern Iran has continued in that same spirit through direct attacks on Israel and through its proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis operating out of Syria.
Today, Iran is in the midst of the longest and most severe drought in four decades, with water resources nearly depleted — despite the fact that Israel once offered to share its desalination technology with them. Rather than invest in solutions for their people, Iran’s leadership has poured its resources into its stated goal of annihilating the Jewish state. It is my sincere belief that they are reaping the prophetic consequence of Genesis 12:3.
On a recent trip to Israel, I had the privilege of meeting a brother in the Lord named Mohamad Faridi, who was raised in Iran. He carries an extraordinary testimony of escaping the grip of Islam and now dedicates his life to teaching Christians how to fulfill the Great Commission among Muslims. He serves as President of Iranian Christian International and can be reached at dnmi.org.
Even as Iran’s leadership has brought devastation upon its own people, something remarkable is happening beneath the surface — the underground church in Iran is reported to be the fastest growing Christian movement in the world today. We cannot fully calculate the number of believers among those who have been murdered by the IRGC, but what is clear is this: we must hold up in prayer the believers and the courageous people of Iran who are willing to stand against armed soldiers to escape a regime’s death grip — and for many, the chains of Islam itself.
Another vital consideration is the significant role Israel plays in the eschatological future of the world. In Daniel 9:24, the prophet records that seventy weeks — Sheve’eem Chavu-ot, or seventy “sevens” of years — were decreed specifically concerning Israel and her people. In eschatological study, Israel is often referred to as God’s prophetic time clock. After sixty-nine of those weeks — representing 483 years — the clock paused at the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One week remains, and many believe it will begin the moment the Church is caught up to meet the Lord in the air, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Numerous Old Testament prophecies confirm that Israel will be central to the events that usher the world into the Millennium — a thousand years of peace under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider these remarkable passages:
“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” — Ezekiel 36:24–28, NKJV
“It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left… He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” — Isaiah 11:11–12, 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.'” — Genesis 12:1–3, NKJV
These are not merely ancient promises — they are living prophecies being fulfilled before our eyes in the headlines of today.
Paul addresses the question that some in his day were already asking — and that many still ask today:
“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 11:1–2, NKJV
And the wisdom of Gamaliel echoes as a sobering warning to every generation:
“…but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God.” — Acts 5:39, NKJV
If God is doing precisely what He declared He would do — and the evidence strongly suggests that He is — then Christians today must find a way to align both their hearts and their efforts with the purposes He foretold. To stand against Israel is not merely a political position. According to Scripture, it may be nothing less than fighting against God Himself.
Turning to Scripture, again, for further grounding, we find two powerful accounts of Gentiles who were blessed because of their love for Israel. In Luke 7, when Jesus was asked to heal a centurion’s dying servant, the Jewish elders interceded on the centurion’s behalf saying, “He loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue” (Luke 7:5). Jesus honored that request. Then in Acts 10, God selected the first Gentile to receive the Gospel — Cornelius, described as “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). The “people” he gave to were Jews. And God said of him, “Your alms are remembered in the sight of God” (Acts 10:31).
America, I believe, has long been a recipient of the blessing promised to those who stand with Israel. It remains imperative that the United States continue to stand against those who — even today — intend to push the Jewish people into the sea. These threats have not disappeared. Much of the subversive activity continues beneath the surface of today’s news cycle. A recent report revealed that the Palestinian Authority was still funding its notorious “Pay to Slay” program — and that despite promises to discontinue it, over $200 million had been spent in that year alone for precisely that purpose.
Zechariah 2:8 reminds us of how God views His people Israel: “…for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” — NKJV
Finally — and perhaps most profoundly — consider this: every other nation on earth was created by an act of men. ISRAEL WAS CREATED BY AN ACT OF GOD. That alone sets her apart in the story of human history.
Christians today should be encouraged to support Israel — not for the selfish motive of receiving a promised blessing, but for the far greater reason of cherishing what God Himself cherishes.
Join us in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.