Over the last century, the land and people of Israel have experienced one of the most dramatic and miraculous resurgences ever seen in the history of the world. Many Christians are recognizing this obvious fulfillment of biblical prophecy and are filled with excitement to see God’s hand so clearly demonstrated. However, of the 2.5 billion Christians worldwide, only an estimated 20% are pro-Israel. A small portion of that 20% are willing to stand for the Jewish people’s right to live in the biblical heartland of Israel – Judea and Samaria (the so called “West Bank”).
How can people who say they love God and His Word be against what He is doing? Perhaps the better question is: what can we, Christians who recognize this special hour of visitation, do to help our brothers and sisters in Messiah see that connecting with and supporting Israel is right and biblically mandated?
I believe our first step is to become firmly grounded in the truth. Yes, our hearts pulsed with feeling as we stepped off the plane at Ben Gurion, when we touched the Western Wall, or when we plucked the luscious fruit of Israel’s resurrected agriculture, but those are experiences that our disconnected-from-Israel friends cannot relate to. We need to be able to give a clear, biblically sound call to repentance and action!
The tenons of antisemitism and replacement theology have rooted themselves deeply into all denominations of Christendom. It is not easy to combat deep-rooted theological heresies, spiritual lethargy, and prolific political propaganda! We must know what we believe and train ourselves to share it articulately. I believe the main issue we face today is the fact that most Christians don’t acknowledge that being connected to Israel is something that every Christian needs. Though this short article cannot come anywhere close to covering, much less explaining, all the benefits Israel provides, I believe there are three main roles that Israel carries that qualifies them as “needed.” The land and people of Israel are the:
–– ANOINTED
–– ROOT
–– CATALYST
ANOINTED
God chose the literal land of Israel and the Jewish people. They are His special treasure (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, Psalm 135:4). The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). God chose them and equipped them for a very special and specific purpose. If we want to be aligned with God, we need to know and be in the flow of His choosing and anointing. God chose and anointed. We need to submit to His decision. Christians need a connection with God’s anointed land and people in order to carry out God’s will in the earth!
ROOT
The Scriptures are clear. God chose Israel as the initiators for his plan of global redemption (Genesis 12, Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 49:6, Luke 2:32, Acts 13:47). Though they have seen many ups and downs throughout their tempestuous history, the Jewish people and the land of Israel have always been an anchor, holding onto faith, keeping the oracles of God, (Romans 3:2) and praying for the great Redemption to come. Israel is the root that we, people from the nations, are grafted into and receive sustenance from (Romans 11:18). Christians need a connection with the root that God has planted in order to have spiritual and moral stability!
CATALYST
God anointed Israel to be a light to all the nations of the world. Their light is meant to shine brightly, bringing sinners to repentance and reconciling all of mankind back to God. This light is the word of God. “The Law will go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). God’s plan is for this light to continue to emanate from Israel. As Christians, we have received an incredible amount of light from Israel – Yeshua the Messiah (the Word made flesh), the Bible and God’s continued revealing of Himself through His land and people. Yeshua will return to literal Israel, to sit on the throne of David and bring God’s holy precepts to all the nations of the world. Christians need a connection to Israel in order to bring about global redemption!
If you disconnect from Israel you disconnect from God’s anointed and His plans for the world through them. When you don’t acknowledge God’s choosing you cut yourself off from your life-giving roots and are separated from God’s plan of world redemption. Once cut off from the root, your sustenance will eventually fail and the light you once had will be extinguished.
My prayer is that this ARC would continue to spark within the hearts of Christians and that they would fan into flames that will set the rest of the world’s Bible believers on fire for God and the truth of His word.
Brothers and sisters, come! Return to the ancient paths, acknowledging the chosen, the root, the anointed, the ones whom God has charged. Let us support their light-giving efforts, bringing honor and glory to God and redemption to the world!
