Christianity & The Conflict
If anything Godly is going to happen in Israel or Palestine it is going to happen through the Church. That is not profound. That’s the way that God made it.
No matter what you believe about Israel, prophecy, the Jewish people, and the second coming of Christ, one thing we know: God has chosen to work primarily through his church.
We can all come to different conclusions based on the facts I’ve shared previously and your reading of the scriptures about Israel and the Jewish people. The differing of perspectives on this are not dumb (though some have heavy and harsh implications). Even if they are opposing views, we all must recognize, they have been studied intensely by many theologians and are (for the most part) present in the Bible.
To begin, one viewpoint is that Israel has divine right to all of the land and that the Jewish people have a special place in the story of the second coming. Maybe that is your reading of scripture, too. I think it’s important to realize that if these things are divine and being led by God, they will not come to pass through sin. If you believe that it is God's desire is to give Israel all of the land, he will not do that in the context of ethnic superiority, deceit, violence, and sin. If God does do this, it will be beautiful, right, and holy.
I can tell you with all assurance, how Israel is handling the situation with Palestinians right now is anything but holy. I’m not saying there isn’t a political argument to be made here, but a Christian argument does not have a leg to stand on.
Currently, the majority of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people are in rebellion against God. Connection to the Father only comes through the Son. The only connection the Jewish people can have with God comes through Jesus. There is no other way. Obedience to God, post-Christ, is submission to Jesus. And the overwhelming majority of Israel have rejected him.
It is also important to note that possession of the land in the Old Testament was always dependent on Israels obedience to Gods commands. (Deuteronomy 28:63, Daniel 9:4-7, Psalm 78:54-61). When they were living in obedience, they possessed the land. When they were not, they were sent to exile. If God is going to give the land to ethnic Israel, they will have to be in obedience and submission to him - which is submission to Jesus as King.
As much as we need to get the gospel to the Palestinian Territories to save Hamas so they will stop terrorizing Israel, we need to get the gospel to Israel to save the Jewish people so they will stop oppressing Palestine. In the meantime, however, we must stand against injustice, racism, and terrorism anywhere we see it. I saw it at the hands of Israeli people in the West Bank - and I will stand up against it until it’s gone.
My plea to Christians: I want to invite you into a new way of looking at the conflict - instead of throwing all of our time and energy in supporting a Pro-Isarel cause (or Pro-Palestinian for that matter - it’s just not as prevalent in Western-Chrisitan circles), spend it on supporting efforts to reach Israel and Palestine with. the. gospel. *Listen* to Israeli and Palestinian believers. Invest money, prayer, and time into organizations that focus on reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Stand up against the evil of racism and oppression. Support Jesus and his Church in these things.
The State of Israel doesn’t not necessarily need the support of the Evangelical Church in America. If we are truly about the cause of the Kingdom, we need to be about supporting the believers and churches in Israel and Palestine. We need to be about reconciliation between man and God, and Jew and Arab, not political policies and one nation above another.
Personally, I am not a Christian Zionist and I believe the Israel God talks about in the Bible is not necessarily the modern nation of Israel. A great question to ask is, “What is Israel in the New Testament? Who is Israel?” As I study the Bible, you will find me comfortably sitting somewhere in between replacement theology (there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile) and dispensationalism (a distinction between the church and Israel). (probably a little closer to replacement theology tbh). But I’m happy here.
At the end of the day, though, I really could care less what you or I decide about theology. I care more about our brothers and sisters on the ground in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. I care more about Palestinian Christians who can’t be heard over the loud support for Israel and Israeli Christians. I care more about seeing the kingdom of God come in the land and bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to disciple their nation as one. Pray that way with me.