The War Against Israel

The nation of Israel is a very small country. With approximately 8,630 square miles of land area, it is about the size of the state of New Jersey. From north to south (290 miles) and east to west (85 miles), it is very compact.

Currently, there are approximately 9,700,000 people living in Israel. A little over 7,000,000 of them are Jews, with slightly over 2,000,000 being Arabs. Another 500,000 of them are from various backgrounds that are neither Jewish nor Arabic.

The struggle between the Arabs and Jews goes back a long, long way, but since the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948, there has been much upheaval between them.

American Christians, with few exceptions, have been strong friends with Israel. Holding in our memory the appeal of God’s Abrahamic covenant—

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

"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.”—Gen. 12:1–3.

While the nation of Israel does not acknowledge Christ as Messiah and Saviour, there is a growing number of Jews who have fully embraced the Lord Jesus and received Him by faith.

Further, the Bible Says we are to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Ps. 122:6).

We Are a Friend to Israel

We support Israel today, just as we have throughout the years.

In the 1980s and 1990s, I made six trips to Israel. Staying at least a week each time, we have traversed the length and breadth of the country. Although I never “felt unsafe,” when a Muslim drove into the front entrance of our hotel and blew up himself and his vehicle, I decided right then that it was not safe, and I have not been back.

The October Attacks Totally Unwarranted

Somehow, the Hamas terrorist group made ready and, without warning, launched this major offense against Israel. It was a sneak attack that killed hundreds and wounded thousands. It is believed that they have also taken over 100 hostages. As a result, Israel is fighting back. The Arabs in Gaza who have been killed and wounded now number in the thousands. The numbers on both sides continue to grow.

War is an ugly business, but when an enemy such as Hamas goes on the warpath, you either fight back or your entire nation will be slaughtered. It is the long-held, documented goal of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to totally destroy Israel and kill every Jew that they can. Driven by hatred, you cannot reason with them. The only thing that will satisfy their unregenerate passion is “death to Israel.”

America Must Stand With Israel

I believe a case can be easily made that the current administration's lack of leadership and some of the absolute blunders they have made have contributed heavily to this.

Groups like the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists are emboldened by weakness. They hate America almost as much as they hate Israel, but they know strength when they see it. When strength is replaced by weakness, they see it as a time to strike.

Thankfully, the White House and the majority of Congress are speaking up now in support of Israel. Whatever the day-to-day developments are, America has no option. We must stand with Israel.

What Can Christians Do?

We can pay attention to Scripture and do what it says. We can oppose terrorism. We can stand up against hatred. We can do what Christians are supposed to do—live right, proclaim the Gospel to Arabs and Jews, and stand for truth and right.

We can get ourselves fired up, and our churches stirred up. We can realize that our country is coming apart at the seams and headed for a Christless eternity in Hell. We can take seriously the stated orders of the Lord Jesus and get soul winning on the front burner of our agenda.

We can quit trying to figure out if we can figure out the time of the rapture and get busy doing what we are supposed to be doing until the trumpet sounds.