The horrific tragedy that hit Israel on October 7, 2023, seemed otherworldly. The response of people around the globe supporting Hamas—whether explicitly or implicitly—followed suit. Hearing about the horrific things Hamas did to pregnant women and infants as a new mother, was even more soul-crushing.
How could people made in God’s image do such deeds to other humans? How could anyone condone that behavior?
I’d like to challenge us all to think about something…
What kind of person thinks it is justified for people to murder and rape others in their homes, and behead dozens of babies?
What kind of person supports a terrorist organization whose stated mission is to wipe out an entire ethnic group?
How can someone support that evil and depravity?
That evil will not stop with Israel. Those who are protesting around the world supporting Hamas or condemning Israel, claiming “moral equivalence” to show and “justify” that Israel brought the October 7th attack on themselves have failed to clear the lowest of bars when it comes to basic morality.
Antisemitism has been a major problem since God formed the nation of Israel. We see the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and a multitude of nations trying to destroy them over the centuries—not to mention the Holocaust.
On the one hand, Satan desires to destroy God’s people and prevent the unfulfilled prophecies and promises to Israel from coming to fruition, thereby impugning God’s perfect faithfulness to His Word.
On the other hand, Christians ultimately rely on God’s perfect faithfulness. So why would followers of Jesus be against the nation of Israel? I think the answer boils down to wrong interpretations of God’s Word in one way or another.
Wrong interpretations of God’s Word have led to racism, chauvinism, and spiritual abuse, among many other things.
When God gave Abraham, the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12:3, He said, “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.”
Even though today Israel is not a believing nation, I truly believe that those who side against Israel will suffer major consequences. Those who help to support Israel will be blessed. The Abrahamic Covenant is still in effect today. Scripture clearly shows that its terms have yet to be completely fulfilled; therefore it must still be in effect (see Genesis 17:7-8, Zechariah 12:10-14, and Romans 11:25-27).
Currently in this age, God is using the Church—composed today of both Gentile and Messianic Jewish believers—to reach the world, but He will re-establish Israel as the nation that He will work through once again.
This is what it means to be God’s “chosen people.”
In the OT, Israel was first God’s chosen people, and now in the NT era the Church is also God’s chosen people.
This does not mean that the Church “replaced” Israel.
But for the temporary time being, God choses to reach the world through the Church, whereas in the OT and later during the Great Tribulation, He reaches the world through the nation of Israel. There is simply nothing in Scripture that says that God cannot have two distinct groups of chosen people.
The Church and Israel are separate and God’s chosen people, though only one of these groups is being worked through at a given time.
There are numerous promises made to Israel in the OT that have still yet to be fulfilled. Those who think the Church replaces Israel are sadly mistaken and have been led astray by incorrect interpretations of portions of Scripture such as Romans 9-11, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and many others.
The Apostle Paul clearly explains this to the members of the Roman church by quoting Isaiah 59:10…
“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.’”
Romans 11:26–27
As we look at all the events going on in this world now, it is important to look through the lens of Scripture. We must stand for truth, and be discerning to recognize pure evil for what it is. We must search Scripture for ourselves and not blindly take someone else’s word for it.
Jesus is waiting for the day when His people will call out to Him as a nation for deliverance. When that day comes, all will be made right. Amid the darkness, there is light, and there is a faithful remnant of believing Jews who are not only part of the Church, but still a part of the people of Israel.
I found a song of Arabs and Israelis singing together, worshiping Jesus and hopefully awaiting His return. The song is called “It Begins” by SOLU Israel. It brought tears to my eyes to see a glimpse of what God’s kingdom will look like one day when all nations will bow down to worship God together in peace.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Discover more from Dr. Ellie Stevens, Christian Psychiatrist and Author
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