CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON ISRAEL: PRAYING FOR ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS, AND HAMAS

Disclaimer: This post in no way absolves Hamas for its inhumane and evil behavior.  It addresses the root of how some popular Christian thinking influences “Christian” views toward Israel.  Besides the problem-fraught history regarding the Two-State Solution, there is a history of biblical interpretation that is overlooked or unknown to many Christians.

History of Interpretation: The root of the popular American-Christian sympathy toward Israel goes back to an Irish woman’s visions.  Seriously.  In the 1840’s a woman’s visions influenced an Irish Bible “interpreter” of biblical prophecy, John Nelson Darby, who developed a chronological scheme of God’s plans for the world called Dispensationalism.  Darby’s Dispensationalism moved into the US and Canada in the late 1800’s and has taking such a firm hold in southern American Christianity that many church goers have never been exposed to anything else!  In Darby’s dispensational scheme, which is impose on the Bible, God has separate plans for Israel than from the Church.  Although there are some earlier Christians who believed in a such a separation of the Church and Israel, Darby carried this belief further by claiming that God’s dealing with Israel was interrupted by the “Church Era” and will be renewed once the Church is “raptured” away by God.  As a result, this “prophetic” interpretation leads people to think that the current, secular nation of Israel (41% of the population claims some type of Judaism) has a major role in God’s end-time plans and must be protected by America.

New Testament View of the Church as the True Israel: As a Jewish religious movement, the first Christians recognized Jesus as God’s promised Messiah.  They saw themselves as the true Israel, the faithful remnant (OT term for those who survived judgment): “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel;” “not all accepted the good news” (Rom 9:6; 10:16.)*  The inclusion of non-Jews, Gentiles, who were “grafted in” (Rom 11:17) did not form a separate entity from “Israel” but demonstrated the fulfillment of the promises of Abraham through those recognized as “God’s people.”  Therefore, Jews, such as Paul, never converted away from Judaism to “become Christians.”  They were Christians because they were faithful Jews!  Paul considered those Jews who rejected the Messiah as “hardened,” but had hope for them.  Just as the Law did not make people righteous by obedience, but pointed to righteousness by faith; so, Paul believed that the inclusion of Gentiles should point Israelites to righteousness by faith (Rom 11:11 – 21).

Darby’s Dispensational so-called “rapture” of the Church – based on a supposed distinction God has between the Church and Israel – does not exist in biblical teaching.  The main proof text, 1Thess 4:13-18, actually presents a traditional, cultural image of a procession for an honored person: When he arrives, the people will go to meet him and usher him in with a celebratory reception.  (See Matt 25:1-10 wedding reception, and John 12:12-15, “Psalm Sunday.”)  In 1Thess 4:16-17, the dead in Christ will be the first to rise (a forgotten teaching) and then those alive will be snatched off the ground and into the clouds to meet Christ in the air to welcome His coming – not to turn Christ around and leave.

Conclusion: Modern Israel is not the “People of God” and should be treated as any other secular state: supported when necessary and held accountable when necessary.

Lord, I pray for the devastated and suffering people of Israel and for the devastated and suffering Palestinians.  I pray for the softening of the hearts of those in Hamas to turn from their evil ways.  Amen.

*I do not want to give “poof texts.”  I encourage people to take off the “blinder” of the “Church vs. Israel” scheme and to read Romans 9-11 carefully.  For example, some people will look at Paul’s mention that “all Israel will be saved” (11:26) and claim that it refers to a yet-to-come era when the “Deliverer will come from Zion” -- Paul is quoting Isaiah 59:20 – and that “all Israel” includes all ethnic Jews.  Such interpreters miss the big picture: the Deliverer has come and the era of the law has ended: “Christ brought a completion/perfection to the law” (10:4).  Moreover, Paul has already clearly qualified “Israel” to exclude those “branches” that “were broken off because of unbelief” (11:19 – 21) and to refer to the faithful remnant (11:1 – 10), since “not all who are descended from Israel [ethnic Jews] are Israel” (9:6).  One should follow the flow of thought and not impose a presupposed scheme on the text.