Israel, Gaza and the Palestinians

January 12, 2009 (John)

It’s truly amazing the polar opposite views I’m receiving in my inbox as Christians write, or forward, perspectives on Israel, Gaza and the Palestinians.

If the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was ever neutral ground amongst Christians, it is rapidly ceasing to be so. Two increasingly hostile groups of supporters are developing, each rooting for their team. Yet personally I believe this is not a completely clear case of good versus evil, especially since neither the leaders of Israel or Hamas even professes to follow Christ. On one side there are fallen and unregenerate men, the Islamic members and supporters of Hamas. On the other side there are fallen and unregenerate men, the highly militarized state of Israel which for the time being still rejects Jesus. So how is it that Christians are willing to throw their full weight behind one or other of these less than godly sides?

Perhaps it’s because there is at least one essentially valid argument behind each side. On the pro-Israeli side there is recognition that God gave the land to Abraham and his descendants (through Isaac). On the pro-Palestinian side there is the recognition of human suffering at the hands of one of the world’s most powerful armed forces, combined with the belief that Jesus taught us to love our enemies, not to “blow them to hell”. And the counter-argument to each of these. Pro-Palestinian Christians may argue that God does not need tanks, F16’s and secular politicians to establish the Davidic kingdom and fulfill his promises to Israel in His time. On the other hand the pro-Israel Christians can point out Islamic hatred for the Jews and that, given a chance, the Palestinians would probably wipe Jewish Israel off the face of the planet.

Where on earth should I stand? Personally I choose the difficult and complex ground of assessing each issue on its own merits. As outlined in my article Modern Israel in prophecy?, I have long felt frustrated with the blatant misuse of prophecy to support the modern Israeli state. But, at the same time I cannot possibly support the aspirations of those who would harm the Jews since I believe God still has a covenant relationship with the children of Abraham. Some of God’s promises to the Jewish nation were conditional, but God’s fundamental promises to Abraham were not conditional, and though Israel is a disobedient wife now undergoing a period of separation, I believe God is still married to Israel and will restore the nation at Christ’s coming.

You might well ask, practically speaking, how it can be possible to have serious misgivings about the current Jewish state, while at the same time not by default supporting its enemies. The answer lies in understanding what it means to be a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, as opposed to mans. Notice both in Jesus teaching and in the epistles it was made perfectly clear that things would ultimately get worse and worse until the final anti-Christ and kingdom of the beast was revealed. (And God’s judgment poured out on them). Are Christians therefore called to fix up this present world and its systems? I believe our single purpose is to preach the gospel to all, and indeed to both sides of this conflict, that men, woman and children may receive eternal life and a kingdom that cannot be destroyed by rocket attacks or bombs. I believe Jesus when he says that his kingdom is not of this world and that this is why his disciples do not fight (John 18:36).

Beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I am deeply concerned that many Christians have lost the focus on the redemption of men and woman “out of the world”, and substituted it for politics and fighting for institutional support of their “world view”. Early Christians under the persecution of the Romans had no such misguided ambitions. There is a great deal of difference between Christianizing the empires of man and building the kingdom of God, and until we fully grasp this we will continue to argue over the conflicts of fallen man verses fallen man in this present fallen world.

Right now there are Christian Jews in Israel and Christian Palestinians in the Gaza strip. Praise God for those that saw the true vision of taking the gospel to the Jews, and to the Palestinians. These courageous people are the ones who God will endorse.

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