Should New Testament Christians Support Israel?

Part One

About a decade ago a paperback came out called Ten Reasons Why Christians Should Support Israel and Bless the Jewish People. It explains why so many Protestant evangelicals believe Israel is to be supported politically and financially along with prayers. A research paper by Gallup called Politics and Religion concluded that the major belief among these churches is: “State of Israel is proof of the fulfillment of prophesy regarding the nearing of Jesus’ Second Coming” and that “Jews are God’s chosen people.” Televangelist John Hagee called the conflict “a battle between good and evil” and said support for Israel was “God’s foreign policy.”

Promoted by the Doctrine of Premillennialism

The motivation behind the support of Israel comes from the false doctrine known as premillennialism. Premillennialism is the belief that Jesus Christ will physically return to Earth (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11); to set up a throne in Jerusalem (1 Chr. 17:14; Ps. 2:6; Isa. 2:2–4; Mt. 19:28; 25:31) and reign over the whole earth for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1–6).

Based upon the misapplication of the passages listed above, Hal Lindsey’s popular book The Late Great Planet Earth outlined the events of the End-times which were to focus on Jerusalem and the Jews. The book affirms there should be a rebirth of Israel which they say occurred in 1948. There should be an Arab – Moslem confederacy – OPEC. There should be a rise of Russia as a world power. There would be a rise of China as a world power. There should be a rise of a New Roman Empire led the “anti-Christ”. As you can see, Premillennialism intertwines with politics. Hal Lindsey wrote:

The main points are these: first, there will be a re-institution of the Jewish worship according to the Law of Moses with sacrifices, and oblations in the general time of Christ’s return….We must conclude that a third Temple will be rebuilt upon its ancient site in Old Jerusalem…Jerusalem will be the spiritual center of the entire world and ….all the people of the earth will come annually to worship Jesus who will rule there (Lindsey, 45,46,165).

However, one of his critics wrote,

“Every 3 years Hal Lindsay writes a new book denoting how the world will end in 5 years. Each subsequent book explains how he WASN’T wrong in the previous book and the world will really end in 5 years. . . . He has followed this pattern for 3 decades and is now acknowledged as ‘the fore-most authority on Biblical prophecy in the world today.’”

Perhaps Lindsey’s greatest critic would be that of Jesus Christ Himself who made it clear that no one knows when He will return. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36).

Promises and Fulfillment

The basis of the argument for the premillennialist’s support of Israel goes back to the promises God made to the Patriarchs starting with Abraham.

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 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.” (Gen. 12:1-3).

The promise was repeated to him again in Genesis 13:16; 15:5,18; 17:4-5. God made the same promises to Abraham’s son, Isaac (Gen. 26:5) and then his grandson, Jacob (Gen. 28:1-5). These promises are three in total: 1) the seed promise; 2) the nation promise; and the land promise.

The second promise is that Abraham would be made into a great nation (12:2). According to the nation promise, all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s seed. Premillennialist John Walvoord claims Abraham himself was a blessing to all nations. The promises to Abraham are neatly made entirely physical.

Yet the nation promise has been fulfilled. Under David and Solomon, Israel had been a great nation. It was finally destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. The nation of Israel is not and cannot be the nation of promise.

The name Israel occurs seventy-five times in the New Testament. The New Testament alludes to “Israel” or to the “Children” of Abraham who neither descended physically from him nor had they experienced physical circumcision (Rom. 9:6-8). Paul clearly states that those who put on Christ are Abraham’s descendants. “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). Ironically, the real children of Abraham have not even physically descended from him. But they have spiritual descended Abraham through Christ.

Paul also wrote, “but it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Rom. 9:6). The Jews of the New Testament times argued that they were of the Circumcision. Circumcision goes back to the time of Abraham and identifies those who are Jews. Again, Paul explains that those whose heart has been circumcised are pleasing to God and physical circumcision has nothing to do with being a child of God. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Rom. 2:28-29). “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).

Today, the New Testament church constitutes a spiritual nation from Abraham’s seed. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter. 2:9).

Next, the seed promise is bestowed exclusively to Jacob’s son, Judah (Gen. 49:10). A later prophecy identifies David (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Peter quoted 2 Sam. 7:12-13 and made inspired application of tit to the resurrection of Jesus. This was fulfilled in a spiritual sense in Jesus. “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). Jesus came as a son of David. Proven by His genealogy. God raised him up from to dead so that He could ascend to the throne of David at the right-hand side of God in Heaven (Acts 2:30ff; 13:33; Col. 1:13).

And finally, there is the land promise. Churches of Christ who support the belief in premillennialism claim: “Bible believing people throughout the centuries have understood that Israel shall someday return to the land of God’s promise and possess it. Numerous passages in the Bible predict the return of Israel to the land. It is difficult to find any doctrines taught clearly or more emphatically in God’s word.” (“Can Israel Win?”, The Exhorter, Jan. 10, 1969). God defines the promise with the boundaries of the “river of Egypt” to the “river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18). The “River of Egypt” is the Wadi el-‘Arish, the southern border of Judah and not the Nile as many speculators claim. (Baker’s Bible Atlas, p. 31.)

Daniel R. Vess