Israel and Her Enemies

 18 Oct 2024  Israel & Middle East

 

How should we respond to the crisis in the Middle East?

The current situation in the Middle East is highly complex, and raises all sorts of questions. Perhaps the most immediate is how the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will alter the course of the war in Gaza and the wider conflict in the region. Another important question being asked is to what extent Israel’s military actions over the past twelve months are justified. This is crucially important for many reasons.

 

How do we regard Israel?

We must avoid prejudiced views of Israel, i.e. uncritical Zionism on the one hand, or judgmental condemnation of Israel on the other, both of which encourage antisemitism. People tend to react against uncritical Zionism – an “Israel can do no wrong” attitude. This, sadly, is a view held by many Christian supporters of Israel, which only serves to increase negativism of others towards Israel.

Similarly, judgmental condemnation of Israel can have the effect of indoctrination and might appear to confirm what antisemites proclaim. It is quite clear in Scripture that God is far from being uncritically positive towards Israel. Look at the condemnation of Israel’s sins that runs right through the biblical books of the Prophets. Look at Jesus’ strong criticism of unbelieving and sinful Jews. Remember also that 45% of Israelis identify as secular. They are neither observant religious Jews nor Messianic (Christian) believers.
 

Too many Christian Zionists have a rather blazé and indifferent attitude towards those they regard as Israel’s enemies.

How do we respond to Israel’s actions?

Israel is constantly being criticised for its killing of innocent civilians, including children, health workers etc. How are we to respond to this? Clearly, we should pray for the protection of innocent civilians in Gaza and Lebanon, and for their healing when injured or bereaved. Too many Christian Zionists have a rather blazé and indifferent attitude towards those they regard as Israel’s enemies.

However, there are various issues we need to remember:

Unlike in the old days, with modern media we can see the horrific details of war close up, and on an hour-to-hour basis, all of which serves to make the current conflict appear to be more horrific and bloody than those earlier wars – which, of course, is simply not the case (all war is horrific).

It is only too easy to be influenced by the constant anti-Israel indoctrination:

• Media bias (intentional or otherwise); e.g. excessively showing in graphic detail the effects of Israeli attacks, including tragic effects on innocent civilians.
• Lies about Israel’s actions.
• Lies about statistics e.g. numbers killed reported in the media make no distinction between innocent and Hamas fighters (as is intended by Hamas), leaving people to assume all killed are innocent civilians.
• Hamas and Hezbollah deliberately placing their military groups and weapons amongst civilians in order to create negative propaganda against Israel when they are killed by legitimate attacks (approved by international law).

Now, that confidence has been seriously undermined. Israel feels vulnerable and threatened.

We must also ask whether there is any country on earth that wouldn't strongly react against regular indiscriminate rocket attacks from its nearby neighbours who want to annihilate that country. Just imagine, if Wales and Scotland were regularly firing rockets indiscriminately into England, how would England react. That is exactly what Israel is facing, and has been for years. Israel was, of course, largely confident about its defence strategy until the humiliating October 7th attack. Now, that confidence has been seriously undermined. Israel feels vulnerable and threatened.

I am no military expert, so I’m unsure about some of Israel’s tactics, for example, telling people in Gaza and Lebanon to evacuate to certain places, which very places are then attacked shortly afterwards by the Israel Defence Forces (as has occurred more than once). Also, we cannot overlook the fact (though many Christians do) that the number of innocent civilians being killed by the IDF seems very excessive. They have also destroyed or significantly damaged 70% of Gazan infrastructure.

All of this does make one wonder whether Israel cares sufficiently about innocent civilians (although any army is likely to have at least a few immoral extremist fighters within its ranks). But I do find it difficult to believe that the IDF is deliberately attacking innocent people; rather it is fully aware that in targeting specific locations where terrorists hide out, civilians are going to be killed as well.

On the other hand, we need to listen to those who have knowledge in these matters. For example, Hamas claims some 41,000 people have died through Israeli attacks in Gaza, which would officially constitute genocide. Yet the IDF, which disputes Hamas’ figure, says some 18,000 of the total killed were terrorists. We’re told that this means the ratio of combatant to civilian deaths is well within the ‘norm’ of war-time scenarios (terrible though that is) – such as the war in Afghanistan and the Anglo-Irish War (Irish War of Independence) which were also wars against ‘terrorists’.
 

If it becomes clear that Israel is in serious error over some of its actions, we should not be reluctant of expressing disapproval of this.

Yet, I still have serious questions about some of Israel’s tactics, and, as I have said, we must be careful not to give uncritical support to Israel. At the same time, we have to remember that misunderstanding and disinformation are rife, so we need to suspend judgment over some issues until full facts can be ascertained. If it becomes clear that Israel is in serious error over some of its actions, we should not be reluctant of expressing disapproval of this. To do so would not mean that we are giving up on Israel, or that we are in any way ‘anti-Israel’, but simply that we long for justice, and that we pray for an end to any form of malpractice.

There is, of course, the very real danger of the present conflict escalating into all-out war. It is thought that Iran doesn’t actually want this, despite its overt provocations. The Israeli view is not so clear. The reality is that both Iran and Israel have extremists within their governments. We need to pray that God will overrule in this sensitive matter, because it could lead to a war that extends beyond the Middle East, along with the unthinkable suffering that would result from it.

 

How do we respond to the Ring of Fire?

Iran seems intent on creating an anti-Israel ‘Ring of Fire’ in countries around Israel. This includes Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Sudan.

Rockets and drones are sent over Israel from Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. There are pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq. Iran is very dominant in Syria – controlling 570 of the 830 foreign bases in Syria today. The West Bank has Iranian weapons. Sudan and Iran have signed a military cooperation agreement in a disturbing development. Iran recently attacked Israel directly. These are all deeply ominous signs.
 

But the problem is that no ‘peace settlement’ would stop Iran and its allies hating Israel and wanting nothing less than its total destruction.

There are many calls for a peace settlement with Iran and its allies. But the problem is that no ‘peace settlement’ would stop Iran and its allies hating Israel and wanting nothing less than its total destruction. This would also be the case with a ‘Two-State settlement’ – a State of Palestine existing alongside the State of Israel. A strong international control of the militant Islamists would do nothing to remove the hatred for Israel and the passion for its destruction that currently exists across the Middle East. The threat would remain – and so would the terrorists. It would be a ‘peace settlement’ without any resulting peace.

We also need to note the huge Palestinian backing for Hamas and Hezbollah. Polls taken by Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD), and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, show that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians said the October 7th attack by Hamas “made them proud.” AWRAD took three polls in December 2023, March ‘24 and June 24, and found that around 80% believed the Hamas decision to launch the October 7th attack was “correct.”

We must recognise in all this that the hatred against Israel is demonic, not simply human. It would appear to be a response to God reestablishing Israel through the UN in 1948 after the Holocaust, all of which many Christians see as being part of God’s end time purposes.

 

How do we respond to the long-term effects of the Middle East crisis?

• We must increase our prayers against the growth of antisemitism and anti-Israelism.

Antisemitism is quite simply a demonic evil and we must pray against it.

We know that recently there have been huge pro-Palestinian demonstrations in many countries, including the UK, with many people denying Israel’s right to exist. In the US, an Anti-Defamation League survey in January 2024 found that nearly a quarter of Americans hold antisemitic beliefs, with a disturbing reversal in trends showing that younger generations are more likely to believe antisemitic comments. Jewish people have said they don’t think there has been a more worrying period for the Jewish people since World War II.

Antisemitism is quite simply a demonic evil and we must pray against it. The current Middle East crisis – including many criticisms of Israel (whether justified or false) – has done, and will continue to do, enormous damage to Israel and the Jewish people. Countries which currently support Israel are vulnerable to strong long-term pressure from antisemites within their populations.

• We need to pray earnestly for the protection of Israel.

Given the widespread hatred of Israel and the complexity of its Ring of Fire opponents, it is not likely to be achieved by human action alone. It will require divine intervention.

• We must pray and act against Christian involvement in antisemitism/anti-Israelism past and present.

While constituting no excuse for Jewish people rejecting Christ, it is nevertheless a reality that many Jews have been hindered from accepting Jesus because of Christian (and nominally Christian) antisemitism over the centuries. It is good that the Church of England publicly apologised for centuries of antisemitism in 2019, an action that the Roman Catholic Church took back in the 1960s. Churches and individual Christians should take opportunities to reassure Jewish people that we utterly reject antisemitism, because many Jewish people feel seriously threatened by the antisemitic attacks since the October 7th massacre.
 

God certainly does have a purpose for the Jewish community, and this will be completely fulfilled when Jesus returns.

• We must also act against super-sessionism.

This is the idea that the Church totally supersedes and replaces the Jewish community in God’s purposes, i.e. that God no longer has a particular purpose for the Jewish people. Romans 11:1-32 makes it clear that this is not the case. God certainly does have a purpose for the Jewish community, and this will be completely fulfilled when Jesus returns.

• We must also pray for the fulfilment of God’s purposes.

We don’t know the timing of significant end-time events. But Jesus told us that we are to keep watch for pointers towards these occurrences.

One of the most amazing pointers has been the re-establishment of Israel after 2,000 years of exile, after she rejected the Messiah. Jesus foretold this when he said the Jewish people “will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).

It is significant that this re-establishment was brought about by the worst-ever hatred and murderous treatment of the Jewish people – the Holocaust. So, one of the main end-time events was brought about by one of the greatest evils. This should encourage us to recognise that the current serious decline of Israel’s popularity around the world could actually serve God’s purposes.
 

This should encourage us to recognise that the current serious decline of Israel’s popularity around the world could actually serve God’s purposes.

Ezekiel 38 refers to a coalition of nations attacking Israel in the end times. It is not difficult to imagine this, the way things are going in the Middle East at present. Of course, we don’t know the timing or the details. But an alliance like the Ring of Fire could figure in it. However, the alliance could become bigger than that - growing antisemitism could eventually turn currently positive world powers against Israel.

Could it be that what is happening in the Middle East at present is a foretaste of this end-time prophecy?

In Ezekiel 37 we read an end-time messianic prophecy:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms… I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. … My servant David [the Messiah] will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees … Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy …”’ (Ezek 37:21-24, 28; also see Zech 12).

God has brought the Jewish people out of the nations and re-established them in their own land. That happened 76 years ago. Are we now seeing through the current traumatic events a further step towards the return of Christ, which will include an international attack on Israel? We need to pray for the fulfilment of God’s purposes and for the hastening of the return of Christ. But the prophecies in both Ezekiel and Zechariah include an emphasis on a) following God’s law and b) Jewish people repenting over the death of their Messiah.
 

Meaning, there needs to be a massive turning to Christ among the Jewish people prior to His return.

God’s purposes for Israel will not be fulfilled without one very important aspect happening. Paul says that in the end-times “All Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25-26, the context clearly shows this is literal Israel). Meaning, there needs to be a massive turning to Christ among the Jewish people prior to His return.

So, in praying for God’s purposes to be fulfilled, we must pray against their serious failings and for a spiritual revival (turning to Jesus) amongst the Jewish people.

Tony Higton has been a Church of England Minister for over 40 years, led a ministry among Jewish people in Jerusalem for several years, and since 2015 has led a national ministry encouraging prayer and preparation for Revival.

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