Sound The Trumpet : Support for Israel Waning Among Evangelicals

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“Support for Israel Waning Among Evangelicals”
by Prophecy News Watch - Tom Olago
April 29th, 2014

In a recent article by Sarah Bailey in The Washington Post , David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is quoted expressing concern that evangelicals have shifted within the last decade, and are no longer considered automatic supporters of Israel.

“The days of taking evangelical support for Israel for granted are over…they cannot let the evangelical community go the way of the mainstream Protestant leadership, Brog urged.

Several mainline churches and international church bodies have passed resolutions on divesting money or boycotting products made in Israel because of its "occupation" of the Palestinian territories.

David Gushee, Christian ethicist at Mercer University, said he sees more tourist trips to the region wanting to include a Palestinian perspective. “The Palestinian side of the story is coming into view in the way it hasn’t come before,” he said. “As people are organizing their mental worlds theologically, whatever they’re reading, it doesn’t equal unequivocal support for Israel at any given point.”

Jews for Jesus director David Brickner holds a similar view: “I long to see the church have a balanced perspective on the Middle East, where you don’t have to throw out the concern for Palestinians to support Israel. I really believe there’s a large middle ground, but it’s hard to do when people are in their polar positions.”

Examples given in the Washington Post report, of the downward trend in support for Israel by evangelicals include the following:

In an October 2010 poll of evangelical leaders attending the global evangelical conference in Cape Town, South Africa, 48 percent of the evangelicals said Israel is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus, while 42 percent said it is not.
34 percent of global evangelicals surveyed sympathized with Israel, compared with 30 percent of American evangelicals.
New films made by Christians, such as “With God on Our Side” and “Little Town of Bethlehem” are beginning to question support for Israel.
“Christ at the Checkpoint” began in 2010 as a biennial conference with the idea that Jesus was a Palestinian who could be suffering under Israeli occupation today as he once suffered under Roman occupation.

Despite such instances, findings from the Pew Research Center suggest that evangelical support for Israel has remained relatively stable in the past five years. When asked: “In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, who do you sympathize with more?” evangelicals were far more likely to say Israel — 72 percent to 4 percent in 2013, about the same as in 2009.

This apparent paradox of views from evangelicals suggests that evangelical support of Israel is still quite strong but is being steadily eroded due to news reports and perceptions alleging Israel’s abuse of Palestinian rights.

According to the Washington Post report, this indication of unwavering support for Israel is thought to have originated from a specific, literalistic approach to Biblical prophecy, called dispensationalism. Dispensationalists believe the Israelites’ return to the Promised Land is a requirement for the Second Coming of Jesus. They therefore rejoiced when Israeli troops captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Arab forces in June 1967 and saw it as a sign that Jesus was coming.

Another Biblical reason for the widespread support for Israel by evangelicals is however not covered in many analyses: that God, in the Old Testament, chose Israel as His own covenant people, promising to bless those who bless them and curse those who curse them(Genesis 12:1-3).

And as explained in weblessisrael.org: “In the Book of Numbers, where the Bible is telling us about the Nation of Israel that God delivers out of bondage in Egypt, it tells us:"He crouched. He lay down as a lion, and as a great lion. Who shall stir him up? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you" (Numbers 24:9). Although many will point out that this Scripture had its fulfillment in the Old Testament days, it doesn't seem to have any time-related limitation on it. It doesn't say, "I will bless those who bless you only until the Messiah comes. . .", or have any other conditions that would limit the result of actions toward Israel”.

But why Israel? David Treybig for LifeHop and Truth explained: “God’s purpose in choosing Israel was for them to be a model nation to other nations and that through them “all the families of the earth” would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). He wanted Israel to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Other nations would see that when the Israelites obeyed God, they were blessed (verse 5), and when they disobeyed God, they would be punished (Deuteronomy 28)”.

So there is clearly a sense in which evangelicals should support Israel – simply because God initiated that support and commands it – promising to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them. His choice of Israel is on the basis of His love, promises to their forefathers and covenant relationship with Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6-8), not due to their number or righteousness. Therefore, those who choose not to support Israel based on Israel’s perceived weaknesses or misdeeds are overlooking this point and taking a different position than God commanded for those who wish to remain blessed.

God’s prerogative in His dealings with Israel, both collectively and individually should not be usurped by any man’s judgment or opinion, as any wicked actions taken by Israel and Israelis will be judged by God Himself. As written in Ezekiel 18:30: Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13