The war taking place between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas has split the world in two: those for Israel and those against.
The often-quoted quip, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be freed,” is not so much a pro-Palestine saying, but one that pushes for the eradication of the nation of Israel.
Even conservative circles have become split by the pro-or-not stance for Israel.
Recently, conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, both of The Daily Wire, have been at each other’s throats over their respective stances on Israel.
Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, is fully behind U.S. support of Israel and believes that the civilian losses occurring are an acceptable price to pay for the eradication of Hamas. He regularly points out that the Palestinians elected Hamas in to power, and they will be free of the terror organization once Israel defeats them.
Owens on the other hand is part of the growing “America First” movement which runs parallel to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” following. Owens is against sending money, aid or military to foreign countries and their conflicts that have nothing to do with the U.S.
These opposing positions have led to furious online back-and-forth’s between the two, with a large part of X (formerly Twitter) watching to see how this plays out.
Candace, if you feel that taking money from The Daily Wire somehow comes between you and God, by all means quit. https://t.co/qachKhAuHo
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 15, 2023
So why is the reluctance for many Americans to support Israel such a big thing? Is it simply because they want to fix things at home first? Or is there a deeper reason?
While many Americans are burned out on the massive amounts of unchecked funding that went to the war in Ukraine for the past year-and-a-half, many Christians, but sadly not all, view Israel as a much different story.
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Christian leaders such as Pastors John Hagee, Jentezen Franklin, Perry Stone, Greg Locke, Jack Hibbs and many others have proclaimed their unflinching support for Israel, and back their stances up with the Bible.
Yet there are just as many who claim to be a follower of Christ who do not believe that the country of Israel and its citizens are the nation of Israel described in the Bible. Many of these people are a part of the America First movement, and do not want America involved in the Israel-Hamas war whatsoever and cannot fathom why so many Christians are “obsessed” with the country.
To put it plainly, it is because of what the Word of God says. The covenant between Abraham and God in Genesis chapter 12 lays it out very plainly in God’s own words: “I will bless them who bless you, and curse him who curses you.”
Cursed by God should be reason enough to support Israel, but for many it is not. Perhaps they do not believe that the covenant is still in place, a folly of biblical proportions.
Prophecies from the Bible are still coming to fruition, and until the end of the age, God’s hand of protection will be over the nation of Israel. There will be those who revolt against her, and by doing so, they revolt against God.
Yet even with biblical prophecies over centuries, Christians and Jews have not had a great relationship. It was not until the third resurrection of the nation of Israel in 1948 that Christians really took notice, and talk of the end times coming to fruition began to dominate Christian media.
Since this third iteration of the nation of Israel, America has stood by her and supported her. Perhaps they were not always in agreement and did not see eye to eye in a host of matters, but they remained allies.
In these days that many believe are the lead up to the Great Tribulation, it is imperative, according to the Word of God, that America stand with Israel, even as the world turns against her. Note that standing with and supporting do not entail blindly following and being silent should things cross a line. As the old saying goes: Your best friends are the ones who tell you want you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
There is nothing wrong with being a patriot in America and caring deeply about righting the ship at home, because Lord knows the country needs it. But for this to happen, God must be placed first, not America. The blessing over this country through the years is because she was founded on God’s principles and design and honored Him, even while being an imperfect nation.
God was and is the pillar that keeps America held high. To turn against Him, as many in the country have done, and His people, would be a devastating blow to America, should He remove His hand of blessing and protection from the nation.
If somebody wants to put America first, then understand that means putting God first and abiding by His Word, His principles and His design for humanity. {eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
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