All eyes are turned toward Israel, a relatively tiny country whose entire area is only about 20% of the state of Ohio. This country would fit five times inside the borders of Ohio. Geographically speaking, nothing makes this little sliver of land particularly desirable, and yet this tiny region has been the center of conflict for millennia. There is not a lot to attract anyone to that land geologically either. Prime Minister Golda Meir was once quoted as saying, “Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses. He took us forty years into the desert in order to bring us to the one place in the Middle East that has no oil!”
Yet, for some reason, the land of Israel is very special. Many people ask why. Why is this little slice of land so unique? And why do so many enemies seek to destroy this nation?
I am convinced that one of the biggest reasons that Israel is such a very extraordinary place is due to God’s unique relationship with Israel. Israel is the only nation that has God’s promise of endurance. God has not given that promise to any other nation of this world, including America.
And because of God’s promise to Israel, Satan, the enemy of our souls, has set his sights on Israel from the very beginning. For, you see, if Satan can somehow destroy Israel, he can prove that God is incapable of keeping His promises.
Right now, as we watch what is happening in that part of the world, what we are witnessing is a spiritual evil. Just as Satan used men like Pharaoh, Herod, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Hitler to try to annihilate Israel, it is Satan himself who is empowering Hamas and the Iranian rulers to try to wipe Israel from the land. But, my friends, they will not succeed.
Many people have asked me one simple question: What role does Israel play in the end times? There have been a plethora of interviews and books written by Bible preachers and scholars attempting to answer this question once and for all! You can turn on your television at almost any hour of the day or night and find a program that will somehow give you the “final word” on the subject. There are so many “experts” on the subject that you wonder if any of them know what they are talking about.
But it is an important question. It’s a question that Christians should know the answer to because that role is extremely important.
Past, present, and future, the tiny nation of Israel carries immense significance and holds a central position in biblical history and prophecy.
So how can we best support this nation, called and blessed by God?
A mentor of mine, and now a professor of Messianic studies at Talbot Seminary has suggested several ways to accomplish that:
(1) First and foremost, we can pray. We are called by Scripture to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). Pray for her leaders to be safe from their enemies and resolute in defending their nation. We should continue to pray for the people of Israel to experience God’s protection, His provision, and His peace.
(2) Second, we can and should seek practical ways in which we can demonstrate our support for the ones who have been devastated by these atrocities. Our God calls us to “comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
(3) Third, we should do everything within our power and ability to direct and lead those we can to the only One who is able to truly heal the world around us.
Ultimately, you and I need to come to grips with the fact that when Christ is our Lord, we serve only one master. We serve him and not ourselves, whatever the cost to ourselves. We serve him by serving others whether they serve us or not. And we serve out of love for the One who first loved us (Check out 1 John 4:19).
John Piper was right when he said, “Faith in Jesus Christ frees you from the slavery of sin for the sacrifices of love.” The one question that remains then is this: How strong is your “faith in Jesus Christ” today?
God bless…
Chuck Tabor is a regular columnist for this newspaper and a former pastor in the area. He may be reached at [email protected].
