Some of my pastoral friends recently put up a sign against boycotting Israel at a Christian resources exhibition in Britain, and unfortunately, they suffered animosity from antisemitic clergymen passing by their booth. The last thing Christians should be is antisemitic!  God’s Word and name are at stake in the restoration of the Jewish people.

To Christians, I pose an important question: of what significance is the fact that once again the world has a Jewish state?

Unfortunately, some stubborn churchmen hold an erroneous position called “Replacement Theology,” or Supersessionism, claiming that God has somehow replaced his covenant people Israel with the Church — despite the fact that the true Church of genuine believers sprung from Israel’s roots!

Many misguided “replacement” theologians ignorantly and dangerously engage in antisemitism claiming that God wrote off Israel a long time ago. But they are mistaken, and they must not be our spiritual mentors!

Anti-Israel clergy reveal their appalling ignorance of the Word of God and the prophetic days in which we are living, and they also reveal their ignorance of the character of Israel’s covenant-keeping God. Since 1948 when Israel was reborn in a day, fulfilling Isaiah 66: 8, the God of Israel has given notice— the Church Age is winding up. Unfortunately, not every clergyman has read the memo in the Bible! 

A century ago and especially during the Holocaust, the rebirth of Israel seemed impossible, but current events have a way of catching up with biblical prophecy. Israel as an established fact inspires honest eschatologists to readjust their Bible prophecy charts. Now all sorts of current events are catching up with prophecies made long ago in the Bible.

Whether or not it is politically correct, the truth is —God has committed himself for the long haul to the Jewish people and to the reconstituted nation of Israel. He hasn’t abandoned Israel; the nation of Israel is not an anomaly on the political landscape, but a fulfillment of the Bible’s prophecy! 

In fact, God states in his Word that he favors the return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land in the Last Days.

Although God cares about justice and the fate of all people, including my Palestinian friends, at the same time he expects the Arab world to make room for the return of the Jews as prophesied. The Law of Return is an undeniable precept in the Torah (Deuteronomy 30: 5). Leviticus 26:44 records a promise that the Jewish people carried into exile. God said even when they are existing in the land of their enemies, he will not cast them away, nor break his covenant with them— “for I am the LORD their God.” Additionally, other verses state that the Almighty will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name. For example, Ezekiel 36:22 declares, “It’s not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I will bring you back, but it will be for the sake of my holy name.”

Sooner rather than later, I hope the Church will catch up for lost time and learn to comprehend God’s undying commitment to the destiny of the Jewish people. It is my prayer that God will replace Replacement Theology in the Church with the truth of the full counsel of his Word. It is also my prayer that God will remove false shepherds and replace the replacement theologians with true men and women of God who will cooperate with his Biblical agenda!

God’s reputation as Sovereign of the universe is at stake in the restoration of the Jews. In fact, the God of Israel has bound himself to an Abrahamic covenant in the Torah, and he has never stopped being the God of Israel. He is the same; he does not change: “Therefore you, sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3: 6)

Furthermore, Psalm 94 declares the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.

Despite these sure promises, for centuries antisemitism was founded on the erroneous assumption that God had abandoned his people and that they had forfeited everything. But the Almighty specifically stated that despite exile and punishment, he will never break his covenant with the Jewish people. God anticipated and addressed this issue through his prophets:

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul affirmed, echoed and underscored the Hebrew prophets in Romans chapter 11, where he asked a vitally important rhetorical question: “Has God cast away his people?” Paul’s answer was, “God forbid!” literally meaning “no, no not ever!” Scholars say this is the strongest negative possible—meaning “No, it cannot be— such can never happen!”

So, this generation of believers must get it right about Israel and be comfortable with the fact that the Church Age is theologically parenthetical and was never meant to last indefinitely. Evangelicals believe in the end of the Church Age prior to Jesus’ return and his Millennial rule from Jerusalem on the throne of David. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s rising again is taught in Luke 2: 24! Also in Luke 21, Jesus taught, and in Romans 11 Paul taught, when the fullness of the Gentiles is completed within the Church, then the Church Age will be finished, and afterward Israel’s Geula (redemption) glory days will begin.

This has happened right before the eyes of the Church! Therefore Israel’s ascendency is extremely serious and timely for the Church to understand.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Christine Darg is a founder and presenter at the Jerusalem Channel. She can be contacted at JerusalemChannel.TV