Hey friends! If you just followed our 2023 Israel tour rewind, I hope you were blessed by it, and that it somehow drew you into deeper appreciation of the Jewish roots of our Christian faith. Jesus our Savior was Jewish, as were the disciples and the Bible writers. We owe our faith to the Jewish people, and we also owe them our whole-hearted support!

To be clear, we don’t support Israel because they are perfect. We support Israel because it is God’s command for us to bless them. During our virtual tour, not a day passed that I didn’t think of Israel’s current situation, and the tragedy at the hands of Iranian-backed terrorists whose very purpose is to destroy them. Nor did a day go by that I didn’t consider God’s ultimate plan, laid out in Scripture, for Israel and the nations.

God has uniquely called Israel to be a light unto the nations, and over the next few days, we will put things in perspective. Against the backdrop of what Israel faces, we will consider what God’s Word has to say about His plan for Israel. As followers of Jesus, it is imperative that we rightly understand what is happening Biblically, and that we discern between reality and propaganda. Let’s start by considering what mainstream media is telling us about Gaza.

News is filled with less-than-truthful reports about food shortages and humanitarian crisis there. The world, including America, is now rallying around the “cause” of the Palestinians. Make no mistake, I am very saddened by the condition of innocent lives in Gaza, held captive as human shields for Hamas. It is definitely a sad reality for a segment of the population who simply wants to live their lives in something less than chaos.

However, three points need to be clear:

1. Gazan citizens overwhelmingly support Hamas. Over 80% are supportive of what Hamas did on October 7. Almost all Palestinian homes in Gaza contain anti-Israel/anti-Semitic propaganda such as school curricula or even children’s books and toys. Hatred of Israel is baked into most Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip.
2. There is significant evidence that the “food crisis” in Gaza being portrayed by the media is not exactly accurate. I have seen untold video reports of food stands, etc in Gaza. There are also more humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza than during peace time. The problem is that Hamas is stealing the food (here is some evidence), while also sticking the “impoverished” people on TV and in the media to convince the world they are in dire need. Of course, there is a segment of the population that desperately needs help…but it is small and they are being used by Hamas for propaganda.
3. Let’s not forget how this war started. It was a bright, peaceful October morning that was shattered by the evil of Hamas as they raided homes, repeatedly raped young women, burned babies alive and mutilated Jews by the hundreds. The current cries for cease-fire are hypocritical. There was no war on October 6. There was cease-fire! It was Hamas, not Israel, who started the war, and it was Hamas, not Israel whose atrocities brought on Israel’s response.

Christians, we must not forget, and we must speak out against the actions of the current US administration. Apparently, they think it is their job to order Israel around and undermine every Israeli effort to rid itself of Hamas’ terror, bring the hostages (some American) home, and create a safe place for their families to live. Those are the goals of the democratically elected Israeli government, and the US has absolutely no business dictating to Israel what they should or should not do, as long as they are within international law.

Very few articulate Israel’s position better than Lt Col (ret) Jonathan Conricus. For many years, Conricus was the official IDF spokesperson, and he never pulls punches when it comes to Israel standing her ground. Today, retired from the IDF, he continues to speak truth about the situation in Israel. For a fantastic, well-articulated commentary on Israel’s current state, I recommend the following interview. It is a reminder that we must never forget what occurred October 7, and we must never back down in our support of Israel!