Imperishable Inheritance

I feel it is important to explain why so many conservative, evangelical Christians are furthering the support of the national state of Israel. Since 1949, the U.S. has provided $84,854,827,200 of support to national Israel. Why is the movement to support the national state of Israel so vehemently supported by evangelicals?

"The close tie between evangelicals and Israel is important: It has shaped popular opinion in America and, to some extent, U.S. foreign policy. To understand how it developed, one must know something about how many evangelicals interpret Bible prophecy..." {Source}

Since the 1800's, there has been a rising theology called Dispensationalism. John Nelson Darby, a member of the Plymouth Brethren, started to read his Bible in a unique manner. He decided that his hermeneutic (science/mode of interpretation) would be as literal as possible. This led to some rather aberrant theological teachings.

John started the thought that God's plan for the Israel of the Old Testament (that is people who were "saved" by God) was different than that of the New Testament "Church" (believers in Christ). He was led to the conclusion that God had yet to fulfill His promise to Abraham to give Israel land (Genesis 15:7), and this must therefore mean that it is yet to come.

The Jews of Jesus' time rejected Him, because their understanding of the Messiah was that He would be a conqueror and would restore Israel to its state of world-wide preeminence (as was during the rule of David). When Jesus came as a suffering servant (Isaiah 53), they didn't understand that God's plan was for atonement (washing of sin) through the Messiah and not just for Jews. Paul in the New Testament called the time we're in now a "mystery" (Ephesians 1:9; Colossians 1:27). It was perplexing to the Jews of that time that God wanted Gentiles (those not of Jewish descent) to be in covenant with God.

John Nelson Darby, and his followers, to this day espouse a misunderstanding of how and why the term "Israel" is used in the Bible. John and his followers proclaim, to this day, that the Old Testament Saints will receive the land promises during the millennial reign of Christ. In Revelation 20, which is eschatological (end times) in nature, a thousand year reign is talked about (Revelation 20:2-8); and this is where Dispensationalists say that the Jews will receive the land promise given to Abraham. They proclaim that Jesus will literally rule on the throne of David in literal, geographical Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Due to the rising influence of Dispensationlism in evangelical theology, many Christians today push the support of national Israel by the U.S.

"While only 36 percent of all Americans believe that the Bible is God's Word and should be taken literally, 59 percent say they believe that events predicted in the Book of Revelation will come to pass [...] Even more significant for this study, over one-third of those Americans who support Israel report that they do so because they believe the Bible teaches that the Jews must possess their own country in the Holy Land before Jesus can return." {Source}

What is really bad about this whole situation is that it is in theological error. Paul dealt with this question, and he was persuaded to believe that: "not all Israel who are descended from Israel" (Romans 9:6). Early in that very book, he proclaims that a true Jew: "is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God" (Romans 2:29). In other words, the total meaning of "Israel" and to be a "Jew" (in covenant with God) had a spiritual and not physical meaning.

I could go on in length about the political and theological implications of this theological system, but I wanted to give an oversight as to how and why so many evangelical Christians push the support of national Israel. They, in effect, believe they are ushering in the end; but what is really interesting is that Jesus said when the end would come. No, it's not when Mary is burnt into the side of a piece of toast or Jesus' face shows up in a cloud; but Jesus Himself said: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). In other words, only when the news of Christ reaches all the ethnic groups, then the end will come. It's about time most of these evangelical Christians get their priorities back in line.

For more insight, I suggest the article "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" by Timothy Weber.