The world we live in continues to grow more polarized. People are fiercely divided on more and more political and cultural issues. But the Israel-Hamas War has exposed what, in my opinion, is one of the most frightening divides of all: Those who blindly refuse to condemn Hamas and the genocidal position it takes against the existence of Israel versus those who have condemned Hamas’s savagery and support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.
There are three reasons this divide so frightening.
The Reasons for Concern
FIRST
Many of those who have chosen Hamas’s side and a pro-Palestinian stance are resorting to destructive behavior and horrific violence. They are threatening, beating, and even killing Jewish people (as happened with a Jewish man in LA who died after being struck by a pro-Palestinian protestor). Antisemitism is exploding online, and anti-Jewish vandalism is on the rise. The level of Jew hatred being expressed on college campuses across the US and Western Europe is appalling. The vitriol expressed by those who have torn down Israeli hostage pictures in numerous places worldwide is scary. To stand with Israel today is becoming dangerous in the face of such evil and violence.
SECOND
The divide is clearly on display at the highest levels of world leadership. Recently, the US House of Representatives voted to censure Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on multiple counts of antisemitism. One of those counts had to do with social media posts she wrote in response to the Israel-Hamas War. She claimed that the phrase “from the river to the sea” is “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.” But in reality, it’s well known as a call for a Palestinian state from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, a call for the complete eradication of the Jewish people.
The vote came to 234-188. That means 188 members of the House of Representatives—nearly 90 percent of them Democrats—refused to condemn a US Senator’s call to genocide against Israel.
This happened in the United States of America—a supposed friend of Israel.
Then there’s the G7, made up of top leaders from the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada. One day after the US House vote, the G7 issued a statement that condemned Hamas. But it also pushed back against Israel’s defense of itself by calling for “humanitarian pauses” in the war (read: ceasefires that allow Hamas to regroup). The G7 statement also condemned so-called “extremist violence committed against Palestinians” in the West Bank. This last condemnation is puzzling because the violence in the West Bank has actually been against Jews, not Palestinians.
While the G7 presented a supposedly united front, it’s reported that the discussions during the crafting of the statement were intense. Evidently these top world leaders and diplomats had difficulty agreeing on what the statement should say.
So the divide on Hamas vs. Israel reaches into the highest echelons of the political world.
THIRD
We’re seeing Zechariah 12:2 come to life as never before. There, God prophesied of the day when Jerusalem will become “a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.” That is, Israel will become a stumbling block to the nations. God goes on to warn that “all the nations of the earth will gather” against Jerusalem (verse 4). This refers to when, near the end of the tribulation, the militaries of the entire world will gather against Jerusalem to wipe out the Jewish people.
There’s no doubt that the divide we’re witnessing today is of prophetic significance. Everywhere, masks are falling, and we’re seeing unprecedented levels of hatred toward the Jewish people and Israel.
The world’s momentum toward Zechariah 12:2 is growing. And a bit later in verse 9, God tells us how it’s all going to end: “On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” God Himself will wipe out Israel’s enemies.
At the same time, God will “pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy” (Zechariah 12:10)—and the people of Israel will recognize their Messiah. And, as the apostle Paul says, “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Many Jewish people will come to salvation and receive Christ as their Savior and Lord.
In Genesis 12:3, God warned that every person’s stance with regard to Israel comes with a consequence: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.” To stand with Israel is to be blessed, and to strive against Israel is to be cursed.
The Choice for Christians
In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, people are choosing sides. Scripture makes it clear which side we, as Christians, should take a stand on.
God calls the land that He gave to Israel His land. He calls the descendants of Abraham His people. And it is through Israel that God chose to bring Jesus Christ to the world so that our sins could be forgiven and we could enjoy relationship with Him once again. Israel was a vessel at the very center of God’s plan to make the salvation of sinners possible.
In Leviticus 26:44-45, God gave this prophetic promise about His forever commitment to Israel even when the people rebel against Him and are removed from their land:
When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.
The covenant God made to Israel’s forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—will never be broken. God will not spurn His people. He will stand with them forever.
And so should we.
Steve Miller is the author of Foreshadows: 12 Megaclues That Christ’s Return Is Nearer Than Ever, and One Day Nearer: Daily Devotions in Anticipation of Jesus’ Return. He also hosts the Foreshadows Report podcast, and posts daily updates on Bible prophecy on Telegram Messenger Channel.