Study – Grow – Know

Violence in Israel…Against Christians

November 16, 2010 at 8:52 PM 1 comment

There is a good deal of violence in the Middle East that the world is aware of and it normally involves violence between Israelites and Palestinians.  It is commonly accepted as a normal part of life in that part of the world.  At times, it gets heated, while at other times, it calms down for a time.

What the world does not normally hear about is the violence that occurs from Israelites to Christians.  Most individual Jews in Israel are reformed, or merely political Jews.  Since they are not orthodox Jews, they don’t really care that much about the presence of Christians, as they do not see them as a threat to Israel, even though Christian evangelism is against the law in Israel.  Some orthodox Jews however, are often antagonistic toward Christians because of course, Christians are there to convert people from Judaism to Christianity.

This type of presence and mission does not set well with orthodox Jews and those who are ultra-orthodox often tend to do more than simply protest the presence of Christians.  There are Christian organizations that are not present in Israel to convert anyone.  They believe their mission is to simply befriend and support Jews and Israel.

However, in my view, the best way to support anyone is to inform them of their need for Jesus as Savior.  He is the only One who offers salvation.  No other religion or Founder of any religion has done what Jesus has done, and offers to the lost true redemption, free of charge.

There are many people throughout this world who reject this salvation on a daily basis.  People who die in their sin will have rejected salvation from Jesus a multitude of times throughout their lives, before they breathe their last breath.

The violence that some orthodox Jews rain down on Christians is not only unconscionable, but hardly any different from the very same thing that radical Muslims do in the name of Allah, and because of Shariah Law.  Orthodox Jews like this are living in the Old Testament times, where picking up stones and killing others for what was considered blasphemy then was a normal part of life for Israel.

That’s the problem with modern-day ultra orthodox Jews because this type of punitive reaction toward others was done under the auspices of Mosaic Law and it was done within the confines of the nation of Israel.  The laws that God gave to Moses, to give to the Israelites, was for the nation of Israel.  It was to guide, guard and protect the people of Israel.

While God wanted the land purged of the nations in Canaan, Israel was not given Mosaic Laws to inflict their judgment on other nations or people who were not part of the nation of Israel.  Christians who live or work in Israel today and who have involved themselves in the Great Commission will find themselves coming under the same condemnation that Paul and others from the book of Acts did, by ultra-orthodox Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  There is one huge difference in most cases.  If Gentile Christians are in Israel and evangelizing the lost Jew, while there might be laws in Israel against that, this does not allow Jews (or anyone) to pick up stones and hurl them at these Christians.

While Jews may believe that they have a right to take this form of action because these people are on Israeli soil (and they may be reacting against Jewish Christians), the reality is that they have no right as far as human decency is concerned.

Like radical Muslims, these orthodox Jews who participate in this type of physical persecution do so by hiding behind the Old Testament that they do not even understand the prophecies, nor do they understand that the Mosaic Law was meant for them, not other nations or other people, unless they became part of Israel by becoming a proselyte.

There are plenty of Jews for Jesus in Israel who are there to evangelize the lost.  The lost in this case, are the Jews of Israel who have not nor will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, Messiah, Savior, and God.  Orthodox Jews believe that since the Jews for Jesus are on Israeli land, all is fair, which includes beating them, throwing rocks at them, cursing at them, and essentially doing what they can to scare these Jews for Jesus off the path.

Recently, David Brickner at the Bible Prophecy Blog relayed an incident that took place with a number of Jews for Jesus.  One Messianic Jew in particular – Vlad – was attacked and beaten into unconsciousness by a few orthodox Jews who resented their presence and their attempts to convert Jews to Christianity.  The reaction of the orthodox Jews sent Vlad to the hospital with a broken nose, loss of blood and a slight concussion.  According to the report, the Jews jogged away laughing after the incident.

What orthodox Jews like this do not realize of course – aside from the fact that they are lost – is that they have no claim to the land of Israel apart from the fact that God has given it to them.  What is absolutely clear from a multitude of passages throughout the Old Testament alone is that what God does through Israel is for the sake of His Name and He will purge the rebels from the land.  He does not do what He does because He thinks Jews are better than Gentiles.  They are not better.

God chose to create the nation of Israel and the Jews for a variety of purposes.  First, and most importantly, He created the nation so that the Messiah would be born through them and salvation would be offered to the world.  He also created the nation of Israel to be a light to the world.  They were supposed to show the world what living a righteous life looked like.  This in turn would attract other people from other nations who would also want to live righteously (as Abraham, Noah, and many others lived).

We all know that repeatedly, Israel failed to live as they were designed to live.  They constantly fell down on the job and in so doing, brought God’s Name down with them.

There is a lot of discussion today about whether or not God is finished with Israel and if all the remaining promises to Israel have been transferred to the Church.  The short answer is no.  God has a purpose left for Israel and it can be summed up in one thought revealed to us through the prophet Ezekiel:

“So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel,” (Ezekiel 39:7)

Throughout the book of Ezekiel, God makes statements like this.  It should be clear from passages like this that God’s ultimate purpose is not in saving Israel.  It is not even in the act of salvation.  It is restoring honor back to His Name.

There will come a day when everything will give glory and honor to God, glory and honor that He rightfully deserves.  There is nothing more important in life than doing that which honors God.  Salvation honors Him.  Sin will ultimately honor Him because it provides the greatest contrast between God and evil.  Everything will honor Him and He has chosen Israel as a vehicle through which He will bring a great deal of honor to Himself.

Theologians argue about whether or not, or why God would continue to use Israel for anything, and why Christians could support Israel at all because of their rejection of Jesus, the Messiah.  Here is what they are missing:  I do not support Israel because of the Jews who live there.  I support Israel because God owns that Land and because Jerusalem is the center of this world, as far as God is concerned (read through Ezekiel and you’ll hopefully get the picture).

I also support Israel because God tells me to support her.  That may seem contradictory, but the reality is simple.  If God has chosen to return honor to His Name (that Israel took away, as far as the world is concerned), then it stands to reason that He would use this same nation (not the substituted Church) to accomplish that task.  In doing so, He will do two things at the same time:  1) show Israel where they went wrong, and 2) show the world where they went wrong.

God is not concerned with Israel because they are Jews.  He is concerned with Israel because of His Name, His honor, and His reputation.  The many Jews who live in Israel who do not know Jesus are no better off than the Palestinians, or any other individual who is lost.

The tragedy of violence-prone Israel is that they are violent toward the only people who have and can offer the truth.  For generations, Christians have supported Israel, but unfortunately, we have not done a good job of explaining why we support Israel.  It is not for the Jew that we support Israel.  It is for God and Him alone.

May He be glorified in all things and may He protect those who are on the front lines of the battle in bringing Jesus to a lost and rebellious people.

Entry filed under: 9/11, alienology, Atheism and religion, Demonic, dispensationalism, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Islam, israel, Judaism, Life in America, new age movement, Posttribulational Rapture, Pretribulational Rapture, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism, Sharia Law, temple mount, ufology. Tags: Jews for Jesus beaten by orthodox jews in Israel, jews persecuting christians.