We hope you will forgive the urgency we feel this week to deviate from our normal blog emphasis on our identity and destiny in Christ and post instead an article in solidarity with Israel. We are not Jewish by any stretch, but the Jews are the people of God. We stand with Israel.

There’s a false teaching going around called “Replacement Theology” that says the Church has replaced Israel. This teaching says Israel blew it one too many times and now God’s people are the Christian Church. That does not mesh with what I know to be the character of God who is always into, and actively pursuing, restoration.

It also does not mesh with Bible. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 11:1, speaking of Israel, “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!”

He says again in Romans 11:25, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in.” Did you hear that? We as Gentiles owe our salvation to Israel’s temporary hardening. That really humbles me.

There are many, many more passages I could quote, but I think this one is the most timely: “Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.” (Numbers 24:9) That’s pretty self-explanatory. Israel is the apple of God’s eye, and we’d do well to not mess with her.

Yet there are 72 nations meeting in Paris to divide Israel in a so-called “two state solution.” I don’t have space to go into all the details, explanations, and the history here, and I suspect this audience knows it all pretty well.

I firmly believe we as Christians must oppose this. Again – Bible – God gave the land to Israel forever (Isaiah 60:21 and many other passages).

God will protect Israel. What these 72 nations are really doing is cursing themselves. 72 nations is a lot of the world! A whole chunk of the world could get cursed here in one fell swoop.

Maybe I’m not deviating all that much from our usual topic of identity and destiny. There is (in my humble opinion) a very strong argument that the reason the United States exists is to stand with Israel. If we as Americans turn our back on Israel, America would no longer have a reason to exist in the world.

Will you join Janet and me in praying for Israel, the peace of Jerusalem, and that this meeting in Paris comes to nothing? Share with us in the comments your thoughts and prayers for Israel, and please share this on social media. Let’s have a prayer in the comments this week.