When the October 7 2023 events between Israel, Hamas, and Gaza began to dominate the media, I asked God how I should respond.

As I prayed, a passage from Joshua came to mind—where Joshua asked the angel, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?” and the angel replied, “Neither, I am commander of the army of the Lord.” (Joshua 5:13–14).

What I sensed in that moment was a reminder not to be too quick to take sides, but to keep my eyes on God’s bigger perspective.

So I did.

More recently, an opportunity to visit Israel opened up. As I prayed, I sensed peace about saying yes. I’m also someone who likes to see and experience things firsthand, not just rely on what I’ve been told.

Naturally, that stirred my curiosity to understand more about Israel—its biblical role, its modern reality, and why it creates so much tension in Christian circles today.

If I’m being honest, most of my understanding of Israel hasn’t come from study or direct learning, but from what I absorbed through church, tradition, and the theology I was handed.

And as I’ve learned through my journey, not everything I was handed was truth. That makes me slower to just run with it and more careful to invite Jesus to lead me into truth—on this topic, and on every topic.

That’s really where this Christ-centered blog series began: letting Jesus build my theology, instead of tradition, and not trying to make Him fit into mine.

Jesus Himself warned that one of the greatest hindrances to the power of God is our traditions (Mark 7:13).

So before you read further, I want to offer a pre-filter challenge: if something here makes you feel uneasy, don’t throw it out too quickly. You may not be throwing out error—you might be throwing out truth.

Instead, pause and humbly ask Jesus, “Is this uncomfortable because it’s wrong, or because it collides with a stronghold or tradition in me?”

This journey led me to write this blog.

I’m sharing what I’ve been learning: the tensions I see among believers, and the clarity I believe is needed right now.

I don’t present this as an expert, but simply as a follower of Jesus who is learning to listen and walk with Him. My only desire is to know Him more and to follow His lead as best I can.

From that place, I share these thoughts humbly—hoping they give you the same clarity, peace, and deeper love for Jesus that they’ve been giving me.

Note: This blog isn’t about the current conflict between Israel, Hamas, and Gaza. It’s simply part of my own process of navigating all the noise, and an attempt to bring clarity to how we think and talk about Israel in any context.

Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is “the exact representation of God’s being.” That means every promise, covenant, or identity marker in Scripture must now be understood through Him.

Jesus is the faithful Israelite, the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), the true vine (John 15:1).

If our theology of Israel doesn’t look like Jesus—self-giving, merciful, breaking down walls of division—then it doesn’t reflect the Father.

1. Old Testament Israel: A Chosen Channel

God chose Israel (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) not because they were special, but to serve the nations (Deuteronomy 7:7–8, Isaiah 49:6). They were meant to be a light pointing forward to Messiah.

But chosenness was never about superiority—it was about service.

2. Jesus as True Israel: The Fulfillment

Where Israel stumbled, Jesus stood faithful. He is the obedient Son called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15). In Him, the promises to Abraham find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Israel’s identity narrows down to One: Jesus Himself. He embodies the covenant perfectly and becomes the cornerstone of a new humanity.

3. New Testament Israel: Expanded Family

Through Jesus, Gentiles are grafted into the covenant tree (Romans 11). Paul says plainly: “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6).

Now, the true people of God are those who belong to Christ—Jew and Gentile together, reconciled into “one new man” (Ephesians 2:14–16).

This isn’t replacement. It’s fulfillment.

To make this plain, there are five different ways the word “Israel” is used today:

• Biblical Israel – the covenant people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament.

• Ethnic Israel – the Jewish people as an ethnic group, still scattered across the world today (Romans 11:28–29).

• Jesus as True Israel – the faithful Israelite who fulfilled the covenant, the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16).

• Spiritual Israel – the new family of God in Christ, Jew and Gentile together (Romans 9:6, Ephesians 2:14–16).

• Political Israel – the modern nation-state founded in 1948, with borders, laws, and leaders like any other government.

It is crucial to distinguish these five, because if we blur them together, we risk confusing politics with prophecy, ethnicity with covenant, and nationalism with the Kingdom of God.

The Dangers of Blurring Them

• Confusing Biblical Israel with Political Israel – leads Christians to treat a modern government as if it carries the same covenant authority as Abraham’s descendants. This is the first confusion I believe many Christians unknowingly carry today.

• Confusing Jesus as True Israel with Political Israel – tempts us to believe salvation is tied to supporting a nation rather than trusting Christ.

• Confusing Spiritual Israel with Ethnic Israel – creates division, superiority, or even antisemitism by either excluding Jews or idolizing them.

• Confusing Political Israel with God’s Kingdom – risks elevating nationalism above the cross and justifying injustice in God’s name. This is the second confusion I believe many Christians unknowingly carry today.

• Confusing Ethnic Israel with Political Israel – leads Christians to assume that every action of Political Israel represents all Jewish people worldwide.

If we don’t separate these clearly, we end up defending things Jesus never defended, and missing the Kingdom He actually established.

The trap is when Christians conflate these categories and treat the modern political state as if it were the Kingdom of God itself.

For some, it’s driven by end-times teaching that casts the modern state as the center of prophecy.

For others, it’s a genuine desire to honor Jewish people and oppose antisemitism (a right and Christlike instinct).

For many, it’s guilt or fear: if Genesis 12:3 says, “I will bless those who bless you,” then blessing Israel must mean unquestioning political loyalty.

But in the New Testament, Paul reinterprets Abraham’s “seed” as Christ (Galatians 3:16). The blessing of Abraham now flows to all nations through Jesus.

To bless Abraham’s seed is to honor Christ and His body—not to baptize every decision of a political government.

• Idolatry of nation: Elevating a flag above the cross.

• Misdirected loyalty: Giving allegiance to politics over Jesus.

• Blindness to justice: Ignoring the suffering of others in the land (including Palestinian Christians) because “Israel can do no wrong.”

• Division in the Body: Splitting the church along nationalistic lines instead of uniting in Christ.

Example:

Imagine a believer who equates supporting political Israel with obeying God. Out of fear of “not blessing Israel,” they ignore or even justify injustice, violence, or oppression happening on the ground.

This can lead to:

• Silencing compassion toward Palestinians (even fellow Christians).

• Treating politics as sacred, which hardens hearts instead of softening them.

• Damaging the witness of the church, as outsiders see Christians defending governments more fiercely than they defend the oppressed.

Jesus warned us that His Kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36). To confuse the two is to build on sand.

For many believers, the idea that we must support political Israel without question runs deep. Letting go of that belief can feel like betraying Scripture, dishonoring the Jewish people, or even inviting God’s curse.

But much of that comes from failing to distinguish the five different terms for "Israel" above, tradition, fear, and misunderstanding—not from the gospel of Jesus.

Here are some of the main reasons this belief is so hard to reconsider, and how Jesus reframes each one:

1. Inherited Teaching and Tradition

Decades of church teaching, prophecy conferences, and books have drilled in the idea that Israel is God’s prophetic clock.

• Why it’s hard to let go: Questioning Israel feels like questioning Scripture itself.

• Reframe: Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises. The true “seed of Abraham” is Christ (Galatians 3:16). Supporting Him and His body is what honors the covenant.

2. Fear of Being Cursed

Genesis 12:3 has been quoted so often that many subconsciously fear: “If I don’t support Israel, I’ll lose God’s blessing.”

• Why it’s hard to let go: Fear grips people more strongly than love.

• Reframe: Christ became the curse for us (Galatians 3:13). We are blessed in Him, not by political allegiance.

3. Guilt and Gratitude Toward the Jewish People

Christians know salvation came “from the Jews” (John 4:22). Jesus Himself was Jewish. Gratitude is natural.

• Why it’s hard to let go: Supporting Israel feels like “repaying the debt.”

• Reframe: The greatest way to honor Jewish people is to love them in Christ—not to idolize a modern government.

4. Confusing Ethnic Israel With Political Israel

Many equate the Jewish people (ethnic Israel) with the government of Israel (political Israel).

• Why it’s hard to let go: To critique the government feels like rejecting the people.

• Reframe: God’s love for Jews is eternal, but His Kingdom is not built on modern politics.

5. Prophecy Obsession and End-Times Identity

For some, their entire eschatology hinges on Israel’s role. If that shifts, their whole worldview wobbles.

• Why it’s hard to let go: It feels like losing their roadmap of the future.

• Reframe: Jesus—not Israel—is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13). The gospel to the nations (Matthew 24:14), not wars in the Middle East, is the true prophetic sign.

6. Tribalism and Political Identity

In the West, especially America, “standing with Israel” has become part of cultural and political identity.

• Why it’s hard to let go: Fear of being labeled unfaithful or heretical.

• Reframe: Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Allegiance to Jesus must rise above nationalism or political camps.

7. Comfort in Certainty

It’s simpler to believe: “Israel is always right, so I’m safe if I support them.”

• Why it’s hard to let go: Ambiguity feels unsafe; formulas feel secure.

• Reframe: True safety is found in Christ, not in formulas. He often calls us out of easy answers into deeper trust.

Christians cling to unquestioning support of Israel because of fear, tradition, and identity—but Jesus calls us to let go of fear and follow truth.

Think of Israel as the wrapping paper on the greatest gift.

The wrapping was important because it carried the gift safely. But once the gift is opened, the treasure is Christ Himself.

Idolizing the wrapping while ignoring the gift misses the whole point.

Objection 1: “But God said He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them.” (Genesis 12:3)

God’s promise to Abraham is foundational. But Paul clarifies in Galatians 3:16: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed… meaning one person, who is Christ.”

The blessing of Abraham flows to all nations through Jesus.

To bless Abraham’s seed today is to honor Christ and His people—not to give blind loyalty to a modern government.

Objection 2: “The land belongs to Israel forever.” (Genesis 17:8)

The land promise was real, but it was never the ultimate goal. Joshua 21:43–45 says God already fulfilled His land promises.

Hebrews 11 shows Abraham wasn’t ultimately looking for Canaan, but for “a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

The physical land remains important, both historically and for the Jewish people today. But in Christ, we see that it was always meant to point beyond itself. The true “promised land” is the new creation, where heaven and earth are made one.

This doesn’t belittle the significance of Israel’s land today—it simply reminds us that the Kingdom of God cannot be reduced to geography or politics.

Objection 3: “Romans 11 says all Israel will be saved—doesn’t that mean the nation of Israel is still God’s chosen?”

Romans 11 affirms God’s covenant faithfulness. Paul says the Jewish people remain “beloved” because of the patriarchs (Romans 11:28–29).

But “all Israel” doesn’t mean automatic salvation of political Israel—it points to a future mercy where many Jews recognize Jesus as Messiah.

God has not rejected Israel. But salvation—whether Jew or Gentile—comes only through Christ (Acts 4:12).

Objection 4: “Criticizing Israel makes you antisemitic.”

Antisemitism is evil and must be rejected. But criticizing a government’s policies is not the same as hating Jewish people.

The prophets often rebuked Israel’s leaders, and Jesus Himself pronounced “woes” on the religious establishment of Israel (Matthew 23).

Love for Jewish people means pointing them (and everyone else) to Jesus. Idolatry is pretending a nation’s politics are equal to God’s kingdom.

Objection 5: “But isn’t Israel the center of end-times prophecy?”

Many modern teachings focus on Israel’s rebirth as the central prophetic sign. But Jesus shifted the center. He wept over Jerusalem and warned of its destruction (Luke 19:41–44).

In Matthew 24, He makes Himself—not geography—the focal point of history.

Paul and John echo this: the true Jerusalem is “above” (Galatians 4:26) and the final vision is the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2).

The true sign of the end is not Middle Eastern wars, but the gospel being preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14).

Objection 6: “Doesn’t replacing Israel with the church erase God’s covenant faithfulness?”

This isn’t replacement—it’s fulfillment. Jesus didn’t cancel Israel’s story; He completed it. Gentiles are grafted into the covenant tree (Romans 11), not grafted over it.

God’s love for the Jewish people remains real and irrevocable.

The true danger isn’t erasing Israel, but idolizing it apart from Christ.

Objection 7: “If we don’t stand with Israel, won’t we come under God’s judgment as a nation?”

God doesn’t bless or curse modern nations based on foreign policy. He judges nations on justice, mercy, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:23–24; Amos 5:24).

The true dividing line is Jesus.

A nation is not blessed because it supports political Israel—it is blessed when it walks in righteousness, which is only found in Christ.

1. Keep Jesus at the Center

Make sure your conversations, prayers, and perspectives about Israel always flow through Christ. Remember, He is the true Israel, and all God’s promises find their “Yes” in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Practical step: When someone raises the topic of Israel, pause and ask yourself, “How does this look when filtered through Jesus?”

2. Pray Without Taking Sides

Instead of choosing political camps, pray for all people in the region—Jews, Palestinians, Arabs, and Christians alike. Ask for peace, justice, and for many to encounter Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Practical step: Set aside one day a week to pray specifically for the Middle East—prayers not of partisanship, but of Kingdom intercession.

3. Love Jewish and Arab Neighbors Alike

Antisemitism is evil. So is anti-Arab hatred. As followers of Jesus, our call is to love without bias. Ethnicity and politics never determine someone’s worth in Christ.

Practical step: If you meet someone Jewish or Arab in your community, look for ways to show genuine kindness and interest in their story. Let love—not politics—be your starting point.

4. Detach From Fear-Driven Prophecy Obsession

Jesus never told His disciples to obsess over dates, wars, or speculation. He told them to stay awake, keep oil in their lamps, and make disciples.

Practical step: If you notice fear or hype rising as you consume “end-times” content, step back. Refocus on abiding in Jesus and sharing His love.

5. Anchor Your Hope in the New Jerusalem

Don’t set your ultimate hope on earthly nations. Revelation ends with the New Jerusalem, a city where God dwells with His people from every tribe and tongue. That’s where our hearts belong.

Practical step: Reflect on Revelation 21 in prayer this week. Ask God to re-anchor your hope in His eternal Kingdom rather than earthly politics.

In short: Keep your eyes on Jesus. Pray for peace. Love without bias. Don’t get swept up in hype. And anchor your hope in the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

If what you’ve read here unsettles you, don’t dismiss it too quickly. Sometimes discomfort is the Spirit exposing a stronghold or tradition we’ve carried. Other times, it’s simply a check that keeps us anchored in truth.

The safest thing you can do is bring it to Jesus and ask Him, “Is this unease because it’s wrong, or because You’re inviting me into deeper freedom?”

Even after writing and reflecting on all this, I don’t pretend to have a fixed position on the current situation with Israel, Hamas, and Gaza.

The only thing I can say with certainty is this: every death, every famine, every act of injustice, killing, or evil grieves the heart of the Father. None of it is His will. Reconciliation, safety, and justice matters in every nation.

And if I’m honest, it’s hard to navigate the noise, the propaganda, and even the likely deceit woven into media and social media.

That’s exactly why we need Jesus to be our lens, our focus, and our truth. Only when our eyes are on Him can we walk through the chaos with clarity and peace.

The confusion unravels when we keep our eyes on Him. For in Christ, there is no Jew or Gentile, no insider or outsider—only one new humanity reconciled to God.

That is the Israel that lasts forever.

Again: This blog isn’t about the current conflict between Israel, Hamas, and Gaza. It’s simply part of my own process of navigating all the noise, and an attempt to bring clarity to how we think and talk about Israel in any context.

1. Where have I unknowingly confused political loyalty with spiritual faithfulness—and how might Jesus be inviting me to shift my focus back to His Kingdom?

2. Do I tend to see God’s “chosenness” as a mark of superiority, or as a call to humble service in Christ?

3. How does viewing Jesus as the true Israel reshape the way I think about nations, prophecy, and my own identity as a child of God?

Bless you,

Lee