Israel & End-Time Prophecy: A Word of Caution

There's a tendency among Christians of a certain demographic to fall into a state of panic or joyous delirium (or a mixture of the two) every time a major conflict erupts in the Middle East - which, by the way, is all the time - especially one concerning Israel - which, by the way, is all the time. Many believers have a knee-jerk reaction to any developments in this area of the world, citing them as a sign of the beginning of the end-times and the Second Coming of Jesus. 

A word of caution: if you are a Christian, no matter what you believe concerning eschatology, or the role, if any, Israel as a nation will play in the end of days, one thing you must remember: God will never require you to approve of wrongdoing. This includes unprovoked attacks on other countries, the bombing or degrading of civilians and children, or the misuse and exploitation of the faith by political leaders of any country, be they Israeli or American, to justify - and seemingly be drunk on - going to war. 

There are many different views of the end-times within Christianity. Those that involve some role played by, or in, the Biblical holy land must keep in mind that prophecy does not work thusly: Christians have to do something, to take some action - be it politically, militarily or otherwise - to precipitate Jesus' return, or else He won't come back. This is not prophecy, but a strange attempt to force the return of Christ according to our own schedule.

In the meantime, until the heavens roll away like a scroll and Jesus does indeed return, another exhortation to my fellow believers - opposing Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't make you a bad Christian. The meaning of Genesis 12:3 is not "implicitly support the modern-day nation state of Israel." In the days recorded in Scripture, God's prophets fervently rebuked Israel's leaders for their wrongs. Support of a specific political power is not obedience to God: it's an idol. 

You're not disobeying Him by not sharing an I Stand With Israel post.

Until the end does come, focus on showing kindness, mercy, love, and sacrifice to those around you, to show them the love of our Savior.

Thoughts, re: ICE / The Shootings of Alex Pretti & Renee Good

1. If you can be shot dead for lawfully carrying a holstered gun, you do not have "the right to bear arms."

2. Kyle Rittenhouse, a civilian, crossed state lines with a semi-automatic rifle and shot three people during a bout of civil unrest, and was hailed as a hero by the far-right. He even got to meet Donald Trump.

3. If an agency is recruiting on Facebook, using a still of Mel Gibson in "The Patriot" (no, really), and those agents aren't required to have even half the training of actual police, it shouldn't be a surprise when they fire panicky bullets at civilians. (It shouldn't be a surprise, but it should always be an outrage.) "We've lowered our standards." -John Sandweg, former director of ICE 

4. I'm ashamed of myself for not speaking out this vehemently until white people were being killed. I should have wrote or said more when the immigration crackdown eliminated due process, something which in itself is a galling injustice. Rest in peace, Keith Porter, Parady La, Heber Sanchaz Dominguez, Victor Manuel Diaz, Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, and Geraldo Lunas Campos. Come home - to America - soon, Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

5. The fact that there are, at the time of writing, more ICE agents in Minnesota than states that have thousands more undocumented immigrants tells me this was never about protecting people or upholding laws, but about Trump's feud with Governor Tim Walz. Attorney General Pam Bondi's extortionate letter sent to Walz, suggesting federal presence could be decreased if Walz turns over the state's voter database and other information, solidifies this. 

6. Far-right Christian interpretation of Romans 13:1 - "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." - is, "if my guy/party makes a law, you're wrong for opposing it." If the meaning of this verse was "don't question authority even if it imposes unjust laws," it would be a sin for Christians to protest abortion in states where it's legal, and Christians would have no right to lament the imprisonment of our brothers and sisters caught smuggling Bibles into countries where there are laws against it. 

photo by Nicole Neri