When President Donald Trump arrived in Jerusalem for Israel’s 50th anniversary, Friends of Zion had billboards erected around the city declaring, “Trump, Make Israel Great” and “Trump is a Friend of Zion.” Little did anyone realize how much this president would do for Israel. Not only did he recognize Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, but he also shut down the PLO office in Washington, stopped the funding of the PA through the Taylor Force Act, and closed the consul in Jerusalem. He has now removed the anti-Israel declaration calling Judea and Samaria Bible lands “settlements,” with the announcement from the U.S. State Department that it will no longer use the term “settlements” to describe Judea and Samaria, a term employed by the UN.
Most Christians or Jews in America grew up reading the Bible that recounted the history of Judea and Samaria. They read of Hebron (Kiriath Arba) where Abraham purchased land in which to bury his wife Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Rebekah and Leah, were also buried there. It was David’s first capital where he was also anointed as king.
Bethel is a place name often found in the Bible. It was the site where Jacob dreamed of seeing angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. It is in the heart of what is called the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria.
Why is this a big deal? Because it has, for thousands of years, been Bible land. It was never illegal. The promises read by Christians and Jews were that God gave it to Israel and called it an “eternal covenant.” Regrettably, Jew-haters are able to use the land to mobilize support in their favor, resulting in the loss of life for thousands of Jewish people for no reason other than they were Jews and wanted to live in the Bible land. The United Nations refers to this as “occupied territory” and demands that Israel relinquishes it.
Among the most powerful groups in the United States are the pro-Israel Evangelicals and the Orthodox Jewish community, which consider these Bible lands, not “settlements.” They also believe the promise to Abraham from Genesis 12:3: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Harry S. Truman is in history books for one reason above all; he recognized the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948. Donald Trump continues to make history. For both Orthodox Jews and evangelical Christians, Trump is fulfilling prophecy and paving the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Bible-believing evangelicals consider the support of Israel a biblical mandate. Regardless of contrary opinion, we do not believe Israel has to offer an excuse for its existence. Israel lives today as a right! A right that has been hallowed by the Bible, by history, by sacrifice, by prayer, and by the yearning for peace!
“I will restore the captivity of my people, Israel…I will plant them in their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land, which I have given them, says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:14-15).
We believe one of the reasons America has been blessed over the years is because we have stood with Israel. This promise is taken from Genesis 12:3: ‘I will bless them that bless thee.’ And so, for biblical reasons, first and foremost, we support the State of Israel. For humanitarian reasons, we support the Jewish people. For historical reasons, we believe that the Bible land belongs to the Jewish people.
Israel and the United States are not separate and distinct; we are one. We share common ideals and common democracy. What unites us across the ocean and brings Jew and Christian together is the recognition that Israel is a nation that is a manifestation of what America was and is.
America has a strong interest in the Middle East. We believe that the nation of Israel is the key to that interest because of our common bonds, our common values, our common beliefs in social justice, and the godly principles on which our two countries were founded. Israel is the firewall between radical Islam and the West.
