At CUFI, we have a God-given mission to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and the Jewish people as their friends, defenders, and allies. We believe the Church should be the greatest blessing to our Jewish brethren. This is why it’s so hard for us to see the Church growing increasingly hostile to Israel and the Jewish people.
Christians are being led away from the truth by the deception of the enemy. Satan is waging a multi-pronged assault against God’s people: both Israel and the Church.
Christians and Jews are the two most persecuted religious groups in the world today. The research shows that Christians are the most persecuted group by sheer scale, and Jews by disproportionate intensity.
The Bible teaches that the world serves Satan. Therefore, is it any surprise that God’s people are the most persecuted? Is it any surprise that the mainstream media focuses the least on the two most persecuted groups? Is it any surprise that the United Nations spends the least time on protecting Christians, and the most time condemning Israel?
We have witnessed this disparity for decades, but things are intensifying. A new tactic is being used is to try and drive a wedge between Christians and Jews.
The media will say very little about real Christian persecution in the world. Churches can be burned and Christians slaughtered, and they will barely get a mention. However, when an Israeli police officer wrongly stops a handful of clergy from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, suddenly there is global outrage.
This incident was painted as Jewish persecution of Christians. No one cared that Israel is the safest place for Christians in the Middle East. No one cared that the police officer was acting on orders to protect Christians from incoming Iranian rockets. No one cared that there was a blanket ban on worship in Jerusalem that included all Jews being blocked from accessing the Western Wall during Passover. Instead, they relished the excuse to attack the Jews.
As a result, social media was flooded with hundreds-of-thousands of posts falsely accusing Israel of persecuting Christians. Governments around the world issued statements of condemnation, and too many Church leaders publicly condemned Israel without understanding the full context.
They didn’t denounce Iran for firing rockets at Jerusalem, some of which landed near holy sites of all the three monotheistic religions. No. They only cared about trying to slander the Jews.
Contrast this with real persecution of Christians in the Middle East. When Christian villages in Syria were being ransacked and attacked by government-backed militias, 10 Downing Street rolled out the red carpet for the Syrian president and the media stayed silent on the plight of the Christians under his regime. And, as the world was collectively outraged at Israel for a police man’s mistake, the world ignored the horrific atrocity of 27 Christians being massacred during a Palm Sunday mass in Nigeria, the very same day.
Satan manipulates sympathy for Christians only when Jews can be blamed. As the saying goes: “No Jews, no news.”
However, this goes far deeper than that. The age-old strategy of divide and conquer is being used on God’s people. Sadly, we are seeing increasing hatred coming from within the Church against Israel based on this deception.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8
The warning above was not given to non-Christians, but to the Church. It is not Israel’s actions that cause antisemitism, it is lies against Israel that cause antisemitism. That’s why it’s imperative that the Church is aware of these threats and why we must do even more to spread the truth of God’s Word in these times that we live in.
Thankfully, many Christians, including you, are aware of the spiritual battle we are in. You’re standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel through your support for CUFI. You’re not allowing the voices of hatred to silence you, and you’re not allowing the lies of the enemy to make you falter in your stand. We are truly grateful for the righteous men and women who stand with us, praying for us, financially supporting our work, and encouraging us with Scriptures and insights that God has placed on your hearts.
We are all in this together and we know that Satan is a defeated foe and that God’s people win in the end because the victory is the Lord’s!
Yet, the assault continues. The voices of hate against Israel grow louder by the day. The media continues to spread lies about Israel. The hate marches continue in our streets. The blood libels in the media are relentless. And, increasingly so, Jews are intimidated and attacked in the streets.
That’s why Christians must act. As Pastor John Hagee says, “When God’s covenant people are under attack, Christians must not remain silent.”
The Church is grafted into the Jewish root. Concerning Israel, Christians are not speaking as outsiders, but as those who are connected into the root that supports us. If we curse Israel, we are cursing the very roots of our faith, and a tree without its roots cannot stand. The Church needs to be secure in its foundation to be effective in its mission, and Christ is not returning for a Church that is disconnected from its Jewish roots.
It was God Himself who said, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.” (Isaiah 62:1)
God has given us a mission to stand in defence of Israel. The enemies of God will not divide God’s people. If a line must be drawn, draw it around Christians and Jews, because we are united!
For Zion’s Sake!
