With more and more Christians coming against Israel in the name of compassion, one of America's most respected evangelical ministers, Pastor Jack Hayford, gives insight into this growing and disturbing trend. Founding pastor of one of the largest churches in America today, The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, Pastor Hayford is an acknowledged "bridge-builder," helping to forge bonds among all segments of Christianity as well as emphasizing the important relationship Christians have with Israel and the Jewish people.
In an interview with Focus On Israel, he stated, "It's impossible to isolate Israel from its primary claim, being the boundaries that were given to Abraham, confirmed again to Isaac and to Jacob."
Quoting Genesis 12 when the Lord said, "I will give you a land," Jack continued" "The covenant that God made is for the Jews. God is not anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian, nor am I, but He is very pro-Israel." He added, "It's not a matter of that being at the expense of human compassion and understanding. The Bible says that in Isaac that promise would rest. Abraham's other offspring, Ishmael, is not incorporated into that promise."
Advertisement - story continues below
"An amazing number of Christians today are standing against Israel in the name of compassion and understanding of the Palestinians and their forced refugee situation," explained Pastor Jack. "What is never acknowledged is that the occupational presence exists because those are areas where relentless strikes against Israel have come. The Israeli Defense Force doesn't exist as a war-making engine, but exists to defend the boundaries that were given Israel by the United Nations."
See our wide selection of books and DVDs on Israel in the WND Superstore: "Israel Indivisible: The Case For The Ancient Homeland (DVD)," "The Forgotten People: Christianity and the Holocaust (DVD)," and more!
TRENDING: WATCH: Bill O'Reilly to Tucker: 'Active evil probably runs TV industry'
Pastor Hayford's plea for attention to God's word continued: "I am not speaking to the press, nor am I speaking of world opinion. I am pleading for Christians to look at the whole case. The last thing that I am saying is stand for the Jews against the Palestinians. God doesn't feel that way. I don't feel that way. Love your enemies, Jesus said. To the Christian I am saying that there are two dynamics that you need to come to terms with. They are Biblically explained and ought to be understood on spiritual terms in the Bible. First, global anti-Semitism not only exists but will and will increase until the coming of Jesus Christ."
Passivity is taking a form in the church, and Pastor Hayford believes this may be sadly prophetic of America's downfall. If the church in America gives up Israel, America will collapse. America will come under the judgment of God. The Bible warns in that time there will come a great deception, so much so that the very elect – that is the word for God's people who believe Jesus is the Savior – that many of them will be deceived.
Advertisement - story continues below
Will believers allow themselves to partner with that deception now, in the light of history and the authority of scriptures? Discerned on the basis of the authority of scriptures, it is a spiritual battle in the end.