A Briefing for Faith Leaders about Israel and Iran

Faith Leaders should listen to current news and social media posts with a biblical understanding that extends back to the book of Genesis. You cannot judge accurately if you base your decisions solely on the latest popular talking point. A case in point is the recent armed conflict with Iran. I recently delivered a full sermon covering the extensive history of Israel and the surrounding nations from the Old Testament, and it would benefit you to hear it. The bottom line of that message is that tensions in the Middle East have persisted for millennia. God has used heathen nations to punish Israel when they turned to idolatry and rebellion. He also uses other nations to protect Israel because the Jews have always been His people and always will be.

Replacement Theology

In God’s eyes, the action against Iran was not about oil, politics, or power but about the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10), the nation of Israel. Much confusion has entered the church because of replacement theology, which teaches that the church has replaced Israel and, in God’s eyes, there is no longer a Jewish state. Yet that is completely unscriptural. In 1 Corinthians 10:32, Paul wrote: Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. If the church replaced Israel, Paul would not have listed the Jews as a legitimate group with whom God was concerned.

Ezekiel 37 prophesied the miraculous birth of the modern state of Israel in the reassembling of the dry bones into a living body. Israel is those dry bones; they were scattered across the world and were miraculously reassembled as a nation in 1948. Such a thing has never happened before and never will again! The Jews are God’s chosen people, and our job is to honor them. Romans 11:17 tells us that Israel is the root of Christianity, and we are the engrafted branches. In other words, our job is similar to the assignment God gave Israel in the Old Testament: to bring God’s Word to the earth. Many question whether we should help protect Israel, but I submit to you that, although no nation is perfect, Christians are assigned to see that Israel remains intact because God is not finished with them.

The Ezekiel 38 and 39 War

The chapters immediately following the miraculous reassembling of the dry bones describe a war against Israel that has yet to occur. Although there is some disagreement about the timing of this war, most Bible prophecy teachers understand that it will occur very near the time of the rapture and before the Tribulation. Ezekiel 38:1-3 says: And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 

For years, prophecy teachers assumed that Magog was Russia, but the Bible only says it is a people to the north of Israel. I’d like to submit that Magog is not Russia but Turkey. Russia is predominantly non-Muslim, whereas Turkey is a Muslim nation. The nations surrounding Israel that will come against her are all Muslim nations, and Muslims would never allow a non-Muslim nation to lead them.

You cannot understand what’s happening in the Middle East without understanding Islam and the Qur’an. Ezekiel 38:5 lists Persia as one of the nations that will attack Israel. Persia is Iran. Iran is strongly anti-Israel and has declared for decades that it wants Israel destroyed. Some misinformed Americans suggested we just negotiate with Iran, but you cannot negotiate with people who live by the Qur’an, which permits lying to non-Muslims and severe persecution and martyrdom of non-Muslims and women. 

Summary

I believe God used the American military and the IDF to carry out judgment on Iran and its now-deceased leaders, who were responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people. They killed both Christians and Jews because of their belief in the false God, Allah. Iran stated for decades that it not only wanted to destroy Israel (the “little Satan”) but also America, which has been responsible for 90% of the dissemination of the Gospel to the world (the “big Satan”). They were arming themselves to do so.

Of course, a study of Israel and the surrounding nations could fill volumes. This was only an abbreviated briefing for ministry leaders, but I pray it helps you better understand what you’re hearing and reading in the headlines. The people you lead will look to you for accurate information, and when it comes to God’s love for Israel, we must not get it wrong.