OPINION Robert Jeffress: 3 reasons why Christians care about Israel
First, there are spiritual reasons that we support Israel. The land of Israel is the birthplace of our Christian faith. It is where Jesus Christ lived and died rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. It is the place where we believe Jesus, the Messiah, will one day return and establish His future earthly kingdom. Second, there are historical reasons that Christians support Israel. God promised Abraham, the father of the Jews, that He would give to him and his descendants the land that currently makes up modern-day Israel (Genesis 15:18–21). God confirmed that promise to Abraham’s son Isaac and grandson Jacob, who was called “Israel” (Genesis 26:3; 28:13; 32:28). Third, there are geopolitical reasons that Christians care about Israel. In the past, American support of Israel has been bipartisan. (Remember, President Truman was a Democrat!) Only recently has congressional support for Israel become a partisan issue. We are seeing that partisanship on full display this week as many Democrat contenders for president are skipping the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington. Since 1948, the nation of Israel has been America’s staunchest ally in the Middle East—virtually every sitting president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has visited Israel. And Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump met to demonstrate solidarity between our two countries.