This article starts off with a confession: I formerly supported Israel wholeheartedly. What do I mean by that? I mean that I considered Israel to be morally superior to those other nations in the middle east that opposed her. I liked the fact that Israel was a constitutional democracy in the midst of countries that were a mix of monarchies, strongmen and theocracies. I sincerely believed that Israel only acted in self-defense, and that its Islamic neighbors were always the aggressors. I believed that Israel was a great ally to the United States of America.
But there is even more to it. I used to believe that the modern, secular state of Israel was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Like many protestants, I took a literal view of the book of Revelation that assumed the modern, secular state of Israel to be a literal fulfillment of Revelation. I believed that the secular Israeli nation, in the end times, would accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah in the last days in fulfillment of this prophecy. Therefore I felt as though I had to support Israel if I was to support God.
So what happened?
The first thing that began to tear down this idol was learning what today's Jews actually believe. Like most protestant Christians, I believed that the Jews of Israel held more or less the same tenets as historical, Biblical Jews. I believed they were, in essence, „Christian-light.” They just needed to add a little Jesus to their religion to be Christian and be saved. I believed they kept to the Mosaic covenant by keeping Torah law.
But are they truly God's people, are they really „Christian-light,” and do they keep the Torah law? The answer to those questions is no, no, and no.
To answer the first question, of their being the chosen people, we need look no farther than Israel's government. There is no mention of Jehovah, or the God of the Bible, or any other god for that matter in their founding declaration of statehood. Its only appeal to authority is to the United Nations. And why should they appeal to God? The Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 2 Chronicles 6:16) states clearly that Israel would be ruled forever by a descendant of King David. Democracy precludes keeping the Davidic covenant -- and because of this the modern state of Israel has no part in the Davidic covenant. David's true descendant is Jesus Christ, and he rules over his church, of which the modern secular state of Israel has no part.
They have no part in the Mosaic covenant, except through Jesus Christ. As Jesus says in Luke 22:20, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.", and Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews said, "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."
They have no part in the Abrahamic covenant. Paul says in Galatians 3:29, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." Paul says repeatedly -- in Romans, in Galatians, and Ephesians -- there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in Christ.
Christ is the only way to heaven for Jews and Gentiles. There is no second way around Christ, and no ’plan B’ for for those who put their faith in keeping the Torah.
So, dear Christian, their covenants are expired. But why does that matter? Don't they just need to come to Christ?
To understand why that matters, you must first understand that today's Jews don't worship God the way the Biblical Jews did. They don't keep the Torah. Just like the ancient nation of Israel, as distinct from Judah, the ’Israelites’ of today are apostate.
Today's Jew, if religious, is Talmudic. This means his religion is based on another holy book, the Talmud. Many Christians don't know what the Talmud is, or know it only by name. I'll explain.
Contrary to popular Christian myth, the Old Testament Bible is not the primary holy book of the modern Jew -- it's the Talmud. The Talmud dictates all theology and religious law in every mainstream sect of Judaism, not the Bible. And you must understand what the Talmud teaches about Jesus: pure, unadulturated hatred.
The Talmud teaches that Jesus Christ is in hell, burning in excrement (Gittin 57a). It also teaches that the virgin Mary was a prostitute, that Jesus was an illegitimate child, and he was a charlatan.
So no Christian, they do not believe like us. They are not Christians without Christ; far from it, Judaism is more blasphemous towards Jesus Christ than any other major world religion. Islam at least teaches Christ was a prophet. Hindus believe his is one God among many. Both are much better than believing he is charlatan burning in hell.
The other reason I cannot support Israel is because of the incredibly overreaching and inappropriate way they influence American politics. According to a recent article that appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Jews contributed a whopping 50% of all funds donated to the Democratic party, and 25% of all funds donated to the Republican party -- despite constituting just 2% of the American population. If this doesn't convince you something is rotten in the US-Israeli relationship, nothing will. We have a 2% minority group in our country that controls massive proportions of the finances of both major political parties, and in particular the democratic party.
Do you now understand why American politicians in both parties make fools of themselves to support Israel? Do you still wonder why so many foreign wars with dubious justifications are fought conveniently against Israel's geopolitical enemies? Are you not suspicious as to why Israel is called America's "greatest ally" when they have never supported the US in any war? Are your suspicions raised as to why we recently gave Israel $38 billion in aid, which is roughly equivalent to the annual budget for the state of Massachusetts? You don't have to wonder. The state of Israel has bought your politicians, and now your politicians use your tax money to fund their conflict and imperial interest in the middle east. Further, there are at least 40 congressmen who hold dual Israeli citizenship as well as a good many members of the current and recent administrations.
Israel also runs an active espionage program against the USA. In a Newsweek article from 2014, former top FBI counterintelligence specialist I.C. Smith was quoted as saying “...dealing with the Israelis was, for those assigned that area, extremely frustrating. The Israelis were supremely confident that they had the clout, especially on the Hill, to basically get [away] with just about anything." And the list of Israeli nationals and American Jews who have conducted espionage against the US is mind-boggling. There are over 60 well-known Jewish or Israeli spies, and those are just the ones we know about.
I'll admit there is a lot to admire about Israel. In just 70 years they've carved out a powerful ethno-state in the midst of their enemies. They ruthlessly protect their borders. They have an efficient military. But they do not share our religion. Unless they explicitly become Christian, they will not be saved at Judgement. And they are not our ally. Our relationship with Israel can best be understood in the very words of their leader. In 2002 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard while he was imprisoned in North Carolina, and he purportedly told his spy during the visit, "Once we squeeze all we can out of the United States, it can dry up and blow away."
Articles Referenced
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-military-aid.html
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/16/israel-wont-stop-spying-us-249757.html