What you are watching is not a video game

If you ask some Christians, ‘Do you support Congress or BJP?’, many would respond, ‘Our politics is not of this world.’ Yet, if you ask, ‘Do you support Israel or Iran?’, they often side with Israel, treating it as a matter of spiritual politics. However, it’s important to recognize that the conflict between Israel and the Arab nations doesn’t become spiritual simply because it has ancient roots.

I didn’t write this article unaware that end-time events will revolve around Solomon’s Temple. But my question is, what does the Bible actually instruct us, as disciples of Jesus, to do about this? Were we told to go to Jerusalem, tear down the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and perform “karseva” for the Jewish Third Temple? Did it command us to support Zionist politics? Or to pray for Israel to win the war? Even the early apostles, who had glimpses of what the future might hold, left no commands regarding these matters. And that’s not just for us Gentiles—there are no such instructions in the New Testament, not even for Jewish converts to Christianity.

Whether we are Jewish converts or Gentiles, our sole command is to build the Kingdom alongside the Holy Spirit and prepare for Christ’s return as His Bride. Mixing Zionist politics into this mission, and forcing it, will only cause spiritual harm to the Bride. All Christians, myself included, have a love for the Jewish people. But to twist that love into hatred for others and support for war is a grave wrong. Yet, this is exactly what some preachers are boldly promoting today.

I recently came across a video of a preacher claiming that Satan hates only two groups of people in this world: the Jews and the Christians. He goes on to say that if you’re a Christian who hates the Jews, you carry the spirit of Satan within you. Let’s assume that’s true, but isn’t there another side to this? Shouldn’t the same logic apply to Jews who hate Christ and Christians—wouldn’t they also have the spirit of Satan? Yet, he remained silent on that point. Think about it. A preacher who boldly tells Christians that hating Jews means you have the spirit of Satan—will he go to the Jews and tell them that rejecting Christ does the same? Has he ever said that to them?

In reality, no Christian hates Jews. The preacher should be addressing the Jews, for they are the ones who have yet to accept Christ as the Messiah and do not worship Him. Satan doesn’t just hate Jews and Christians—he hates all of humanity. Anyone who harbors hatred for others is under the influence of Satan. Whether you support or oppose Israel, pray for it or not, it will not alter the course of end-time events. If the church could influence such things, the Lord would have spoken about it in the New Testament. If, as a child of God, you can do something to stop the rise of the Antichrist, by all means, do so.

If you genuinely want to do good for the Israelites, preach the gospel to them. The Scriptures instruct us to do nothing else. My heart’s desire and prayer to God is for Israel to be saved (Romans 10:1). I urge Zionist Christian preachers: instead of speaking to Christians about the Jews, go and speak to the Jews about Jesus, whom they disrespectfully refer to as the “Nazarene”. In doing so, you will at least have the virtue of saving souls.

Beloved, what is unfolding in the Middle East is not a video game. These are real people—flesh and blood—enduring unimaginable suffering. Unprecedented atrocities are taking place. Whether it’s Jewish blood, Palestinian blood, Iranian blood, or Lebanese blood being shed, it is the blood of human beings made in the image of God. The blood of innocent civilians, the blood of young children. Let our prayers be not for Israel’s victory, but for peace in the Middle East. Anyone who loves and supports war is not just failing as a Christian but as a human being.