Speaking to a joint session of Congress on July 25, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored that when Israel is waging war against Hamas, Iran and other radical Islamic powers, it is fighting America’s enemies too. That’s why the slogan of Yemen’s Houthis rebels states, “God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.” America and Israel are deeply intertwined.
As Netanyahu said in his speech,
That’s why the mobs in Tehran chant, “Death to Israel” before they chant, “Death to America.” For Iran Israel is first; America is next. So, when Israel fights Hamas, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we’re fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we’re fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we’re fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.
Ad one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves. We’re protecting you.
My friends, if you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.
I agree with the prime minister’s words and sentiments, but they only provide the natural parallel to the spiritual point I want to make here. And so, if you remember one thing and one thing only from this article, remember this: Israel’s greatest enemy, the devil himself, is out to destroy you too.
That means that the same special, focused hatred he has towards Israel, God’s firstborn son according to the Old Testament (Ex. 4:22), is the same hatred he has toward you as a follower of Jesus (and, therefore, now a spiritual son or daughter of God). Satan is out to destroy God’s family, and that includes both His spiritual and natural children.
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You might say, “Who doesn’t know that Satan is a murderer and liar? What else should we expect from him?”
Allow me, then, to explain myself more clearly.
Israel is God’s unique witness nation on the earth, for better or for worse (see, for example, Isa. 43:10, 12; 44:8).
On the one hand, Israel is called to testify to the Lord’s faithfulness, just like a witness in court. But in another sense, the very existence of Israel bears testimony to the faithfulness of God, the holiness of God, the justice of God and the mercy of God.
Israel (by which I mean here the Jewish people as a whole and the state of Israel itself) only exists because the Lord is faithful and good. If it were up to our own faithfulness and goodness (I write as a Jewish person), we would have perished long ago.
On the other hand, the fact that the second temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and that we have spent so many centuries in exile is a testimony to the holiness and justice of God. He did not tolerate our sin but judged us in a public, concrete way that the whole world can see, just as He laid out in the Scriptures.
Whether we like it or not, as a people, the Jewish people and nation bear witness to the character of God and to the truth of His Word.
Not only so, but Israel also provides a window into the hearts of humanity itself, whereby people take out their hatred toward God on the Jewish people.
Put another way, the world hates the fact that the Lord brought us back to the land and restored our national sovereignty, with nation upon nation slandering and attacking Jews worldwide, and some even actively trying to wipe out our country.
Is this all because of the Jews themselves, without any supernatural cause? Perish the thought. It is because we have been chosen by God for a mission, and Satan wants to derail it.
Now, look for a moment at the murderous, barbaric, demented evil of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
Look at the bullet-ridden bodies of the children and babies slaughtered in their own beds and cribs. (I’ve seen the actual footage, and it is sickening.) Look at the victims charred beyond recognition. Look at the female corpses shot in the groin. Look at the twisted remains of an Israeli ambulance, obliterated by a Hamas rocket-propelled grenade, allowing grieving parents only to recognize their children by the few remaining teeth or a DNA match with their child’s spleen.
That is a picture of the devil at work. And it is a reminder of his intense, murderous hatred for every one of us who acknowledges Jesus-Yeshua as Lord.
So, as you see antisemitism rising worldwide and the assault on Israel intensifying, remember: This is a graphic, earthly picture of the spiritual forces arrayed against us.
Then, be vigilant. Be alert. And recognize that Israel and the church, in a unique and sovereign way, are joined at the hip. Let us stand together against our common enemy, the devil.
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Dr. Michael Brown (www.thelineoffire.org/) is the host of the nationally syndicated The Line of Fire radio show. He is the author of over 40 books, including “Can You be Gay and Christian?”; “Our Hands are Stained with Blood”; and “Seizing the Moment: How to Fuel the Fires of Revival.” You can connect with him on Facebook, X or YouTube.
