Christians cannot remain silent – now is the time to pray for Israel

The church is at a crossroads. God is looking for those who are willing to stand "in the breach" (Ezekiel 22:30). Today, Israel is under attack from all sides. Since 7/10, the date of Hamas' massacre of kibbutzim around Gaza, we have witnessed an outpouring of hatred against Israel and the Jewish people.

This gives an apocalyptic vision, in which "frogs" embodying unclean spirits (Rev. 16:13-14) come out to deceive the nations. Let us know, however, that through Israel, it is also the Lord, the God of Jacob, who is targeted. Communism and Nazism sought to fight the faith, the Jewish people, or both. Today, radical Islamism, nourished by virulent anti-Semitism, is another expression of this hostility. Beyond political events, we discern a spiritual struggle against God's purposes.

The Church from the Gentiles cannot forget that it was grafted onto the olive tree of Israel. It does not replace the natural branches, but participates, by grace, in the promises of God (Romans 11:17). So what should be the role of Christians, and what does the Bible say: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you."

I want to quote here the head of IFI - Intercessors for Israel - who puts a prayer list at our service every week. He said: "Believers must understand that their eternal destiny is linked to Israel, and not to their nations of origin."

Pastor Charles Westphal (1896-1972) said: "... the mystery of Israel is inseparable from the mystery of the Church, it is our mystery. The mystery of our sin and the mystery of our grace. Objects of the same revelation, of the same vocation, called to the same judgment, promised to the same Kingdom, we will not be saved, on the last day, one without the other."

The Western boycott of Israel

Recently, European countries have adopted or considered measures targeting products and economic activities from Israeli settlements in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. According to the European aberrant, Jewish neighborhoods such as Ramot, Pisgat Ze'ev, Gilo, Neve Yaakov, Ramat Shlomo, Har Homa, are in "East Jerusalem"!

These include countries banning imports from Israeli settlements: Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Norway. Since September, three other countries have announced their decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements: France, the United Kingdom, Canada. Six other countries have signed a joint declaration announcing their intention to introduce national restrictions: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.

Here are the annual estimates of Israeli products to Europe: 250 million euros.

Destructive madness in the nations

We are witnessing before our eyes unprecedented chaos in European nations, with incredible outbursts of destruction committed by gangs of rioters from uncontrolled immigration and by ultra-left activists. It is difficult not to see the consequences of the hostile attitude towards Israel: The Palestinian flag often flies in the middle of these groups of individuals dressed in black, hooded and well equipped. Moreover, since this summer, the climate has not spared Europe: drought, fires, floods and even hail... How can we not think of the "plagues of Egypt"?...

European society is going through a kind of tipping point. We know how a Muslim population of up to 30% can radically transform a society, when cities are "taken" by people in favour of Sharia law, who act as a "Trojan horse" in our democracies...

The question remains: can nations permanently reject God's ways without suffering spiritual and moral consequences?

Let us be Intercessors!

As the Israeli elections approach on 27 October, our responsibility as intercessors takes on a special dimension. We are not called to pray for the victory of any one party or one man, but for God's purposes to be fulfilled amid His people. Let us pray that the leaders of Israel will receive wisdom, discernment and courage. Let us pray for the protection of the country, for the unity of the nation and that the decisions taken will contribute to its security and its future.

Praying for Israel is not an option reserved for a few believers who are sensitive to Israel. It is to take part, in intercession, in God's plan of redemption, for Jerusalem and for the nations of which the Church is a part.

"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have placed guards; they will not be silent day or night. You who remember the Lord, there is no rest for you." - Isaiah 62:6