The war of words: Fighting for Israel in the battle for truth

Continuing conflicts and full blown wars are nothing new for the three generations who have called the modern Jewish state of Israel their home since its founding in 1948. Within hours of David Ben Gurion’s declaration of the new state they were thrust into the throes of a war for their very survival. Before dawn the next day they were attacked on five fronts by the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Soldiers trained in their pre-state underground armies fought along side Holocaust survivors just three years removed from the death camps. Miraculously, against all odds, they prevailed and within months had won their War of Independence.

But for Israelis conflicts and confrontations never seem to end. This first war has been followed by a succession of wars all initiated by their Arab neighbors. 1956 brought the Suez Conflict, in 1967 came the famous Six Day War, 1973 found them attacked on their high holy days in what became known as the Yom Kippur War, the first Lebanon War followed in 1982 which was followed by the first Intifada in 1987 and on and on. Decade after decade while building their “start up nation” they have been engaged in a never ending defense of their ancient homeland.  

In past years they have been immersed in the Gaza War, the Twelve Day War with Iran, and the most recent Iranian War known as Operation Roaring Lion. For weeks this war raged with thousands of ballistic missiles pummeling Israeli cities sending millions to bomb shelters night after night. Today they are fighting a war on seven different fronts. These fronts consist of Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, terrorists bent on their destruction in the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. For the almost eighty years of their national existence Israelis have fought one war after another without having the luxury of losing a single one of these conflicts which could potentially lead to their annihilation. 

Presently, an eighth front has opened along their battle lines. It is the War of Words that seeks to form world wide public opinion. This battle takes up arms in the civic arena against the outright lies and fake news that runs rampant against the Israeli state and the Jewish people. In a day of rapidly rising antisemitism, in ways not seen since the days of Nazi Germany, this eighth front is the battlefield upon which we evangelicals must arm ourselves with objective truth, come along side, and boldly confront this enemy led by a growing horde of radical anti-Semites. 

When it comes to Israel and the Jewish people there are three ways people approach the truth. There is an increasing well funded number of those today who set out to blatantly pervert truth. Intentionally, they repeatedly spew their lies knowing that if the lie is repeated often enough there will be those who will begin to believe it. Others blindly perceive truth. Ignorant of the actual realities on the ground, they get their information from sound bites through Tik Tok or other social venues without ever attempting to verify the reality of each false claim. And then, there are those who seek to boldly proclaim truth in the public arena in the face of a growing skepticism fueled by fake news. These words are a call to action for those of us who are Bible believing evangelicals to gird ourselves with “the belt of truth” and join in this fight.

SOME BLATANTLY PERVERT TRUTH. We are living in a world of relativism where truth is intentionally being perverted and where lies are perpetrated with little push back. Fake news and false claims are repeated with such frequency and through so many podcasts and social media channels that they become established facts in vulnerable minds. This happens even when the underlying evidence shows nothing more than half truths at best and outright lies with grossly misrepresented facts at worst. This phenomenon is called the “illusion of truth effect.”

We in America have experienced this “illusion of truth effect” up close and first hand. Examples abound such as the well orchestrated fake campaign of Russian Collusion in the Presidential election campaign of 2016. Repeated frequently enough and with the help of mainstream media outlets this hoax became reality in the minds of many. There was also the hoax continually perpetrated in the last year of the Biden presidency that he was in perfect mental health. This gained traction until the embarrassing catastrophe of the Presidential debate showed otherwise. Scores of other outright lies have been perpetrated upon the public masses in hopes they would become “perceived truth.”  

There appears to be nothing more illusive in our world of lies and fake news than getting to the real truth in certain issues. However, there is no issue as prominent in this type of psychological warfare as when it comes to Israel and the right for the Jewish people to exist in their own ancient homeland. When it comes to Israel the “illusion of truth effect” is on steroids.

Among the more brazen and hurtful lies perpetrated upon our Jewish friends is the rise of Holocaust denial. When it comes to attacking Israel in this war of words the basic rules of evidence are ignored. Claims that the slaughter of six million Jews in Hitler’s death camps never actually happened are repeated over and over with zero verification, while overwhelming and documented evidence of its historicity reveals otherwise. A quick search on the internet will reveal masses of podcasts, articles, and arguments centered around the Big Lie that the Holocaust never happened. After fifty years of traveling to Israel and building relationships with scores of Israeli friends I have found that everyone of them has a story about a grandfather, a mother, or some family member or close friend who perished in the Nazi ovens. In fact, as the years pass by we discover that many living in this present generation in Israel are the first in the modern state to have ever known their grandparents.

Space does not permit the long list of blatant and brazen lies that are focused upon Israel.  Among them is the lie that Israel is guilty of genocide, especially during the Gaza conflict. Ironically, the term “genocide” came about to describe the Nazi attempt to rid the world of all Jews. The accusation that Israel herself is guilty of such is in itself another form of Holocaust denial. Anyone who has taken the time to read the definition of the term would know the claims are not simply unjust but dead wrong. Instead of losing two thousand of its finest young men and women who fought and died in the Gaza War, Israel, with their vast military might, could have wiped out every person in Gaza on the day after the October 7 massacre if they were adherents to genocide. If Israel practiced genocide those two thousand young lives so filled with potential and promise would not have had to die. And yet the lie continues.

Another of the more prominent lies focused on the Jewish state is that Israel has no right to exist. Continued accusations that Israel is “illegitimate” are repeated without any references to the processes of the United Nations which led to its creation on Many 14, 1948. They are accused of being an apartheid state, a colonial imperialist state, of engaging in illegal occupation, and the list of undocumented and outright lies go on and on.

The modus operandi of those who blatantly pervert truth is to repeat their false claims so frequently that overtime this repetition becomes familiarity and progresses to perceived truth. This certainly does not mean that every criticism of Israel is false…far from it. However, it does mean that this massively financed and orchestrated campaign of lies against Israel spewing its hate in such a highly volatile and polarized environment is the battle field where we must show up holding high the banner of objective and validated truth. 

SOME BLINDLY PERCEIVE TRUTH. The key word here is perception. There is a mass of people who hear these lies and without any research for truth on their own simply take them as fact. If there is a segment of society more disappointing and disgusting than those who blatantly pervert truth, it is the growing numbers of those who blindly perceive truth without a shred of evidence to substantiate it.

Perceived truth is no truth at all. When defenders of Israel come to their side and boldly state their case for their right to exist in a land they have inhabited for over three thousand years we are often accused of being narrow minded about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  But isn’t that the very nature of truth? All truth is built upon a framework of objective fact.  Consequently, all truth is narrow. Mathematical truth is narrow. Two plus two equals four, not three or five. Scientific truth is narrow. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit not 34 or 35 degrees. Historical truth is narrow. Napoleon won his most significant victory at the Battle of Austerlitz not the Battle of Waterloo where he was defeated. Geographical truth is narrow. Texas is bordered with Mexico by the Rio Grande River not the Red River. Yes, all truth is narrow. So, why should we be surprised that Biblical truth regarding the people of Israel is narrow in that it was specifically and uniquely to them that God gave “the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).

Those who perceive the repeated lies regarding the Jewish state without any research of their own, much less any search for the real truth, are most often those who know only what they view in bite size pieces from short internet videos or avenues such as Tik Tok or other social media outlets which are never held to any legitimate journalistic standards. 

We see these perceivers of truth at anti-Israel rallies and passionately protesting on a growing number of college campuses. It is now reported that many of them are actually enticed to participate through monetary incentives. They are the ones carrying signs proclaiming the slogan, “From the River to the Sea.” Then, when asked, they can not even tell you the names of the river or the sea for which they are loudly chanting. Among them are those carrying signs saying “Homosexuals for Hamas,” totally ignorant of the fact that if they were plopped down in the middle of Gaza City they would be tortured and killed within minutes for their lifestyle by the same radical Islamists for whom they attempt to defend. Proud vocal feminists are also among this group. If they lived in Iran today they could not attend school, drive a car, or be seen in public without a burka covering every part of their bodies except their eyes. Yet they blindly believe the lies they have been fed  through the various avenues of fake news and in their shallow existence accept it as fact without any evidential enquiry whatsoever.

SOME BOLDLY PROCLAIM TRUTH. Finally, and gratefully, there is a growing group of evangelicals who unashamedly and boldly step upon the field of battle in this war of words. They speak truth right out of the pages of the Book of all books that has withstood the test of time and will still be the Book of books when all the other writings of men have passed into obscurity. Of this sacred book King Solomon said, “Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5).

Our main motivation as we stand on this eighth front is not found in personal politics nor in any public policies. The drive behind our passionate support is rooted in a literal hermeneutic believing in the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the Bible. When we open our Bibles and read “Israel” we do not spiritualize it away to mean the church or anyone or anything else. It means Israel.  When we read that the land is deeded to them for an “everlasting possession,”to us everlasting means exactly what it says—everlasting. And yes, we stand guilty in believing that God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse her (Genesis 12:3).

 In the war of words combatting these lies regarding Israel, we tend to care deeply for these very people who are central to the entire Biblical narrative. Of Abraham and his Jewish descendants the Lord clearly proclaims, “You are a holy people to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure among all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you because you were more in number…but because the Lord loves you” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). How can we help but love the very people God loves?

When it comes to the Jews, the Bible is specific as to why we must support them in times such as these…and do so with clarity, conviction, and commitment. God has given a particular promise (“I will make you a great nation”—Genesis 12:3)…to a particular people (“To you I will give the land as an everlasting possession”—Genesis 17:8…in a particular place (the land of Canaan on which you lie I will give you”—Genesis 28:13)…for a particular purpose (“In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed”—Genesis 12:3).

If we truly believe these Biblical truths it is time to stand tall in the war of words, to gird ourselves with truth, and to speak up lighting the darkness of lies with the truth of God’s word. This is not a political statement or a policy position. It is nothing more than obedience to Biblical truth with the confidence that God still keeps His promises. After all, the Bible says, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). He is faithful and true.

Therefore…“For Zion’s sake we will not be silent…for Jerusalem’s sake we will not be quiet” (Isaiah 62:1). We evangelicals are not going away. Our voices will not be silenced. We know that we never have to be afraid of the truth. Truth will always win in the end. Jesus of Nazareth, once said, “You shall know the truth…and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). We stand with our Jewish friends…today…tomorrow…forever.  Am Israel Chai. The people of Israel live! And that is the God’s truth!