By Gustav Krös
In February I had the privilege of visiting Israel. It was a very special experience to visit the country during this time, and to learn first-hand how people are experiencing the war in the aftermath of the 7 October attack. Since returning to South Africa, I have spent a lot of time processing everything I experienced there, and I would now like to share some of the lessons I learned.
One thing that amazed me was the unique similarities that I became aware of between Israel and the Church. The first one being the need for security. As a nation, Israel needs to take their security very seriously. They know they are living in a very hostile environment, and the 7 October attack is proof that they cannot afford to be found sleeping because their enemies continue to seek their destruction. Similarly, we as Christians need to take our security very seriously as well. But for us, it’s not a physical battle but a spiritual battle.
Same as Israel, we know that we live in a hostile environment, as 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us; Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But since it’s not a physical battle that we can see with our eyes, many Christians do not recognise how hostile our environment actually is. So, it helps to remind ourselves that Ephesians 6:12 tells us; our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Thus, looking at the war in Israel is a good reminder of the spiritual war we are caught up in, and to see what lessons we can implement in our spiritual lives.
Another one of these physical aspects was to see how they honour God in the way they keep the Sabbath. Shortly after 17:00 on Friday afternoon all trains came to a standstill, buses no longer operated, and the number of cars on the roads became drastically less. Standing on the roof of the guesthouse where we stayed in Jerusalem, looking at the quiet street below me, the words ‘a nation set apart’ came to mind. I thought to myself, “wow, what a testimony”. No one can visit Israel during the Sabbath and not be affected by it. Some people would surely think it’s highly inconvenient, but for me it does convey a message of honouring God and displaying an aspect of still being set apart.
Similarly, Christians need to be spiritually set apart. In the same way that people can experience physically that Israel is different when they visit it, they also need to experience Christians to be spiritually different when they interact with us. Through the Holy Spirit in us, we need to carry a sense of peace, hope and joy, that can only be described as supernatural in the world in which we live. If we truly live as a holy people, set apart for His purposes, then people will experience something very counter-cultural in us when it comes to areas like forgiveness, compassion, and integrity, to name just a few. So, the question is whether people truly experience us as being different, or do we just look like the rest of the world.
Thirdly, there was the lesson of being isolated. The people of Israel are traumatised, not only by the 7 October attack and the ongoing war, but also by seeing how isolated they are. They are shocked to see that they are not only isolated within their region, but globally they are getting more isolated. This should not come as a surprise because we know that the Bible tells us in Zechariah 14:2 that ultimately all nations will turn against Israel, but for the people in Israel it’s still very traumatic to see how few nations still stand with them and show any understanding and compassion towards them. This has led them to be drawn closer together and has also led to a strengthening of relationship between Jews and Christians.
Similarly, Christians should already start to feel more isolated within the world and will only continue to feel more isolated. Because similarly to the nation of Israel, the Bible also says in Matthew 24:9 that we will be hated by all nations. If Christians are not feeling isolated, then there is a good chance that they are deceived by the world already. As the isolation has drawn people in Israel together, it should also draw the Body of Christ closer together and bring forth higher levels of maturity within the Body. At the same time, it also draws Christians closer to the Jews, because we are experiencing isolation due to the same reason; that we both carry the name of God.
These events have brought forth a strengthening of relationships between many Jews and Christians because the Jews have come to see that it is only the Christians that really love them. So, we can see that the physical path that God continues to walk with the Jews and the Spiritual path He walks with us are drawing us closer together as both are getting more and more isolated in the world. This is also leading more Jews to recognise Christ as their Messiah and step into a spiritual relationship with Him.
Lastly, Jerusalem has this strange, homely feeling to it. I’ve travelled to many different countries and cities, where you know you are a foreigner, but I didn’t feel like a foreigner in Jerusalem. It feels like you belong there. Maybe it’s because this is where God’s physical revelation to the Jews and His spiritual revelation to the gentiles intersects. In 2 Chronicles 33:4 the Lord says, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” It is also in Jerusalem where He poured out His Holy Spirit during Pentecost, and we know that one day we will stay with God in the new Jerusalem. Maybe since we have already entered into eternal life spiritually when we accepted Jesus as our saviour, we’ve already been connected through the Spirit to Jerusalem as our home.
I will continue to share more lessons next month.
