Ask Pastor Mike Live

Guest (Female): About Charlie Kirk saying—Charlie Kirk apparently has changed his views, talking about when he was alive, of course—changed his views on supporting Israel. I've heard it stated that Israel that was talked about in the Bible is not what is happening here today, not the state of Israel. Is that true?

Focal Point Ministries: Yeah, that's been real popular, it seems. If you go back to an interview that Tucker Carlson had back in June—I don't know if I've talked about this on the air or not—but Ted Cruz was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, if you're a fan of Tucker, who's kind of gone off the rails, in my opinion, here of the last few years. Anyway, Tucker had Ted Cruz on there, they were talking about Israel. Tucker got Ted back on his heels when Ted said something about supporting Israel as a Christian.

Of course, Tucker, if you saw that, made a big stink about the fact that the Israel in the Bible doesn't have anything to do with the Israel today over there. It has nothing to do with the Knesset, has nothing to do with Benjamin Netanyahu, has nothing to do with the IDF and the forces in Israel. And so, it's silly for us to say because we're Christians, we support Israel. That is something that seems to be catching on with a lot of people today.

They say there's no continuity between the Israel in Scripture and the Israel in the Holy Land today, or in Judea and Samaria of today. Melissa, that's what you're asking here, and I'm going to respond to that by saying there is, of course, a continuity between the two. It doesn't mean by saying that, because I see in Scripture a promise in Genesis chapter 12 of a covenant that God made with Abraham and his descendants, that everything that happens in Israel in the 21st century today gets a pass, or that everything they do is righteous.

I'm not saying that, nor in the 10th century BC, or in the 6th century BC. I'm just saying that there is a continuity because Israel has been promised to be preserved as a genetic descendant of Abraham. That descendancy, that nationality, that ethnicity, which literally is the word that is used, the ethnos of Israel in the Greek New Testament, is the thing that is described to continue on, as it says in Romans chapter 11, all the way to the end.

That natural plant, that olive tree as it's called there, is going to support the unnatural branches, which is us, the Gentiles. At least me, at least, I'm a Gentile, a non-Jew. These unnatural branches will be grafted into the work of God in the present age until God grafts back in the natural branches that are the descendants. The point is that they will be in the land in the time of the end, and that they will then turn to the Messiah, and they will be the descendants of Abraham.

We've got to say that this is more than just a group of people that happen to be in the same piece of real estate, although they are in the same piece of real estate. I've been to Israel many times, and I know these are the places where Abraham journeyed through and where David set up his capital city there in the Jebusite city, which is now Jerusalem. It's where all the disciples walked, and clearly, we have the place where Jesus lived and walked and did his ministry, and the place where he was crucified and rose from the dead.

All of that took place in Israel. Of course, the place that we have now and the people that we have now, descended from Abraham and sharing the same genetic material, are living in the land now. Obviously, there are plenty that do not, that are there just like we would say if you move there and I move there, it doesn't make us a descendant of Abraham. But yes, there is continuity.

I'm just going to tell you that those who want to make a distinction simply because we don't have David ruling on the throne, because we have someone else in a Knesset in a modern political situation ruling, or governing, we might say more accurately, in Israel—to say that there's no continuity is incorrect. There may be a change in leadership structure or polity in the nation, but they are the same because of the prophetic promise of God in Romans chapter 11.

God has a lot more to do with them, as you can read about in Revelation chapter 7, and God is going to fulfill His promise. That's exactly what He says, not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament. He's going to bring back together as the Valley of Dry Bones says in the book of Revelation, and it's going to happen. We have to be ready for this, and we have to absolutely know that this is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Melissa, don't be thrown by what you've heard, whether it's Charlie Kirk or whether it's Tucker Carlson or whoever it might be. In this case, Ted Cruz is right, and all the biblical scholars, I hope, that understand the future promises for Israel would say precisely what I'm telling you right now. Thanks for that good question, Melissa.