25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
There has certainly been a lack of moral clarity expressed, especially among younger adults, with regard to the ideals and ambitions of the terrorist group Hamas, which carried out a brutal attack against Israel on October 7 and whose power and influence in the Middle East is being challenged by Israel's strategy to eradicate the organization.
By and large, most Americans, and even a majority of young adults, see Hamas for what it is. A Summit Ministries poll, conducted in partnership with RMG Research, which was founded by well-known researcher Scott Rasmussen, indicates these facts, as reported by the survey summary:
- 81 percent of American voters overall agree with the U.S. government classifying Hamas as a terrorist group
- 61 percent of voters 18-24 years old agree with the U.S. government classifying Hamas as a terrorist group.
So, even a majority of young adults agree that Hamas is a terrorist group, but that group registers 20 points less than the overall percentage of Americans.
But, when people are asked about Israel's campaign against Hamas, the numbers shift, especially among the 18-24 crowd:
- 58 percent of American voters overall believe Israel’s campaign against Hamas is just, while 21 percent believe that Israel having greater wealth and military power makes its military campaign against Hamas unjust.
- 42 percent of voters 18-24 years old believe Israel’s campaign against Hamas is just, while 47 percent believe that Israel having greater wealth and military power makes its military campaign against Hamas unjust.
Overall, only 10 percent of U.S. voters believe Israel does not "have a right to exist as a nation;" that percentage goes way up among younger adults, with around one-third saying that Israel has no right to exist.
So, what do you make of these statistics? Summit President Jeff Myers is quoted in the survey summary: “We are now seeing the logical outcome of an education system that teaches students to see the world through a lens of racialist resentment. Gen Z is so embarrassed about being American that a large swath of them have become terrorist sympathizers,” adding, “Gen Z is three times as likely as the general population to deny Israel’s right to exist. Sympathy for Hamas has grown. This should be a massive wake-up call to parents, educators, and cultural leaders—we now have a generation primed to accept without question the propaganda of those who wish to overturn Judeo-Christian civilization.”An article at The Stream featured comments from Myers, as well as Paul Batura of Focus on the Family. Myers is quoted as saying: “Young adults seem to be governed by this oppressor-versus-oppressed mindset...We’ve heard about this for a long time. We’ve sort of suspected that professors are teaching students this Marxist framework of the world." He added:
“Gen Z really bought it, and they view Israel as the oppressor because it is a wealthier place than Gaza. They also view it as the oppressor because it has more military equipment and the support of the United States and Gaza does not. And they believe that the United States of America is a bad place, that our influence in the world is bad.”
Batura said, “Education is one of the best-known antidotes to ignorance,” adding, “Open the Old Testament before opening The New York Times. Wise moms and dads read from their Bibles before doing so from a newspaper or online news site. When it comes to cultivating love, respect, and appreciation for Israel, our children should know that the Jewish people are God’s chosen ones. He chose the Holy Land for Christ’s earthly ministry — and promised it to the Jewish people.” The article goes on to say that, "He added that parents should teach the history of the Jewish people, like the Holocaust. 'Teaching truth is a powerful tool when combating lies.'”
So, there are three concepts that I'd like to put forth here. One is that Israel is a key component of the plan of God. The nation that occupies its current land mass is a nation which has been the recipients of God's blessings and has now been established in the land God has given to them, at least in part. The plan for God for Israel runs all the way through the Old Testament - and the New, when you read the book of Revelation. Historically, the Jewish people and Christians have had that special bond.
We also recognize that Hamas and other Islamic terror groups do not serve the same God we do. Muslims and Christians do not call on the same God - and their God, they believe, has called them to engage in warfare against those who do not follow their teaching. We're called to love our enemies and even share the gospel with them; they are bent on destroying their enemies - and Israel is chief among them.
Finally, antisemitism is never right. Batura is quoted by The Stream as saying: "It’s a toxic assault on the very nature of God,” adding, “Ignoring or appeasing the oppressors will not make them go away. We must confront and resist the hate, and model love and appreciation for our Jewish friends.” These expressions of hatred and discrimination against Jewish people, based on their heritage and beliefs, is an affront to the God Himself who chose them for a special purpose.
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