Where The Church Stands On Israel And Its Future Is Much More Than A Simple Theological Disagreement

Where The Church Stands On Israel And Its Future Is Much More Than A Simple Theological Disagreement

Jonathan Brentner

What we believe about Israel and its future is of utmost importance.

No church is neutral on the matter of Israel’s place in Bible prophecy. Many pastors say that such matters pertaining to the end times are of lesser significance than other more weighty matters of the faith. In my experience, however, they are the most aggressive in promoting the church as the new Israel and the least tolerant of those who disagree with them on this topic.

Even so, some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” It’s because the place a church assigns to the role of Israel in Bible prophecy is much more than just a matter of theology buried somewhere in a church’s doctrinal statement; it always impacts key areas of its ministry.

A few months ago, I wrote, “5 Troubling Trends in Today’s Church,” in which I detailed the abuses that flow from the kingdom mentality within churches who believe they represent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

At the top of my list was elders who rule rather than serve the members of the body of Christ. I have witnessed firsthand the harm this causes and have heard many stories from several others who have comparable stories.

The problem with this kingdom mentality is that it so often results in a far different pattern of leadership from what the Lord prescribed in Mark 10:42-45 and Peter later wrote about in 1 Peter 5:1-5: “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (emphasis added)

Jesus’ pattern for church leadership is that of a servant, with those in charge acting as shepherds caring for the well-being of those in their charge. Sadly, the widespread problem of “domineering” elders is not exclusive to churches who regard themselves as the new Israel.

It Places Undue Emphasis on This Life

Another harmful result of denying Jesus’ millennial rule over a restored Israel is that it pushes the Lord’s return to a far distant end of the age event, which more often than not leads to an undue focus on this life. I have often heard this reflected in conversations with those who don’t regard the Lord’s return as an imminent event; they plan as if nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.

This faulty emphasis on things pertaining to this life robs believers of the relief that comes from seeing the corruption and violence of our day as signs of Jesus’ imminent appearing rather than something they hope will somehow go away or get better. I can’t imagine reading the news of our day apart from the comfort I feel in knowing that at some point in the not-too-distant future, the Lord will dramatically intervene in human affairs after He takes me home to glory.

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26 years later, IDF restores its south Lebanon security zone

26 years later, IDF restores its south Lebanon security zone — with key changes

Emanuel Fabian

The Israeli military is reestablishing a security zone that it left some 26 years ago, although commanders say that this time around, it will not carry with it the same dangers that troops faced during the 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 1982-2000.

On Sunday, for the first time since hostilities with Hezbollah escalated last month during the Iran war — when the terror group resumed rocket and drone attacks on Israel — Israeli reporters were allowed by the Israel Defense Forces to enter southern Lebanon, in an escorted visit to the newly established security zone.

The visit took place during a fragile 10-day ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, that began at midnight between Thursday and Friday, following more than 40 days of fighting in southern Lebanon.

Driving through the fresh mud of southern Lebanon, reporters were taken in Eitan armored personnel carriers to a makeshift military post in the largely destroyed village of Ayta ash-Shab.

Five IDF divisions — composed of tens of thousands of troops — are currently stationed in the new security zone, whose boundaries are unsurprisingly similar to the security zone Israel held between 1985 and 2000, as Lebanon’s terrain has not exactly changed in the past 26 years.

Military and defense officials have said that the idea behind the security zone is to remove the threats of a potential Hezbollah invasion and the terror group’s “direct fire,” or anti-tank guided missiles, on Israeli border communities.

The IDF avoids calling it a “security zone.” Rather, the military dubs it a “forward defense area,” in an apparent attempt to distance any connection to the deadly and controversial conflict nearly three decades ago, during which an estimated 675 troops were killed.

“What do you call it? It doesn’t really matter,” said Col. Arik Moyal, the commander of the Nahal Infantry Brigade.

“Tactically, as a commander, this is a security area. We were told to create a security area where direct anti-tank fire cannot be carried out. There can’t be terrorists here who could infiltrate Shtula or Zarit… and there must not be any terror infrastructure here,” he told reporters during Sunday’s tour.

“What matters is what we do, and what we need to do so that a mother in [the Israeli border area moshav] Shtula can take her children to kindergarten safely and no one threatens her.”

As part of the security zone, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that the IDF would raze all of the Lebanese border villages — with the exception of several Christian communities — though military commanders have insisted that the army is only destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, which they say is often embedded within civilian homes.

New security zone, without the old threats

There are several key differences between the 2026 security zone and the one the IDF hurriedly evacuated in 2000, military officials said.

The first is that there are almost no Lebanese civilians currently residing in the IDF-controlled territory except for the Christian communities, with which commanders said the military has coordination channels.

Israel ordered a wide-scale evacuation of all of southern Lebanon, which Lebanese civilians largely abided by, especially in villages close to the border, leaving behind an estimated 1,000 Hezbollah operatives — most of whom have been killed, according to the army.

IDF officers said that this makes it both harder for Hezbollah to hide, as it cannot use the civilian population as cover, and easier for the military to detect members of the terror group.

The second is the systematic destruction of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border villages, preventing the terror group from using those areas to stage attacks on forces.

Hezbollah has been pushed back deeper into southern Lebanon, though it could still fire rockets at Israeli forces in the security zone, as well as at Israel.

For that reason, the third key change compared to the security zone 26 years ago is the fact that the IDF will have a limited number of stationary outposts in southern Lebanon this time, commanders said. Decades ago, the IDF maintained more than a dozen main outposts in southern Lebanon, which became targets for Hezbollah attacks.

Military officials said that the IDF would establish several posts inside the security zone to be able to control it, but the army as a whole would be a lot more “mobile” within the area, to limit the possibility of Hezbollah attacks.

A map released by the IDF on Sunday showed that the security zone crossed the Litani River, a key geographic marker long associated with efforts to push Hezbollah forces northward, and included the historically strategic Beaufort Ridge.

However, ground troops are not stationed in all of those areas, including the Beaufort Castle. Rather, the map marked areas the IDF controls with both surveillance and firepower, with ground troops only in areas deemed strategically necessary.

‘Still a lot of work to do’

The IDF has said it would clear the area currently under its control in southern Lebanon of Hezbollah infrastructure, operatives, and any other threats, during the ceasefire.

The military believes that several Hezbollah cells remain trapped in the IDF-held territory since the ceasefire took effect, and officers said they would be found sooner or later.

“This is an enemy that mostly retreats, runs away, and tries to evade you until you have left him no room to escape,” Moyal said.

Asked if the sudden ceasefire announced by Trump put an unexpected halt to the military’s operations, Moyal said that the timing could not have been better.

“The ceasefire came into effect exactly when we were right at the lines we wanted to reach,” he told reporters. “We operated fully. We reached the places we wanted to be. We captured the villages we wanted to capture. But there is still a lot of work ahead. It will take more time,” Moyal said.

The Nahal commander said the IDF has now “created a security area that both prevents direct anti-tank fire toward the northern communities, and also prevents the threat of an infiltration, and allows us to destroy all the remaining infrastructure here.”

“Therefore, we still have a lot of work to do,” he added.

Hezbollah ‘human shield’ strategy behind Lebanon ambush, bomb detonation - Macron drawn in

Hezbollah ‘human shield’ strategy behind Lebanon ambush, bomb detonation - Macron drawn in

Emma Bussey

The 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire was tested April 18 after an ambush in southern Lebanonkilled a French soldier, highlighting Hezbollah’s alleged "human shield" tactics and drawing another nation into the conflict, a defense analyst said.

An IDF reservist was also killed, and nine soldiers were wounded—one seriously—on the same day, when an engineering vehicle drove over a bomb planted by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the military said.

Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the INSS and the Misgav Institute in Tel Aviv, said the Iranian-backed group had spent years preparing the region for Israel’s arrival, relying on its entrenched, signature terror strategy—even after the latest ceasefire and the IDF’s re-entry into southern Lebanon in March.

"This is the rationale of human shields, using the population and sensitive civilian facilities in order to store weapons and use places for terror and operational purposes," Michael told Fox News Digital.

"Hezbollah worked for decades to build an entire facility, part of it underground, below private residential buildings and houses, preparing themselves for a surprise attack on Israel," Michael added.

"They were well-prepared to defend themselves once the IDF entered and tried to fight them," he said.

France’s foreign minister said the soldier was killed in a close-range ambush and struck by a direct shot.

The minister said the attack happened during a patrol clearing explosives near Ghandouriyeh, when troops came under small-arms fire from "non-state actors," a term often used to refer to groups like Hezbollah.

"They operate in the Shiite villages and among the Shiite population who are supported by Hezbollah," Michael said, before describing how "most people in these southern villages are connected to Hezbollah" in one way or another and are "heavily dependent on the terror organization."

"All community life and infrastructure in these Shiite villages and towns are an effective cover for terror purposes and Hezbollah activities," he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the soldier's death.

"Sgt. Maj. Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment in Montauban was killed this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon)," Macron said. "Three of his comrades were wounded and evacuated."

"All indications suggest that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and take responsibility alongside UNIFIL," Macron added.

Michael, however, claimed Macron’s response was, in some ways, inconsistent, as the president has been drawn into the war.

At first, France had called Israeli strikes on Lebanon on April 8 "intolerable" and opposed a ground offensive.

Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, also expressed his wish to keep Macron out of ceasefire negotiations, highlighting tensions surrounding his policy.

"When it comes to Hezbollah breaches against Israel, the French demand Israel restrain and contain, but when it comes to one of their soldiers, they are furious at Hezbollah," Michael said.

"That said, Hezbollah has breached the ceasefire agreement since its first moment," Michael added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in a statement and said an initial assessment by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon found it was carried out by Hezbollah.

According to the U.S. State Department, under the terms of the 2026 ceasefire, brought about by negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, Israel retains the right to act in self-defense against threats, while Lebanon must take steps to prevent attacks by Hezbollah and other armed groups.

London Sees THIRD Attack on Jewish Sites in a Week, as Attempted Arsonist Targets Synagogue

London Sees THIRD Attack on Jewish Sites in a Week, as Attempted Arsonist Targets Synagogue

Paul Serran

An attempted arson attack targeted a synagogue in North London overnight, as the incidents multiply in Labour-led Britain.

It’s the third occurrence at Jewish sites in the capital this week, and it comes in the context of 3,700 antisemitic incidents recorded in the United Kingdom in 2025.

The UK establishment and the lying MSM will blame the military confrontations in the Middle East for this state of things – but, in fact, these attacks are the direct result of their own suicidal ‘unchecked mass migration’ policies.

CBS News reported:

“The fire caused minor smoke damage to a room at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, London, according to the Community Security Trust, which provides safety advice to Jewish groups. No injuries were reported.”

Metropolitan Police officers noticed damage to the window of the Synagogue, and saw smoke inside a room, with evidence that a bottle with accelerant had been thrown through the window.

“British chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis wrote on social media that the recent attacks show that a ‘sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community in the UK is gathering momentum’.

‘Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society’, Mirvis wrote.”

British counter-terror police reportedly believe criminals recruited by the Mullahs’ regime in Iran could be masterminding the recent arson attacks on Jewish-linked sites.

The Telegraph reported:

“A firebomb was thrown through a synagogue window in Harrow on Saturday night, in the fourth such attack on north London’s Jewish community in the past month.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI), an Islamist militant group linked to Iran, has claimed responsibility for all the attacks.

They include attempted firebombings of a Jewish synagogue in Finchley and the former offices of a Jewish charity in Hendon, as well as the firebombing of four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity in Golders Green.”

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Trump says US took control of Iranian cargo ship that tried to break blockade

Trump says US took control of Iranian cargo ship that tried to break blockade

Jacob Magid

US President Donald Trump announces that the US has taken custody of an Iranian cargo ship that attempted to pass a blockade that Washington has been maintaining around Iranian ports.

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA — nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier — tried to get past our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump claims in a Truth Social post.

“The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave [it a] fair warning to stop,” Trump continues. “The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineer room. Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel.”

“The TOUSKA is under US Treasury sanctions because of [its] prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” the US president adds.