beside him, the soldiers suddenly stopped shooting. They had heard church bells, and took a break from the killing while they went to vespers. How can a Jew who has gone through these things ever believe in a Chris- tian again? Especially


since the Christian


church, Christian theologians and Christian countries have led the field in anti-Semitism.”


The Answer Lies in God’s Word The answer to this question cannot be found in a book of philosophy or in official public statements issued by churches or Christian groups. It is found in God’s Word and in our active obedience to His commands concerning Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish people. We begin with repentance, proceed with prayer and follow through with active deeds of intercession and love, following the example of our Savior.


It seems logical to assume that if Jesus


wanted to convert mankind by force, He would not have gone through the agony of death on a cross. He could have simply com- manded legions of angels to force every man, woman and child to bend their knees before Him. But our Savior does not resort to force. Instead He allows us to choose to follow Him.


The Church has not done well in follow- ing Jesus’ example. History is strewn with examples of times when Christians condoned violence to either convert or eliminate those who did not believe. One of the Church’s pri- mary targets through the years has been Jew- ish people, and Jewish people have noticed. Dr. Michael Brown translated the words


of an Israeli writer who expressed the Jewish view of the way the Christian Church has por- trayed the Gospel of Christ to the Jew: “Instead of bringing redemption to the Jews, the false Christian messiah has brought down on us base libels and expulsions, oppressive restric- tions and burning of [our] holy books, devas- tations and destructions. Christianity, which professes to infuse the sick world with love and compassion, has fixed a course directly opposed to this lofty rhetoric. The voice of the blood of millions of our brothers cries out for us from the ground: ‘No! Christianity is not a religion of love but a religion of unfathomable hate! All history, from ancient times to our own day, is one continuous proof of the total bankruptcy of this religion in all its segments.” This is not the model Jesus demonstrated


to His followers. Jesus does not save the lost through force, coercion or military action. The


Prince of Peace builds His Kingdom with the weapons of love, grace and mercy. Religion at its worst forces its way through hatred, harsh- ness and cruelty. Church leaders in nearly every century seem to miss this important point. In the face of such diabolic evil, God’s


Word stands unchanged and eternally true. It does not matter how many current events and impending crises become human history. We should never forget God’s ominous warning to every human being, every human institu- tion and every nation among men that he who touches Zion touches the apple of His eye (see Zechariah 2:8).


This article is excerpted from The Coming Israel Awakening: Gazing into the Future of the Jewish People and the Church, by James W. Goll, © Chosen, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009. (See page 6 for order information.)


JAMES W. GOLL is the president of Encounters Network and international director of Prayer Storm. The co-author of twenty books, Goll is also a contributing editor for Kairos magazine.


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