I have become deeply concerned about the direction some Christians are taking. People who profess to believe the Bible are defending conduct that the Bible condemns. Political loyalties have become so strong that honest questions are treated as evidence of weak faith.
When I see Christians excuse wrongdoing because it serves a nation or a prophetic interpretation they support, I believe we are witnessing spiritual deception.
Jesus warned His disciples:
“Take heed that no man deceive you.”
—Matthew 24:4, KJV
That warning deserves our attention. Before describing wars, tribulation, and His return, Jesus told His followers to guard against deception. He also warned that false prophets would deceive many and that increasing iniquity would cause the love of many to grow cold.
I cannot read those words without examining the church—and my own heart.
Deception does not always arrive openly denying God. Sometimes it carries a Bible, speaks confidently about prophecy, and tells Christians that supporting a political cause is their sacred duty. It becomes dangerous when that teaching persuades believers to excuse what they would otherwise recognize as sin.
My particular concern is the teaching that faithfulness to God requires unquestioning support for the modern government of Israel.
I believe some Christians have accepted that teaching sincerely. They love the Lord and want to honor His Word. But sincerity does not protect any of us from error. We must examine what we have been taught by the whole counsel of Scripture, including its commands concerning justice, mercy, truth, and love.
God’s relationship with Israel never placed Israel’s rulers beyond correction. The prophets confronted the sins of the people and their leaders. They condemned oppression, innocent bloodshed, dishonesty, and religious hypocrisy. Their love for their people compelled them to speak.
Jeremiah asked:
“Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely … And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”
—Jeremiah 7:9–10, KJV
The warning is plain: religious identity does not give anyone permission to sin.
Neither does a claim about prophecy.
Whatever we believe about Israel’s future, we have no authority to bless cruelty, excuse the deliberate killing of civilians, or overlook the oppression of our neighbors. These standards apply to Israel, to America, to armed groups, and to every other nation and people.
I love the Jewish people. I also believe Palestinian lives are precious before God. Jewish families and Palestinian families alike know grief, fear, and the desire to see their children live in peace. Neither population should bear collective blame for the decisions of governments or armed groups.
Christians should be able to recognize that without being accused of abandoning the Bible.
Jesus said:
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
—Matthew 5:9, KJV
Yet I fear that some Christians have become more eager to defend warfare than to seek peace. When suffering becomes merely a detail in someone’s prophetic scheme, something has gone wrong with our understanding of Christ.
Jesus connected His warnings about deception with coming tribulation and judgment. His words should awaken us to repentance. They do not give us permission to confidently assign every headline a place on God’s calendar. I do not know the day or hour of His return. I do know that He commanded His followers to remain watchful and faithful.
Peter also wrote:
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”
—1 Peter 4:17, KJV
The church must therefore examine itself. Have we defended conduct because our preferred leaders committed it? Have we dismissed suffering because acknowledging it would challenge our theology? Have we allowed political allegiance to quiet our conscience?
Those questions belong to me as much as to anyone else.
I am an old country preacher. I have lived long enough to know that I can be mistaken. I must remain willing to be corrected by the Word of God. But I cannot remain silent when Christians are taught to support sins God has condemned.
Our calling is to bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ. We must speak truth, practice mercy, seek peace, and call wrongdoing what it is—even when doing so costs us the approval of people we once stood beside.
As we await the Lord’s return, may He find us faithful in our words and conduct. And where we have been deceived, may we have the humility to repent.
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