Israel is not just fighting a war of weapons and politics but also a war of perception and, at its deepest root, a war of the spirit. That was the central theme of Pastor Greg Locke’s appearance on the Al Hamashmaut (“On Meaning”) podcast with Israeli host Tamir Dortal. Locke, an outspoken evangelical leader from the United States, made it clear that Christian support for Israel is not a political preference but a biblical mandate.
Islam and the Threat to the West
Locke did not mince words when it came to the threat of radical Islam. “London has fallen. Paris has fallen. I mean, places in Germany—we were just there—it’s falling to Islam and America is getting very, very close,” he said. “There are places in Texas. There’s places in Dearborn, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota that are nearly fully Islamic. They’re trying to institute all of their Sharia law.”
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The pastor stressed that the hostility is not hidden. “The enemy of the world is Islam 1,000%. Nowhere in the Bible does it say Abraham, Ishmael, and Jacob. It’s Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” Locke said. “These people are hellbent on destroying the Jewish people and anybody that will stand with them.”
Antisemitism as a Spiritual Issue
While many blame politics or propaganda for antisemitism, Locke said its roots run deeper. “Although it is politically driven and media-driven, I think it’s a deep spiritual issue. I would say it’s very demonic,” he explained. “It’s the same spirit that’s been around since Pharaoh trying to eradicate the Jews, Haman trying to eradicate the Jews, Nebuchadnezzar trying to eradicate the Jews, Hitler. It’s the same spirit. It’s just upon a different person in a different generation.”
Locke insisted that opposition to Israel is ultimately opposition to God. “He’s called the God of Israel 202 times. He’s never called the God of America, the God of Africa, the God of Iran. He’s called the God of Israel,” he said. “To take that away from the Jewish people, I think, is heresy.”
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Winning the PR War
The Tennessee pastor also pointed to how social media fuels a distorted view of Israel. “Israel is not really doing well in the social media realm,” Locke said. “The PR monster is really against Israel. And so many people think things are bad here and it’s just constant war and danger and starvation in Gaza. That’s all they hear—what I call the TikTok generation.”
Locke believes Israel must counter misinformation with bold truth. “If Israel would just get the right people with big platforms, I think they could win this war from a social media standpoint,” he said.
Rejecting Replacement Theology
Locke said one of the greatest dangers inside the church itself is replacement theology—the teaching that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. He did not hold back: “Replacement theology… it’s ridiculous because we have not replaced the Jewish people. We have not replaced Israel. The church is separate, and both of them have a prophetic appointment with God, but not one without the other.”
For Locke, support for Israel is inseparable from biblical Christianity. “If I believe what I say I believe, then why wouldn’t I love the Jewish people?” he asked. “Because if I really believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then to me His coming here is a second coming, but to the Jewish people it’s a first coming. But it’s the same person. So why wouldn’t I love the Jewish people? Why wouldn’t I want to help them and support them?”
Israel as a Living Miracle
Locke pointed out that Israel’s very existence proves God’s covenant is still alive. “The biggest miracle in the entire world is the fact that the Jewish people still exist,” he said. “They have been the most hated, the most misunderstood, the most judged, criticized and persecuted people on the planet. And what do they do? They flourish.”
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He reminded listeners that the prophets foretold the land itself would respond to the Jewish return. “God promised that as more Jewish people come back to the land, the ground would prosper. The crops would grow. There’d be springs in the desert. All of these prophecies. And when you come here and see it, you get a different feel.”
Standing with God’s Word
The survival and prosperity of Israel is not an accident of history but the fulfillment of God’s eternal Word. “This land belongs to the Jewish people,” Locke said. “It’s predictive. It’s prophetic.”
And as Scripture affirms, the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still stands. The words He spoke about Israel in His Word are still true today.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
