By Duke Taber
A growing number of believers are discovering that publicly supporting Israel now invites real opposition, and one pastor is urging Christians not to be caught off guard. Pastor Jim Scudder Jr. recently warned that anyone who chooses to stand with Israel in this cultural moment should expect resistance, and that the conflict runs far deeper than politics. In his words, it is a spiritual battle.
This is not a call to anger or to political tribalism. It is a call to understand what Scripture says about Israel, to recognize the unseen dimension behind the hostility, and to respond with the boldness and the prayerfulness that mark a mature faith.
Who Is Jim Scudder Jr.?
Jim Scudder Jr. serves as the Senior Pastor of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and as president of Dayspring Bible College and Seminary. He is also the host of the InGrace television and radio programs, which carry his teaching to a wide audience.
Scudder made his comments during an interview with Paul Calvert while discussing his new book, The Spiritual War Against Israel: Defending Biblical Zionism and Understanding Israel’s Place in God’s Prophetic Plan, co-authored with historian Dr. Phil Stringer. The book traces Israel’s role through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation and tackles hard questions about Zionism, Bible prophecy, and replacement theology.
His central warning was blunt. “Anyone that’s going to support Israel publicly better be ready for a battle,” he said. For a believer, that readiness begins not with argument but with understanding the nature of the fight, which is why learning to recognize the reality of spiritual warfare from a biblical perspective matters so much in a season like this.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. — Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
A Battle That Is Not Flesh and Blood
The heart of Scudder’s argument is that the hostility surrounding Israel cannot be fully explained by geopolitics alone. Throughout history, he notes, the Jewish people have been hated and warred against in a way that defies ordinary explanation, from the Philistines, Canaanites, Midianites, and Amalekites of the biblical era to modern movements driven by antisemitism.
That pattern is exactly what Scripture would lead us to expect. The Bible repeatedly frames the deepest conflicts of this world as spiritual at their root, fought in a realm we cannot see with our eyes. This does not mean human beings bear no responsibility for their choices. It means there is more going on beneath the surface than the headlines reveal.
For believers, this reframing changes everything about how we respond. If the real conflict is spiritual, then our most important weapons are not political talking points but the tools God has given His people. That is why the Apostle Paul spent so much time describing the whole armor of God and urging believers to put it on before the day of trouble comes, not in the middle of it.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. — 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)
The Golden Age of Biblical Archaeology
Scudder’s convictions are not only theological. They are shaped by his frequent visits to Israel, where he films content for his television ministry and documents archaeological discoveries connected to the Bible. During the interview he described visiting sites associated with figures such as King Saul and pointed to ongoing excavations at Shiloh, Mount Bezek, and Khirbet Qeiyafa.
These are significant locations. Shiloh was the place where the tabernacle stood for generations before the temple was built in Jerusalem. Mount Bezek appears in the account of Saul mustering Israel, and Khirbet Qeiyafa, in the Elah Valley, has drawn intense scholarly interest for what it may reveal about the kingdom of David’s era. Scudder said recent discoveries continue to strengthen confidence in the historical reliability of Scripture and Israel’s ancient connection to the land.
“It’s the golden age of biblical archaeology in Israel,” he remarked.
It is worth being measured here. Archaeology rarely settles every debate, and scholars continue to argue over the interpretation of many sites. Yet the steady accumulation of physical evidence tied to the biblical narrative is a meaningful encouragement to faith. It reminds us that the God of the Bible acted in real places, among real people, in real history, which is part of why so many believers find their confidence deepening rather than shrinking as the ground is excavated.
Living Under Fire
The conversation also turned to the daily reality faced by people living in Israel today. Scudder recounted being in the country during missile attacks and going through the same emergency procedures Israeli citizens routinely endure, including rushing to bomb shelters when the sirens sound.
He spoke with admiration for the resilience of the people there and emphasized why he believes Christian support matters in such a moment. Whatever one’s view of the political complexities, the human reality is sobering. Ordinary families live with a level of danger most Western believers can scarcely imagine, and that reality should move us to compassion and to prayer rather than to mere opinion.
This is where the spiritual battle becomes intensely practical. The most powerful thing a believer can do for people under threat is often the least visible. Throughout Scripture, God moved in response to the persistent prayers of His people, and the intercessory prayers that changed history remind us that crying out to God on behalf of others is never a passive or secondary act. It is frontline work.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. — Psalm 122:6 (NKJV)
The Question of Replacement Theology
One of the more pointed parts of Scudder’s argument concerns what is often called replacement theology, the view that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan and that the promises once made to the Jewish people now belong exclusively to the Church. Scudder argues that the modern rebirth of Israel as a nation presents a serious challenge to that view, and he maintains that Scripture consistently points to a future role for Israel and the Jewish people.
Let me be clear about where I stand, because this is not a minor matter. Replacement theology does not hold up under the weight of Scripture. The idea that God has permanently set aside Israel and handed her promises to the Church requires us to ignore the plain teaching of the Bible, and I believe Scudder is right to challenge it.
The Apostle Paul settled this question directly. In his extended discussion in Romans 9 through 11, he asked the very question replacement theology answers wrongly, and then he refuted it in the strongest terms available to him. God has not cast away His people. His gifts and His calling are not revoked. If God could break His covenant with Israel, then no believer could trust His promises either, because a God who abandons His word to one people cannot be relied upon to keep it with another.
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. — Romans 11:1 (NKJV)
This is why the modern rebirth of Israel is so striking. The survival and return of the Jewish people against staggering odds is not an accident of history. It is a visible reminder that God keeps His word across the centuries, exactly as He said He would. His covenant faithfulness is the bedrock beneath every believer’s hope, and exploring how the whole sweep of Scripture builds toward its conclusion in the book of Revelation helps anchor us when current events feel chaotic and uncertain.
Why This Is Rooted in Jesus
The interview closed on a deeply personal note. Scudder explained that his support for Israel is not first a matter of politics but a matter of faith in Jesus. “I worship and I will forever, eternally worship a Jewish man, a Jewish rabbi,” he declared, speaking of the Jewish identity of the Messiah.
There is something clarifying about that statement. The Savior of the world was born into a Jewish family, raised in the Jewish Scriptures, and ministered first to the Jewish people. The roots of the Christian faith run straight through Israel. To despise the people from whom the Messiah came is to forget where our own salvation entered the world.
This is why a believer’s posture toward Israel should never be one of arrogance or hatred toward anyone. The gospel calls us to truth and to love at the same time. We can hold firm convictions about God’s faithfulness while still extending genuine compassion to every person caught in the conflict, including those who oppose us.
Be Bold, Not Silent
As opposition grows in many circles, Scudder’s appeal to believers was simple and direct. “I think Christians need to be more bold,” he said.
That boldness, rightly understood, is not the boldness of the loudest voice in an argument. It is the steady courage of people who know what they believe and why, who have done the work of understanding Scripture, and who refuse to be silenced by intimidation. It is conviction married to humility, strength expressed through grace.
The early believers turned the world upside down not by matching the world’s hostility but by an unshakeable confidence in the risen Christ. That same confidence is available to us, and it is built in the quiet hours of study and prayer long before it is tested in public.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. — Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)
A Word of Encouragement
If the rising tide of hostility toward the things of God leaves you feeling outnumbered, take heart. The people of God have always been a minority swimming against the current, and the current has never had the final word. The same God who preserved a people through empires, exiles, and centuries of opposition is the God who holds your life and your future today.
You do not need to have every prophetic detail figured out to stand firmly on the faithfulness of God. You only need to know the One who has never broken a promise. Whatever battle you are facing, seen or unseen, He is more than able to carry you through it.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. — Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)
Equip Yourself for the Battle
Spiritual battles are not won in the heat of the moment. They are won by believers who have prepared their hearts and minds ahead of time through Scripture and prayer. If you want to understand the prophetic themes running through current events with greater clarity and confidence, our Book of Revelation Bible Study walks you through the Bible’s great prophetic conclusion, including Israel’s place in God’s unfolding plan, in a way that is accessible whether you are studying on your own or leading a group. It is the kind of preparation that steadies the soul when the headlines grow loud.
Sources
- Christians Who Stand With Israel Should Prepare for a Spiritual Battle, Pastor Warns — Charisma Magazine Online
- Christians who stand with Israel should prepare for a spiritual battle, pastor warns — All Israel News
- The Spiritual War Against Israel — VCY America Crosstalk
- InGrace with Jim Scudder Jr. — InGrace Ministries
- What Christians NEED to Know About Israel and Bible Prophecy (TSR 467) — The Sharpening Report
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