Top 10 Misused Scriptures Justifying the Middle East Conflict — And What They Actually Mean

Across pulpits, YouTube channels, and social media feeds, Christians are being told that the modern conflict in the Middle East — especially involving Israel — is a direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy. But is it?

The truth is far more grounded — and more faithful to Christ — than sensational headlines suggest. Below are ten Scriptures commonly used to justify or spiritualize today’s violence, followed by the real context that reveals a different story.

1. Ezekiel 38–39 — The War of Gog and Magog

Misuse: “This predicts a coalition (Russia, Iran, etc.) attacking modern Israel today.”

Correction: These chapters are apocalyptic, symbolic visions meant to show God’s victory over evil, not modern war forecasts. The language is mythical and cosmic. Gog and Magog are archetypes for chaos, not specific nations in our news cycle.

“These passages function as theological reassurance, not geopolitical blueprints.” — Dr. Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm

2. Genesis 12:3 — “I will bless those who bless you…”

Misuse: “If we don’t bless political Israel, we’re under a curse.”

Correction: This covenant was made with Abraham and fulfilled in Christ (Gal. 3:16). The “seed” is Jesus, and those in Christ are Abraham’s family. The promise is for all nations, not a particular government.

“The New Testament radically reinterprets Abraham’s seed in light of Christ.” — N.T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God

3. Matthew 24:6–7 — “Wars and rumors of wars…”

Misuse: “Jesus said war in the Middle East means the end is near.”

Correction: This prophecy refers to events leading to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Jesus explicitly says, “This generation will not pass…” (v. 34), grounding the prophecy in the first century.

“Matthew 24 is not about our future, but their imminent judgment.” — R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew

4. Psalm 122:6 — “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”

Misuse: “We are commanded to politically support Jerusalem.”

Correction: This Psalm is a poetic prayer for shalom — wholeness and divine presence. It was about worship in the temple, not about nationalism. Today, we understand “Jerusalem” through the lens of the New Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22, Rev. 21:2).

5. Isaiah 66:8 — “Can a nation be born in a day?”

Misuse: “This prophesied the formation of Israel in 1948.”

Correction: This passage speaks of Zion giving birth to a spiritual nation — the people of God — not the formation of a modern state. It’s eschatological, not geopolitical.

“The nation born in a day is spiritual Israel — the Church.” — Gary M. Burge, Whose Land? Whose Promise?

6. Daniel 9:27 — “He will confirm a covenant…”

Misuse: “This is about a future Antichrist making a peace treaty with Israel.”

Correction: The “he” in this verse likely refers to the Messiah, not a future Antichrist. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus’ covenant (see Hebrews 9:15). The idea of a “seven-year tribulation” from this text is a recent interpretation, not early church teaching.

7. Zechariah 12:3 — “Jerusalem will be a burdensome stone…”

Misuse: “God will judge nations who oppose Israel politically.”

Correction: This prophetic language was fulfilled in the first century, culminating in the Roman siege of Jerusalem. Many scholars read this symbolically, referring to spiritual resistance to God’s Kingdom — not 21st-century global politics.

8. Revelation 16:16 — “They gathered at Armageddon”

Misuse: “This is a literal war in Israel’s future.”

Correction: Armageddon isn’t a real battlefield. It’s a symbolic term rooted in “Har-Megiddo,” evoking ancient battles. Revelation is filled with signs and symbols — not predictive maps. The battle is spiritual, not military.

“Revelation’s imagery is not meant to be read literally, but theologically.” — Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation

9. Romans 11:26 — “All Israel will be saved”

Misuse: “Ethnic Israel will be saved en masse after a war.”

Correction: Paul is speaking of the mystery of God’s inclusion of Jews and Gentiles in Christ. “All Israel” likely refers to the total people of God — both Jews and Gentiles — who come to faith in Christ.

“The fulfillment is in Christ, not a nationalistic restoration.” — Douglas Moo, NICNT: Romans

10. Deuteronomy 30:5 — “He will bring you back to the land…”

Misuse: “God promised to return the Jews to the land in 1948.”

Correction: This was a specific covenant promise under the Mosaic covenant, fulfilled in Ezra-Nehemiah after the Babylonian exile. The new covenant is not about land — it’s about life in the Spirit (see John 4:21–24).

Final Thought

The gospel is not built on bloodshed, but on reconciliation. When we read prophecy through Christ — not through fear, politics, or nationalism — we find not justification for war, but the invitation to peace.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He did not come to incite holy war, but to end them.

Sources & Scholarship

1. N.T. Wright — Paul and the Faithfulness of God

2. Michael Heiser — The Unseen Realm

3. Gary M. Burge — Whose Land? Whose Promise?

4. R.T. France — The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT)

5. Richard Bauckham — The Theology of the Book of Revelation

6. Douglas Moo — The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT)

7. Craig Keener — Revelation

8. Kenneth Bailey — Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes

9. Brad Jersak — A More Christlike Word

10. Fleming Rutledge — The Battle for Middle-earth