For most Americans, events in Israel elicit a familiar set of emotions: sadness at the loss of life, particularly innocent civilians; anger, even fury, at one side or another; and fear that the conflict may ultimately engulf the larger region. It’s hard to find a silver lining on the cloud that now hangs over the Middle East.
Unless, of course, you believe that bloodshed in Israel will pave the way for the Second Coming of Christ. Secular voters may find it baffling, but it’s a worldview of a significant number of evangelical Christians and, by extension, a critical portion of the Republican Party.
And while many might be familiar with the affinity that exists between Jews and evangelicals, the religious right’s vitriolic response to the Israel-Hamas war brings to the forefront prophecies that many Christians use to guide their thinking and actions.