There is an intriguing passage of scripture in the 35th chapter of Isaiah that, in my opinion, is a prophetic admonition to a people other than Israel. It may be a G-d inspired assignment for the righteous of the nations in their relationship with Jews within Israel and in the diaspora. I think the prophet Isaiah may be speaking of a futuristic time—our time?—in which the Jews return to the land of Israel after 2,000 years and consequently face great hardship both inside and outside of the land. Here is the first portion of the passage:

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our G-d” (Isaiah 35:1-2).

To me, the first two verses of Isaiah 35 speak of the regathering of Jews to their land of promise. When Jews began immigrating in large numbers in 1882 they faced the daunting task of cultivating a dry and desolate wilderness. Since then, the land has blossomed abundantly, fulfilling the word of G-d spoken through the prophet Isaiah. Verse 10 of Isaiah 35 seems to confirm this wilderness experience will coincide with a great regathering of Jews to the land:

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

We know from history that since early Jewish settlers began their journey home, Jews have endured great resistance from their neighbors. During this same time, six million Jews perished during the Holocaust. The recent massacre of over 1,200 Jewish innocents on October 7, 2023, was part of an ongoing terrorist campaign to drive Jews from their land.

Today, Antisemitic hatred is exploding globally. A recent Tel Aviv University study shows that 2025 saw the highest number of Jews murdered by Antisemitic violence outside of Israel in the last 30 years. Presently, Iranian ballistic missiles are raining down on Jews in Israel. Many Jewish people have been wounded and killed.

And what is G-d’s word to a people other than Israel in Isaiah 35? How is this people—righteous gentiles from the nations?—to respond to Israel’s grief and anxiety in her being vexed by evil murderers who are intent on building a ring of fire (Iran’s plan through its proxies) around her? How should this people respond to the pain of Jews around the world who are being targeted with murderous violence? The next two verses in Isaiah 35—the intriguing passage I mentioned above about a people other than Israel that Isaiah seems to be addressing—offers insight:

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your G-d will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God, He will come and rescue you’” (Isaiah 35:3-4).

Yesterday, April 14, was Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). On this day, Jews and Christians honored the memory of Jewish innocents who perished in the Holocaust. On the day after Yom HaShoah there is something else Christians should remember: The righteous of the nations who protected Jews in occupied Europe during the Holocaust numbered only .001%—a small fraction of a population of 300 million people. For the most part, Christians were indifferent to Jewish suffering. The tragic truth is that without the complicity of Christians, the Holocaust would have never been possible. The Holocaust happened because running through the soul of the European church—both Catholic and Protestant—was a deep strain of Antisemitism. Tragically, that same strain of Antisemitism is still festering in the conscience of many Christians today.

My plea to my brothers and sisters in the Christian church on this day after Yom HaShoah is that they would remember both the indifference and the complicity of Christians during the Shoah. Forgetting this moral stain on the soul of Christianity assures the same indifference and complicity will repeat itself in our day.

Because the church has historically rejected the centrality of Israel’s restoration in the scriptures, its own restoration still awaits. A Christian’s faith and ultimate restoration is tied to Israel. Tragically, instead of embracing G-d’s choice of Israel, many Christian leaders are presently choosing to follow the arrogant theology of Supersessionism—a heresy filling pulpits and seminaries that declares Christians have replaced the Jews as the true Israel and covenant people of G-d. How can one who jealously rejects G-d’s choice of the Jewish people draw near to them in their suffering? They can’t.

Thankfully, there is a growing number of righteous gentile saints around the world who understand the grief and anxiety of Jews is theirs to share. My hope is that in the coming days Christians will have a heart of empathy toward the suffering of their elder Jewish brothers and sisters and with a prophetic voice proclaim, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your G-d will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and rescue you!”

…..”If men cannot always make history have a meaning, they can always act so that their own lives have.” (Albert Camus in The Courage to Care: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust).

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)